My Personal Thoughts on "Justice League"
As we all know, DC have been playing catch-up to Marvel for many years now. Sure, they’ve managed to get a few solo movies out expanding on some of the lore of their most popular characters such as Superman, Batman and most recently Wonder Woman, but is it enough to warrant a fully-blown Justice League movie so soon? Well, that’s exactly what I intend to find out. (Warning: Spoilers pertaining to the previous movie "Dawn of Justice" ahead).
Following the death of Superman at the deadly hands of Doomsday, the world is in a state of shock. However, an unexpected side effect of his passing was the triggering of three mystical cubes known as the “Mother Boxes”. This inadvertantly leads to the resurrection of the villainous Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciaran Hinds) back on Earth to wreak havoc as well as attempting to terraform our landscapes into something more in line with own home planet. As word of this gets back to Bruce Wayne (played by Ben Affleck), he immediately gets to work in putting together a team of superheroes he’s been tracking for some time. In no particular order, they are Wonder Woman (played by Gal Gadot), The Flash (played by Ezra Miller), Aquaman (played by Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (played by Ray Fisher). Together, they make up the legendary team known as the Justice League. As Steppenwolf and his minions continue to grow ever more powerful, the Justice League prepare for their very first battle to save the world from absolute dominion.
As with most movie fans out there, I was looking forward to this one. That’s actually a little of an understatement. Having really loved Man of Steel and being very lukewarm regarding Dawn of Justice, I had no idea what to expect. And the end result? Justice League did the trick. Kind of. We got pretty good portrayals of the superheroes I grew up being so fond of. The action was fast and did pack a serious punch. Underlying chemistry between each member of the Justice League was decent enough, given that two of the characters were new editions to the overall movie franchise. It all sufficed. But that’s about so far as it goes. One big difference I noted in this movie from the rest of the DCU releases, is the comedic value. Mainly, I believe, to respond to the hordes of critics deeming their movies too dark in tone and bleak looking. The man chosen for this most dubious of roles was Ezra Miller who, at many occasions throughout, threw in the obligatory one-liners or pulled the right “faces” to coax giggles out of theatre audiences. And whilst adequate enough, I also thought it felt a little out of context with the rest of the movie’s tone. Sure, some may like the mood switch overs from time to time, but I would have preferred a bit more consistency as a whole.
The visuals are pretty good, with Cyborg translating quite well over to the big screen. The effects for his character were reviled in fan forums after the trailer’s release a few months back, but I think the make-up and FX team did a great job. However, during the final act when the Justice League find themselves in other “terrain”, the cartoonish nature of the backgrounds stand out more than they should. I found the colours and saturation quite jarring to the eyes and that kinda took me out of the movie for a while. In general, I’m not quite sure what that missing element was to keep this movie from being a great one. I feel it had something to do with DC’s approach to taking on Marvel. The rich history evolved over years of "universe" building that Marvel enjoyed, simply cannot be replicated here by DC. Everything has been literally shoved down our throats too quickly, to the extent that we cannot possibly care as much for these set of characters as we do the more rounded and well-known ones from Marvel. Harsh, I know, but that’s how it stands for now. Also, a mention to Steppenwolf for being, at best, a throw away token bad guy. I felt he just didn’t have that much of a commanding presence on-screen and given the monumental task DC have of catching up with Marvel, opportunities like this are almost sacrificial. Still, he is serviceable to the plot and puts in a mediocre effect at giving our tough team something to worry about.
The film was not bad by a long shot, but it so needed to be "great". By the looks of things, DC will always be remembered for playing second fiddle to Marvel. So at this stage, I personally think it’s looking like a case of too little too late. I mean, the movies will always do well in terms of box offices figures, but standing the test of time is another matter altogether. Let’s hope they knock the next movie out of the park and find a better footing than the one they currently have. But make no mistake, time is running out. And fast.
My Verdict: (6.5/10)
I was happy to see this one! I am making quite a list of things I need to watch based on your recommendations, but I was hoping there would be something I could read all the way through so I could write a proper comment, haha!
I am so with you on this entire post, particularly in terms of them taking on marvel- that can't possibly work, they should have kept their own feel and should still return to it.
