Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
So far, the material that I have been introduced to within the superhero comic and/or film franchise has been incredible, but almost exclusively Marvel.
After Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe and Thor: Ragnarok, I found that I have been having great success in my ventures into the Marvel universe, but I wanted to explore the other side of the comic world that was DC.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, I decided to turn back to DC – which I hadn’t really done since watching Wonder Woman – and went to go see Justice League in theaters.
Complimentary disclaimer: if you’re a fan of DC and do not wish for Justice League to be spoiled for you, turn back now! As always, there will be plot and character elements of the film discussed here.
Overall, I personally loved Justice League; I felt like it was a genuinely fun movie to watch, with great action moments, fun characters, and a great story that ties all of our favorite DC superheroes together.
There were fantastic moments that I adored, such as Aquaman (Jason Momoa) unintentionally unveiling his deepest worries when he sits on Wonder Woman’s (Gal Gadot) Lasso of Truth, or Alfred’s (Jeremy Irons) intent on getting Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) a date, or any scene with Barry Allan (Ezra Miller) in it.
Okay, I admit, watching Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Superman (Henry Cavill) reunite after his resurrection was really cute.
I only found one major flaw with the film; this ties into a bigger problem that I will discuss in a second, and that was the disgraceful CGI job done on Henry Cavill’s face.
Honestly, that was the one of the most botched attempts at erasing a mostache I have ever seen, it was almost terrifying to look at.
Seriously though, Cavill’s CGI face aside, I found that the biggest flaw of Justice League was the avalanche of characterization that was thrown at us.
I have seen Wonder Woman, but I have yet to see the other two films that precede Justice League – Man of Steel and Batman vs. Superman – so my exposure to the stories was sorely lacking on that aspect.
In DCEU, we are all covered with the characters of Diana Prince, Bruce Wayne, and Clarke Kent with their solo movies, but we have yet to witness the solo movies of the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg (Ray Fisher).
To me, this meant that Justice League’s focus was less on the elements of the team the heroes formed, and more on trying to introduce three characters that are not only accurate to their comic counterparts’ personalities, but also on getting the audience to like them all within two hours.
I enjoyed Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg, but I felt that DCEU made a mistake in not releasing the characters’ solo films prior to releasing Justice League.
This would have given everyone a chance to connect with each character before watching how they add onto the potential of the team.
This is especially true for newcomers to the universe, such as myself, who don’t quite have a firm grasp on the characters’ lives and stories.
Maybe I’m too used to how Marvel did it, but I feel like I needed to be exposed to Ezra Miller’s Flash or Jason Momoa’s Aquaman a bit more before I saw how they were implemented in Justice League.
Rotten Tomatoes has Justice League rated at 41%, but before you let that discourage you from watching it, it also has a 82% audience score.
Justice League is a truly great and fun superhero film, and while I encourage you all to watch the previous DCEU films (save for Suicide Squad) before watching it, I definitely recommend this film for anyone wanting to watch a good DC film over break.
Giselle Lopez
Features Editor