HOLLYWOOD—It is never an easy task to bring a caliber of superheroes together in one movie. When you have so many characters, and standouts who can easily hold their own film, it makes it that much more difficult when you have 6 to 7 all in the same movie with a narrative that works on all cylinders? We’ve seen “Marvel’s The Avengers” and finally DC has unleashed theirs with “Justice League.” Now let’s just get the cat out of the bag: “Justice League” is not perfect. It’s not the greatest action/superhero flick I’ve seen of all time.
I still hold that spot to “The Dark Knight” and no film I think will ever compare to that classic. However, “Justice League” is a far better improvement than “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Why? Let’s say there is a woman named Gal Gadot aka Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman. Gadot’s character seems to make this grouping of some of the most unorthodox characters I’ve ever met, seem feasible! Whereas “The Avengers” had all their main characters well defined, the audience gets to meet these characters and their backstories as the narrative progresses.
For Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) we already know their characters well. Again, the casting of Affleck as Bruce Wayne aka Batman is just terrible in my opinion. He brings nothing to the character, except for a level of grumpiness that is very off-putting. As a viewer you sometimes question if Affleck even wanted to do the movie. Our narrative, similar like “The Avengers” people, (that might be because Joss Whedon helped with script duties) revolves around several Mother Boxes that have been hidden throughout the world. You might ask why those boxes are important, it’s because they bring a level of power that makes the film’s villain Steppenwolf (Ciarian Hinds) unstoppable in his quest to earn back the loyalty of his master Darkseid.
The biggest flaw this movie has is its villain. I could not perceive this guy and his army of dark minions as a threatening force even if I wanted to. Quite frankly, the character is very laughable, just like Enchantress in “Suicide Squad.” Note to all those looking to adapt comic book movies to the big screen: the villain is just as important as the hero. It’s not so much the viewer wants an entire back story on the antagonist, we want to feel that the threat is very real, its presence and that doom can transpire at any moment. We don’t get that with “Justice League.”
However, we do get the introduction of three unique characters in Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller). Miller I loved for his ability to deliver fun comedic timing when it’s needed most. As for Fisher, his character is a bit one-note, but I enjoyed the visual effects Cyborg brought to the big screen. A surprising character who meshes well on the chemistry level with Gal Gadot is Jason Momoa. These two come across like great pals on the big screen and that chemistry plays very well with their scenes in the movie. I mean whoever knew the God of the Sea could be so entertaining.
What works so well for “Justice League” is it doesn’t attempt to be a perfect film, and as a result the flaws are expected, and as a viewer I didn’t hold the film to certain standards. The characters interject plenty of comedy as a way to make their characters memorable. There are special effects and action sequences so epic, a superhero fanatic will salivate for more. I mean seeing The Flash actually move like the speed of light and not come across as being a cheap thrill or underwhelming is no easy feat.
For those wondering why oh, why didn’t I mention Superman aka Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) it’s because the movie attempts to shield his resurrection as some epic secret, which it’s not. To be honest the fact that the marketing team decided not to implement this character in any of the movie posters, trailers or TV spots is a shame, but I understand why as he does play an important role in the narrative, but nothing epic is unearthed about Kent that we don’t already know. Simply put “Justice League” is pure entertainment. It is a film that allows viewers to escape for 120 minutes, have some popcorn and to be taken to a world that only one can imagine.
