Justice League

Justice League is the fifth entry into the DC film universe directed by Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon and stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller and Jason Mamoa as the titular group of heroes. The movie follows Batman/ Bruce Wayne as he tries to unite the League in order to stop the threat posed by Steppenwolf (played by Ciaran Hinds) and his legion of Parademons. 

A lot was riding on this flick. Batman Versus Superman and Suicide Squad were met with decidedly mixed to negative reviews from both fans and critics and Warner Brothers needed to prove that the success of Wonder Woman wasn't just a one time thing. The production was somewhat moored with problems as Zack Snyder had to leave the directors chair after his daughter tragically committed suicide. Joss Whedon stepped in to direct extensive reshoots and the post production process so needless to say I was going in with some apprehension. These two directors are on the furthest possible end of the spectrum when it comes to their vision and style so mooring their directorial personalities together I thought was going to be this movies main problem. I wasn't a huge Avengers fan because I found it way too lighthearted (a la Joss Whedon) and I wasn't a big BVS fan because I found it way too dark and gritty (a la Zack Snyder). 

But in short, this movie is okay. Just okay. I didn't hate it. And I'm okay with that.

My worries about the conflicting directorial styles of Snyder and Whedon were unfounded. Although this feels like the least in line with Zack Snyders previous flicks neither is it lightened to such a degree that it reaches MCU levels of fuzzy-ness. There are jokes, but they're few and far between and stick the landing successfully. In terms of style this does feel like a course correction from Batman Versus Superman and Suicide Squad but not a violent one. DC have successfully found a good middle ground and if I'm honest I had a lot of fun with Justice League. Exhausted by the Marvel formula DC has perked my interest in the genre again following Wonder Woman and Justice League.

The characters and performances are by far the shining feature of this movie. Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince are as good as ever. Barry Allen provides some much needed (but not overstayed) comic relief which is really in tune with his comic counterpart. And as a fan of the TV iteration I was glad that Ezra Miller has been able to build a likeable and distinctly different character to Grant Gustins portrayal on the CW. Ray Fisher as Cyborg, although given marginally less screentime than the rest of the team he uses it wisely to construct a tormented individual that's in line with his origin story. Jason Mamoa is also great here and this is by far Henry Cavills best turn as Superman. The rapport between the team is undeniable and it makes the experience all the more enjoyable. 

The score is also fantastic and I've had it on repeat since I left Vue earlier today.

And now to the criticisms. Because there are some of course, this isn't a perfect movie. 

The story is very quick. In the narrative there is zero time to slow down and take a breath and some elements do suffer because of it. The story does flow well enough just parts aren't as well developed. Ciaran Hinds villain is very generic, serving a purpose and not much else. As it stands his motivations aren't completely clear. I do however feel like in hindsight a few years down the line (say after Justice League 2) those will become clearer as Steppenwolfs comic background is linked to someone who's alluded to very heavily in this movie. 

You can tell that a lot is left on the cutting room floor with Justice League. Nothing overly important to the plot like with Batman V Superman but enough that would've say fleshed the villain and other characters out a little more. The biggest problem with this movie is that it left me wanting more. It needed room to grow and this is linked back to Warner Brothers. BvS was very bloated and in response the studio responded by issuing a mandate saying that this must be under 2 hours and this clocks in at 1 hour 59 minutes. The bad thing is that a couple of months ago there were reports that the runtime was closer to 3 hours and not 2. Whether or not that runtime was true is still to be seen but it's safe to assume a lot of padding scenes are on the cutting room floor. Unlike with BvS I came out gagging for an extended edition and I'm praying to get one. 

So in conclusion Justice League brings together a great set of characters with a serviceable storyline, amazing visuals and a good middle ground comprise in regards to tone. However the movie is way too short, leaving the villain generic and underdeveloped. If you liked BvS, chances are you won't like this, and if you didn't, chances are you will enjoy yourself. A course correction, but a good one in my opinion. Justice League has its faults but I had a lot of fun with this. On pure enjoyment alone, I've got to say (and I'll get killed for this) but I enjoyed this more than The Avengers, despite the latter being the better film. 

Oh, and stay to the end of the credits. There's a tantalising tease that I didn't expect.