Justice League Movie Review

Released: 17th November 2017 (UK and United States)

Length: 120 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director Zack Snyder (With Joss Whedon brought in)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jeremy Irons, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Ciaran Hinds and J.K Simmons

Four years into the DC Extended Universe’s lifespan, we’ve reached what WB hopes is the first zenith of its grand cinematic crusade. Can the next ensemble production bounce back after several failed attempts? Regretfully, Justice League struggles along, finding immense difficulty in getting audiences onboard for its rushed vision.

Sometime after the death of Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), fearful of an approaching threat, brings together several extraordinary individuals to fight; these include Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller). With the arrival of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds), the team finds themselves tackling the latest threat to the planet. The problem of cramming in the plot isn’t as blatant as it was before, but it still causes many problems. Multiple origin stories and other plot elements are rushed through without any substance, side characters are again side-lined or completely wasted (Looking at you J.K Simmons…) and action sequences (except for the last battle) often end abruptly, with a few jarring jump-cuts strewn about the runtime for good measure. There’s also a few awkward shifts to an unnamed family the film wants us to care about so badly with no success. The most egregious flaw in the plot however is the second act; because of a grave mistake committed by its 2016 predecessor: Batman v Superman, an entire portion of the film puts Steppenwolf on the backburner just to bring back a certain hero of the DC Universe which, much like BVS, lands with absolutely no impact whatsoever. The plot tries so hard to pull you in but there is no battle cry, no astounding moment where the heroes all come together as one. So many of Justice League’s narrative problems could have been solved by giving each character their own film first and the way it again skips over these backstories results in an incredibly hollow and pedestrian story. The only exceptions to the rule are the portions taking place in Wonder Woman’s world because we’ve already been introduced to that and can easily latch onto it.

With some strong performances entering the DCEU over the years, Justice League mostly continues that trend without really going further; Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot are again great, despite having to stomach a serving of expository dialogue. The actors all do their best and deliver their performances well enough but there’s simply no context to any of the new characters; they fit their archetypes and that’s it. Flash is the comic relief, but he never follows through to deliver some witty jokes, Cyborg is moody and brooding and Aquaman is a rebellious delinquent, but their characters don’t really grow or change which would have created a stronger connection. As for Steppenwolf, he’s another painfully weak villain that might as well have been pulled out of a hat and deposited in the production. Outside of a few short moments, the team’s chemistry simply isn’t memorable or believable; they “come together” because the plot needs them to and because many of the newcomers aren’t developed, they don’t feel very well-rounded either.

Opting for a more light-hearted tone after last year’s critical bombing, Justice League is immediately a lighter, less saturated film to look at. The lighting has more a natural look, with characters standing out amongst the backgrounds. Special effects are on point with the Flash getting most of the attention with some dazzling energy effects pulsating around him while the action slows down in a way quite like X-Men’s Quicksilver. The action scenes are well-shot and well-choreographed, but that’s all it has to offer. The massive uptake in CGI means we don’t get anything to the level of Batman’s vicious Arkham-Style fist fight from last year. It’s fun to watch the team fight together but it doesn’t reach the epic peak the film so desperately wants to obtain. Overall, the world feels mostly external in Justice League; for all its detailed effects, the film doesn’t work to pull the audience in as the settings just aren’t cohesive enough to form an immersive whole, creating further disconnects with the action. For the music, legendary composer Danny Elfman was brought onboard but there aren’t many notes you’ll really remember coming out of the theatre outside of a few popular tracks drafted in to play in the background.

Justice League has got to be one of the most underwhelming ensemble productions I’ve ever seen; yet again we have a DC film where the lack of build-up and development really hurts the film’s overall impact. It speaks volumes of the patchy, often hackneyed production schedule laid down by Warner Bros as a studio. The action is flashy and entertaining, but then again, so too is every other DCEU film released so far and Justice League really doesn’t deliver anything beyond that, nor does it manage to mend the damage inflicted by previous outings.

Rating: 2/5 Stars (Disappointing)