Justice League (2017) - Movie Review

Justice League is the latest installment in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe, although no one at DC or Warner Bros has officially acknowledged that term) and finally unites earths greatest heroes in an attempt to make as much money as Marvel.

The DCEU has had a rocky start, Man of Steel (2013), while a commercial success, divided critics and audiences due to it's dour town, dull, washed out color palette and the fact that Superman spends the last act of the movie destroying the city of Metropolis rather than saving it. 3 years later we were given Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Suicide Squad (2016). While both of these were commercial successes they both received scorn from critics and the majority of audiences. Both were overblown, overly CGI-heavy, nonsensically plotted messes of films (and the less said about Jesse Eisenbergs bizarre Lex Luthor performance, the better). But they bounced back this summer with Wonder Woman (2017) which was the highest grossing superhero movie of the year in the US and received a 93% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes . So after that course correction, how does the movie that is meant to tie them all together, introduce major characters such as Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman, and a new villain hold up?

For the most part: Quite well. Zack Snyder is still credited with being the sole director on the film, (due to a family tragedy Snyder had to depart the project several months before release, leading to Joss Whedon filling in as director for the final stages of the film) and while the film, particularly in the first 45 minutes, is very incoherent and a bit of a mess plot wise, it at least manages to keep a lighter tone than the other movies and manages to hold on to this throughout. It is quite easily the funniest film in the DCEU, and while that isn't saying much when your competition is Man of Steel, there are some genuine belly laughs in there.

Gal Gadot and Ben Affleck both give solid turns as Wonder Woman and Batman respectively, even if it's difficult to tell if Affleck really wants to be there anymore. And of the newcomers Jason Mamoa definitely puts to rest the idea of Aquaman being the joke of the group. Bringing great physicality and cynicism to the role. But it's Exra Miller's Flash that all but steals the show, adding much needed levity and comic relief to proceedings. Of all the characters slated to star in standalone movies following this one, Miller's Flash is the most intriguing based off this audition.

Unfortunately the villain is so poor he almost sinks the movie. A giant, poorly rendered CGI creation that wouldn't look out of place in a PS2 game. He has virtually no characterization or arc besides just being a generic evil guy. He looks so bad that he barely registers as a presence on screen.

The climax of the film also suffers from lack of stakes (even though the whole world is apparently in peril) and an over-abundance of lackluster CGI. But when the team is all on screen together, it's fun and enjoyable blockbuster entertainment.