After years of hype and teasing, DC has finally released their answer to Marvel’s Avengers. After critical backlashes from Suicide Squad and Batman vs Superman, the momentum of superheroes films, especially in DC’s eyes, were starting to falter. However with the huge success of Wonder Woman, questions were being asked if Justice League could be the film to really be competitive in the whole DC vs Marvel argument.
Justice League starts after the death of Superman after the battle with Doomsday. Batman encounters a new threat that could potentially cause the end of the world. Steppenwolf has returned to Earth to retrieve the three mother boxes to try and gain the approval of his master, Darkseid. Batman must recruit other heroes to defeat this new villain. Hence the dawn of the Justice League
Justice League has had a strange production cycle, Zack Snyder had to leave due to family issues and this led to the employment of Avenger’s director Joss Whedon. Now I’m not entirely sure how much influence Whedon had on the film but this is the most ‘Marvel’, DC film that has been released yet. This is not to slander the film or cheapen it, as it was these moments that I enjoyed. The real issue with past DC films is that they were good action pieces, but they weren’t fun. For films that were marketed to a wide audience, DC films took itself too seriously. We got a sprinkling of a diversion of this in Wonder Woman and Justice League continues this trend and there are moments in the film that actually had me laughing.
Every hero was actually likable, except for one but I’ll get to that in a bit. Aquaman and Cyborg were fresh additions to the franchise. I don’t think they could sustain a solo film but to have them in this ensemble was very good and they played off every member well. The chemistry between Batman and Aquaman is something that needs to be revisited. ‘Dress as a Bat, I dig it!‘ is a fantastic line. Batman and Wonder Woman is fantastic. These two characters have been consistent in their appearances in the franchise and Justice League is no different. It is quite sad that Ben Affleck is looking to depart from the role but whoever takes over, has giant bat boots to fill. The entire ensemble have a pretty good chemistry that translates well onto the screen. The Flash will be the fan favourite just because of the 100mph delivery of jokes. Every line the Flash says is for comedic purpose and was the center of the comedy of the film. The Flash seemed to be Joss Whedon’s biggest influence to the film and it worked well.
However, with the central core of the team working, I had one issue with it that blights me with every film with this particular character. (Spoilers Ahead) This isn’t a massive spoiler as it was assumed by the majority of the fans that Superman will return, and he did. I feel like as soon as Superman entered the fray, the film kind of faltered. Throughout the whole film the Justice League had struggled to defeat Steppenwolf. Every encounter was fun and full of wonderful action pieces. Then Superman comes along and just easily beats everyone. It’s kind of like downloading a free game on your phone and paying to win or using cheat codes. I’ve always had an issue with Superman because he is just so plain and overpowered. Justice League doesn’t change this. Superman spews out lines of Justice and doesn’t even break a sweat in the big fight. You begin to ask yourself what is the point of the other superheroes if Superman could do it all.
Justice League is a fun action film, I don’t think its on the level of Marvel in terms of quality and consistency but this is a good start. It has introduced new and exciting characters and set up an intriguing confrontation with Darkseid. The film has received some very undeserved criticism but with Wonder Woman and this film released, I have hope for DC to finally get its feet on the ground. It is a good action film with funny moments and the chemistry between the superheroes was a delight. This film is not perfect, their is still some issues with the writing. Some of the lines are bland and cheesy. Also some of the CGI just isn’t that great. The whole Superman moustache debacle is so obvious to see. Half of Superman’s appearances look fake due to Henry Cavill having a moustache while doing re-shoots and the CGI team tried to get rid of it. It didn’t work.
Overall, Justice League is a good film that has moments that I enjoyed. The action scenes were well shot, the chemistry between the heroes was satisfying and this film has provided a platform for future films that has peaked my curiousity. There is still the same old issues with DC and their films but Justice League is a good start to turn things around.
Rating. ★★★
The Cinema Cabin 
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