Year: 2017
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Jeremy Irons, Amy Adams, Ray Fisher, Diane Lane, and Ciaran Hinds
Tagline: You can't save the world alone.
Synopsis: With an otherworldly invasion already beginning, Batman must enlist Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, and Cyborg to unite and save the world.
Tagline: You can't save the world alone.
Synopsis: With an otherworldly invasion already beginning, Batman must enlist Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, and Cyborg to unite and save the world.
Review
I grew up watching iterations of Batman and Superman. I knew their backstories inside out before I'd ever even heard of Iron Man or Captain America. So as Justice League drew closer, my hopes were high that it would turn out. Batman v. Superman had filled me with doubt, but Wonder Woman gave me hope that DC could pull it off. In the end, some of Justice League worked well and some of it didn't. It's not a great film, but it is an enjoyable one.
First, let's start with some of the problems. Then we can end on the highlights.
Lego Batman once said, "I only work in black. And sometimes very, very dark grey." We get it, he's the Dark Knight. But the dark and gloomy aesthetic of the DC films is getting old. Every scene feels moody and visually subdued in blues and greys. This feels true even when we have colorful characters like Wonder Woman or Flash. The dark aesthetic is especially jarring when compared to Thor: Ragnarok, which I had seen a few days before. I understand that DC wants to show itself different from Marvel ... but this might not be the way.
Batman has one of the greatest rogues galleries (villains who oppose him) of any superhero. Clearly, DC can do excellent, memorable villains. Steppenwolf isn't one of them, at least not in this iteration. He wants to take over the world (typical) and reform it like his own (which sounds a bit like General Zod). He's powerful, without question. But Steppenwolf is bland.
Another problem with Justice League is that it feels way too similar to Avengers: Age of Ultron at times. Steppenwolf's parademons are similar to Ultron's army of robots: plentiful and expendable. They are the perfect fodder for our heroes to show off their skills. Further, both villains make their base of operations in eastern Europe. And both villains are bent purely on the destruction of all life on earth.
There are other similarities with Age of Ultron, and other problems with the story, but they are in the Spoiler Section. Suffice it to say here that the story is enjoyable, but not great or memorable. Justice League brings nothing new to the superhero table.
The music in Justice League is a mixed bag for me. I didn't like the choice of songs that were used a couple of times. Some of that is my own musical taste, but they didn't seem to fit. The score itself was interesting. It borrowed the themes from the recent Wonder Woman and Man of Steel films. But it also subtly incorporated at times some older themes. Superman's theme from the Christopher Reeve movies is used briefly. And there are hints of the Batman theme used in the Tim Burton films.
Despite the film's flaws, it is undeniably fun to see these heroes come together and learn to fight side by side. The film focuses mainly on the motives and histories of Batman and Wonder Woman. They have some good moments together as they learn from each other and prod each other forward. The Flash brings some much-needed humor to the film. He's socially awkward. As he says: "I need friends." He's also new to heroics, which makes him a nice balance for the more mature and seasoned Batman. Aquaman is the tough cynic (who has a great scene involving Wonder Woman's lasso of truth).
Cyborg, though, felt like the weak link. At times he seemed more like a convenient plot device than a character the film knew what to do with. His personality seems to have one side: angst. Yes, his backstory lends itself to being angst-filled. But he felt the least-developed of all the characters.
In addition to the heroes, we've also got Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Lois Lane, and Martha Kent. Each of them play their parts well. And all the roles (superheroes and allies) feel like they have the right actors.
While Justice League can't begin to compare to the humor found in most Marvel films, Justice League does attempt to have more fun and doesn't take itself as seriously as previous DC films. Batman and Wonder Woman both have a subtle humor to them. Alfred offers some great sarcasm and droll wit (as only Jeremy Irons can deliver). But much of the humor centers around the Flash. And it mostly works. The film is a step in the right direction, but it's still missing the humor and heart that made Wonder Woman a winner.
The film is rated PG-13. I don't remember much language. The rating is almost entirely for the superhero violence, which might even be a bit less than the previous DC installments.
I enjoyed seeing Justice League. And I will likely buy it so I can watch it again. Is it a great film? No. But it's got some fun moments. And it's a step in the right direction. The movie is partly about not losing hope. I believe there is still hope for DC films.
There is a mid-credits scene for fun. There is also a post-credits scene to tease future films.
*** Spoiler Section ***
Superman returns. That should come as a surprise to nobody.
This is where Justice League is again too similar to Age of Ultron. Bringing Superman back to life is highly reminiscent of bringing Vision to life. There is even an almost identical conversation about the wisdom of such a plan. Some heroes are all for it, driven in part by their own guilt. Other heroes are against it, because bringing beings to life or back to life is pretty serious stuff. And in both films, the doubters eventually acknowledge that it was a good idea (as Superman and Vision do the heavy lifting of defeating the villain).
Another qualm I had with the film was, why was Lois Lane plan B and not plan A? They are bringing Superman back from the dead. From the dead. Having four armed strangers (well, Wonder Woman is only a near-stranger) confront him when he first comes back seems like a bad idea from the start. Why not go straight to the one person he would most want to see? Then maybe the heroes could have focused on protecting the Mother Cube of World-Destroying Power rather than let Steppenwolf just lazily pick it up off the ground. Just a thought.
