Justice League Movie Review

It finally happened…sort of. The core seven aren’t all there but with some misfires, two directors, and a necessary mustache, Justice League finally hit the big screens. Was it everything we the movie going audience asked for? Well that’s where things get tricky. Thankfully, I will break it down into the PROS, OKAY, CONS, and WTF.
            Firstly, there are two important things about this movie that have to be addressed. One, due to a personal matter, director Zack Snyder had to drop out during production. Warner Brothers quickly accommodated by bring in Avengers director Josh Whedon to finish up production and to do reshoots. Both directors have a different tone of filming and that is apparent in this film but the effort is there to make the two tones blend together. The other is when the reshoots were going on, Superman aka Henry Cavill was also shooting for the next Mission Impossible movie. Paramount refused Cavil to breach his contract to shave the mustache for his character so he shot Justice League with it and it was later CGI’ed out. In certain scenes the CGI overlay is very obvious but it’s hard to hold the actor accountable because he was liable to both contracts and Warner Brothers was willing to correct it.
            PROS: The Flash/Barry Allen (played by Ezra Miller) steals the show, hands down. His introduction in BVS was lackluster at best but when we meet him again visiting his father at prison we are quickly drawn into his powers with a series of quick jump cuts that can easily be blinked and missed and the emotional turmoil over his father’s case. He has quips for almost everything and is a well of comic relief. He bounces off the stoic Cyborg/Victor Stone (played by Ray Fisher) which has quite a few people eager for a Flash and Cyborg spin off. Wonder Woman/Diana Prince also comes in fresh off the heels of her first solo movie and she not only brings in her warrior prowess but her humor as well. The good news is that everyone is there to bring their A game even if they might not all necessarily agree. Another great addition is what Danny Elfman does to the musical score, pulling elements from his 1989 Batman Theme, as well as John Williams’ Superman theme, scores created from Hans Zimmer and the other DC movies he’s worked on, and even adds a dash of the Wonder Woman theme. Justice League seems to take heed of the lessons learned from BVS by lightening up the tone but still sets up for further movies.
            OKAY: Justice League also introduces for the first time to the big screen, Aquaman. While Jason Momoa’s take is a welcomed updated addition, he doesn’t leave enough of an impact to make me feel comfortable about the Aquaman movie slated to later come out but does bring a dash of humor to the overall dark plot of the film. The villain Steppenwolf also fits into the okay category because while he’s menacing and doesn’t fall into the trap of explaining his entire plan to the heroes, his CGI character is kind of ‘meh’, may have an Oedipus complex, and that’s just about it (he has a great introduction battle though).  This also adds to the fact that the third act feels very tight; while it’s nice to see the final battle not drag on like other superhero films it seems to go by very fast. It’s not so much a bad thing but it’s just when you’re so used to having the third act battle drag on and on, this result can be underwhelming. It also rolls into a much longer catharsis which feels a bit too happy for the DC universe but there are a lot of characters and again, when we are used to one thing, when the film tries to course correct it feels odd. But at least this film doesn’t fall into the same trap of trying to defeat a glowing beam in the sky (sort of). Justice League could’ve benefited from an extra ten minutes or so of character development, particularly for the three newcomers but unfortunately the studio mandated the film to be edited to be about two hours so I’m sure we’ll get an extended cut BLU Ray release in the near future.
            CONS: Given the circumstances mentioned above, it’s obvious which sequences where filmed by which director. It has to do with the film’s tone and while there’s effort made to blend the two tones in some instances it’s very obvious. Adding to the obvious is what the Internet is now dubbing #beardgate: in certain shots Superman’s CGI mask is plain to see. It’s very visible in the opening, which is a video recording of a few kids asking Superman questions (cute but it looks like there’s a mask over Superman’s chin). Speaking of Superman, he falls a tread of sequel characters that are brought back in the dumbest way possible. (This is not a spoiler as marketing as well as the star’s presence confirm his return) Flash does make a quip about Pet Cemetery which makes it slightly better but it’s…so…stupid! And unlike Wonder Woman or even before the release of BVS, the excitement seems to be tame considering this is the Avengers equivalent of DC. Perhaps BVS has left an even bitter taste in people’s mouths than Warner Brother’s expected?
            WTF???!!!???: Surprisingly nothing there is nothing here that is truly off the wall bonkers. Thankfully, there are no cries of “Martha!” found in this movie.
            Should I go see it:  If you’re a DC fan, or looking for something a bit serious after Thor: Ragnarok, then go see it. You might want to use a phone app to check seating for a showing beforehand; on certain days, viewings can be sold out, usually the weekend or the discount Tuesdays and especially regular non-3D, non-IMAX theaters. This movie is okay for older kids but caution should be advised with anyone younger than eight.
            Sequel-ability: Despite the estimates of taking a loss (which doesn’t make sense since the film has grossed $567 million worldwide), Justice League is chugging along nicely, right now second behind Disney’s Coco. It will likely get pushed further down with the release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Last Jedi later this month. There are two post-credit scenes, one of which sets up another sequel. This on top of another Wonder Woman movie, a Flash film, Aquaman, and perhaps another Batman or Man of Steel film, or perhaps even Green Lantern. I will say this though: if you are unfamiliar with the name Deathstroke or Slade Wilson, look him up, because he’s coming.

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