"Justice League" is a mixed bag of awful and awesome. The amount of distracting CGI and cringe-worthy goofiness is matched and numbed with genuinely hilarious moments, sick action sequences and great one liners. The two-hour runtime limit Warner Bros. demanded this movie avoided surpassing caused scenes and moments to feel rushed and tonally erratic at times. Fortunately, it also helps keep from slowing down the pace and gets right to what makes this movie unequivocally fun.
"Justice League" suffers from the typical plot inconsistencies and uninteresting CGI villain issue that unfortunately hinders most comic book movies these days.
Casual moviegoers can easily feel lost or simply stop caring about the villain’s motivation which can be and is a huge problem for a majority of the audience. However, Steppenwolf and the power he seeks to possess is threatening enough to make you further root for the superhero squad that amassed the audience, to begin with.
The cast do it justice
Fans of the Dc Superheroes are the intended audience for this movie. The characters are portrayed correctly and the 1-on-1 interactions as well as their dynamic as a team is gladdening. For the most part, CGI that worried people going in worked pretty well. Cyborg’s motion-captured performance was virtually seamless in comparison to the rest of the special effects, saving his character from becoming robotic, ironically.
Despite having the least on-screen time, Aquaman was necessary to the story and brought a coolness to the crew even Batman couldn’t pull off. Batman is Batman and he’s determined to do whatever it takes to execute a plan.
Wonder Woman is fantastic yet again. She plays her a role on the team as well as Gal Gadot plays the character.
This is definitively our generation’s Wonder Woman. Her quintessential portrayal will not be topped in the foreseeable future. The one who steals the show, however, is The Flash. What the DCEU was missing from the beginning was comic relief and the need to not take itself too seriously as it is still a universe full of superheroes.
The Flash brought the eccentricity lacking in the previous films and while he did it ad nauseam, it was consistent with the character established early in the movie. Not to mention, he is the center of some of the most enjoyable scenes and his light-speed running effect is done exceptionally.
United they stand
The reason for the team uniting is clear and necessary. Each member plays a crucial part and as a unit, embody what it truly means to work as a team. Consequences of some events in Batman v Superman are shown briefly but effectively, giving the characters a mutual understanding of what is at stake. The gravity of Superman’s absence is acknowledged and how much he should have been appreciated while he was there is apparent.
That sentiment resonates beyond the screen as Henry Cavill’s Superman has almost been taken for granted among viewers.
Its themes and lessons translate really well to the real world, keeping the movie from becoming a pointless action flick with morally grounded characters. Most importantly, those characters deliver and make the movie thoroughly entertaining. If not for its plot, Justice League is worth watching despite its flaws in executing a largely accurate depiction of the ensemble promised in the title.
7.5/10