I actually did some research, at one point, to see if the Dark Knight trilogy was part of the same universe and though the characters have changed there's apparently enough references to support that it is, along with that dark, gritty feel. And I really loved those. To me there's nothing wrong with going in that direction but that's just my opinion :)
Your writing style translates as amazingly in blogs as in fiction my friend!
Hey awesome @dreemit! Thanks for blessing my blog with your esteemed presence! What an interesting fact you brought up in regards both sets of movies take place in the same universe. Crazy tot think and oh-so-intriguing! Maybe with such strong roots, DCU can turn it around. But so far, Marvel have nothing to worry about. :)
Bless you, fantastic @dreemit! :)
Aw, bless you right back sweetheart.
I did put up a rambling blog instead of a chapter yesterday, if you find yourself with some time love ;)
I'm totally more of a Marvel fan, but I do enjoy some DC comics too, so I hope this doesn't sound too biased.
Totally agree with you on this one. On Ezra Miller's quite frequent one-liners, at some point, I also thought they were inappropriate at some point. The CGI was also kind of poor especially in that "terrain" part - remember when Aqua Man busted down a building with a parademon? That scene looked really cartoon-ish .
And Steppenwolf as villain? .....meh, though he was acting as a sort of herald to a greater villain - Darkseid, I think.
Well, my favorite scene was when Superman took on the rest of the JL team..... very satisfying.
I also think idea of DC catching up to Marvel in the movie industry is a little too late and the harder they try, the more flops they seem to make. Overall JL was a just okay movie to me.
Great review BTW.
Yeah, buddy. Pretty much everything you said is absolutely how I felt. And I also concur that the "Superman" part was indeed awesome for all the right reasons. Thank you very much for stopping by. :)
Marvel established itself much better in the movies, we have ironman, hulk, thor, captain america, antman, spiderman and DEADPOOL movies, while in dc we only had 1 batman movie, 1 wonder woman movie, and 1 superman movie before the actual release of the justice league... I'm much more excited for the next avenger than i ever was for justice league, and i'm even more excited for the next Deadpool
Yeah, I feel you, buddy. DC have a huge mountain to climb. :)
Man, that trailer looked amazing too, I might check it out if my girlfriend wants to, but otherwise I'll pass, did you review batman with ben affleck, or see it? I didn't catch that either but always interested in batman and ben affleck had been killing it with movies before that
I haven't looked at "Batman" yet, bud (I assume you mean Dawn of Justice). But I think we all know the general consensus in regards to that movie, lol. :)
Whoops, yep, I didn't even know the full title and forgot superman was in it. Heard it was trash hahaha. One show I thought you might like that I just saw a commercial for was Altered Carbon. The book was really good and preview looked solid. Netflix is hit or miss, but if they advertised on tv it probably has a decent budget.
It was a meh for me as well, and I'm rooting for DC! I think too many heads were involved and a lot of changes were made that it became muddled. They should've just stuck to the original vision that they had and not gave in the the demands of the armchair critics (most of whom are Marvel fanboys anyway so it's no use lol)
I'm so looking forward to Flashpoint and crossing my fingers and hoping to high heavens that they get it right.
Yes, certainly the plot was not the strongest point of Justice League. I also really hope they can make a strong comeback in subsequent movies, if not for anything else then competitive value.
Here's to Flashpoint working out, pal. :)
i'll literally squeal if "Lucille" ever makes a cameo lol
I'm a big fan of DC since those Batman movies (not the new one).
I mean, I like Marvel's movies, too, but when I see list of films from both sides, I'd choose DC over Marvel.
I'm not that big of a fan for Iron Man, Avengers, but I liked Captain America, and especially Thor.
On the other side, The Batman trilogy is one my all-time favourites when it comes to trilogies (alongside with LOTR, and The Godfather ofcourse... I like The Silence of The Lambs trilogy, but mainly because the first one is one my all-time best movies, and the other 2 weren't on that level).
I also love DC so I am definitely rooting for them to rise up from where they are now. But it's a no-brainer to see how far ahead Marvel are. This could have proved their moment to shine but sadly the case proved a missed opportunity.
(p.s. LOTR are my favourite trilogy of all time.)
I can agree with you on LOTR.
I really liked the 2nd part of the Godfather, and The Silence of The Lamb.