One last thing. They can explain Superman coming back from the dead. But how do they explain Clark Kent coming back from the dead?
First, let's start with some of the problems. Then we can end on the highlights.
Lego Batman once said, "I only work in black. And sometimes very, very dark grey." We get it, he's the Dark Knight. But the dark and gloomy aesthetic of the DC films is getting old. Every scene feels moody and visually subdued in blues and greys. This feels true even when we have colorful characters like Wonder Woman or Flash. The dark aesthetic is especially jarring when compared to Thor: Ragnarok, which I had seen a few days before. I understand that DC wants to show itself different from Marvel ... but this might not be the way.
Batman has one of the greatest rogues galleries (villains who oppose him) of any superhero. Clearly, DC can do excellent, memorable villains. Steppenwolf isn't one of them, at least not in this iteration. He wants to take over the world (typical) and reform it like his own (which sounds a bit like General Zod). He's powerful, without question. But Steppenwolf is bland.
Another problem with Justice League is that it feels way too similar to Avengers: Age of Ultron at times. Steppenwolf's parademons are similar to Ultron's army of robots: plentiful and expendable. They are the perfect fodder for our heroes to show off their skills. Further, both villains make their base of operations in eastern Europe. And both villains are bent purely on the destruction of all life on earth.
There are other similarities with Age of Ultron, and other problems with the story, but they are in the Spoiler Section. Suffice it to say here that the story is enjoyable, but not great or memorable. Justice League brings nothing new to the superhero table.
The music in Justice League is a mixed bag for me. I didn't like the choice of songs that were used a couple of times. Some of that is my own musical taste, but they didn't seem to fit. The score itself was interesting. It borrowed the themes from the recent Wonder Woman and Man of Steel films. But it also subtly incorporated at times some older themes. Superman's theme from the Christopher Reeve movies is used briefly. And there are hints of the Batman theme used in the Tim Burton films.
Despite the film's flaws, it is undeniably fun to see these heroes come together and learn to fight side by side. The film focuses mainly on the motives and histories of Batman and Wonder Woman. They have some good moments together as they learn from each other and prod each other forward. The Flash brings some much-needed humor to the film. He's socially awkward. As he says: "I need friends." He's also new to heroics, which makes him a nice balance for the more mature and seasoned Batman. Aquaman is the tough cynic (who has a great scene involving Wonder Woman's lasso of truth).
Cyborg, though, felt like the weak link. At times he seemed more like a convenient plot device than a character the film knew what to do with. His personality seems to have one side: angst. Yes, his backstory lends itself to being angst-filled. But he felt the least-developed of all the characters.
In addition to the heroes, we've also got Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Lois Lane, and Martha Kent. Each of them play their parts well. And all the roles (superheroes and allies) feel like they have the right actors.
While Justice League can't begin to compare to the humor found in most Marvel films, Justice League does attempt to have more fun and doesn't take itself as seriously as previous DC films. Batman and Wonder Woman both have a subtle humor to them. Alfred offers some great sarcasm and droll wit (as only Jeremy Irons can deliver). But much of the humor centers around the Flash. And it mostly works. The film is a step in the right direction, but it's still missing the humor and heart that made Wonder Woman a winner.
The film is rated PG-13. I don't remember much language. The rating is almost entirely for the superhero violence, which might even be a bit less than the previous DC installments.
I enjoyed seeing Justice League. And I will likely buy it so I can watch it again. Is it a great film? No. But it's got some fun moments. And it's a step in the right direction. The movie is partly about not losing hope. I believe there is still hope for DC films.
There is a mid-credits scene for fun. There is also a post-credits scene to tease future films.
*** Spoiler Section ***
Superman returns. That should come as a surprise to nobody.
This is where Justice League is again too similar to Age of Ultron. Bringing Superman back to life is highly reminiscent of bringing Vision to life. There is even an almost identical conversation about the wisdom of such a plan. Some heroes are all for it, driven in part by their own guilt. Other heroes are against it, because bringing beings to life or back to life is pretty serious stuff. And in both films, the doubters eventually acknowledge that it was a good idea (as Superman and Vision do the heavy lifting of defeating the villain).
Another qualm I had with the film was, why was Lois Lane plan B and not plan A? They are bringing Superman back from the dead. From the dead. Having four armed strangers (well, Wonder Woman is only a near-stranger) confront him when he first comes back seems like a bad idea from the start. Why not go straight to the one person he would most want to see? Then maybe the heroes could have focused on protecting the Mother Cube of World-Destroying Power rather than let Steppenwolf just lazily pick it up off the ground. Just a thought.
One last thing. They can explain Superman coming back from the dead. But how do they explain Clark Kent coming back from the dead?
Quotable Quotes
- "I don't believe it. Who are you?" "A believer." -- Terrorist and Wonder Woman
- "Save one person." "Then what?" "You'll know." -- Batman and Flash
- "I miss the days when one's biggest concern was exploding wind-up penguins." -- Alfred
- "This wasn't the plan." "No. It's the team." -- Batman and Alfred
- "I work with children." -- Wonder Woman (in reference to her teammates)
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