But 3rd parts of both of the movies are nothing special.
And with LOTR, every part is amazing.
I heard something about making a TV series of LOTR.
I can't wait for that.
A TV series? Wow, that's insane! Will check it out. Thank you. :)
Thanks for a great review of “Justice League”
Lately these kind of movies became kind of boring. Perhaps the expectation is too high. I expect there will be coming something great in the future such a “Avatar II” in 2020.
I’m certain the Superman will rise one day from the dead. I definately prefer Christian Bale instead of Ben Affleck for Batman’s role.
Oh mate! Christian Bale is one of my all-time favourite actors. I couldn't agree more with your choice although **Affleck wasn't as bad as I thought he'd be. Thanks for stopping by. :)
Hm, I think this was my least favorite. Well, at least better than Man Of Steel, lol. I got bored on this one, and I usually don't get bored with movies. I would give it a 5/10. :)
I hear ya, @alovelymess. "Man of Steel" it certainly wasn't, lol. That's a pretty low rating from you and I thank you for leaving your own thoughts on this movie. :)
To me, it was the Flash who made it more fun.
Another thing, I like to have the super power that batman has. :-)
Lol, yeah! Hopefully "Steem" will help grant us with his powers... :)
High five ✋
Well now, I was curious to see what you thought about this one. I haven't watched it yet, but seeing how different our opinion was on Suicide Squad, I think that I'll probably enjoy this one a little less than you did, on account of the all DC style that you seem not to mind too much.
I have to say, if there's one thing I didn't mind about it was the inherent darkness, I'm afraid that by pursuing comedic values they might be doing wrong by their own characters (even if, to be honest, The Flash is definitely a funny guy by definition).
So yeah, I guess we'll see. Thanks as always!
Yes, bud. It'll be interesting to hear what you thought of it. I can see that I give these movies a little more leeway for error than others seem to, lol. Though I also do fully appreciate that there is a monumental task ahead of DC in regards to them catching up, but let's see where we go from here.
(p.s. I read another of your comments on here and would like to say thanks for seeing both sides of the coin. I give my brief, to-the-point and accurate account of my personal experience of said flick. Analysing a movie into much finer details, which is another type of post completely, is a route I voluntarily don't wish to pursue nor do I have the time. At the end of my post, I'd like to think people have a somewhat good idea of what I thought, the contextual pros and cons, and whether it would tally with something they may wish to see. That's as far as it goes. Steemit should be primarily about "engaging with others" and "having fun". Not expecting to write a damn thesis on every topic of your choosing. I don't mind discussing matters open-minded, bud. But also have no time for presumptuous individuals who hold you accountable to their questionable lofty expectations. Especially those that have nothing to back it up with. Sadly, you will come across these figures from time to time. Let's keep this platform fun and friendly. From my understanding, the way it was always meant to be. Again, appreciate your balanced and intelligent outlook).
Yeah, no, I get it. I like it, actually. I'm thinking of doing something similar myself the day I start posting, maybe start a series of brief reviews called "my 2 cents" or something like that (not just about movies though, mostly about series and music, which are topics that need more strength here on Steemit...and why not throw in some retro-gaming, too? I've got way too many hobbies, uh). I'm not sure I have the language skills for that, honestly, but I'll try writing something and we'll see what comes out of it (maybe once I get through this damn flu, I've been feverish for days).
But again, I get it. I appreciate and follow your reviews precisely because of what they are, and I don't care much if you follow the same basic pattern every time, as long as it gets the job done and it says something to me.
Yes, mate. I actually really like your title of "2 cents worth"! You also mentioned a pet love of mine, being retro-gaming, lol! But that's the "absolute perfect" way to approach Steemit. Don't let others justify your content. Do it for yourself and let your life experiences shine through. And also I consider your English vocab as pretty much perfect as a means of getting your points across. That's just me being honest. Do what you love and don't let others bring you down for it. I'm a firm believer in freedom of expression, creativity and speech, as you can probably see, lol. As long as it satisfies your own personal criteria of subject-based content, that's all that should matter at the end of the day.
(p.s. looks like he's just a bitch ass troll. I muted his ass)
Thanks man! It actually means a lot coming from you :D I would answer the guy but I honestly have no physical strength left. I'm going to sleep now :P