Well, it’s finally here. After eons of development and some extremely unfortunate obstacles behind the scenes, Justice League is finally upon us. To say that there’s a lot riding on this movie is obvious and a little redundant; but, I’ll go into it anyway. Considering all of the post-production meddling, tragic circumstances surrounding Zack Snyder’s departure from the whole project months before release and a hefty price tag to the tune of $300 million, its safe to say that this movie was embarking on a steep climb uphill.Now, with all that baggage being mentioned, is the final product good?
Despite what certain critics who shall remain unnamed are saying, Justice League is a relentlessly entertaining comic book movie. Granted, that turbulent series of events up until its release definitely leaves it rough around the edges in certain spots and I’d take an extended director’s cut of what Snyder originally wanted; regardless, its almost a miracle that we have something that’s works as well as this does. Make no mistake, Snyder’s creative touches are still very prevalent and go well with what Joss Whedon had to touch up; but, there are certain changes that do leave the movie feeling a bit lightweight and underdeveloped. The pace is a bit too fast, some of the effects are kind of unpolished and certain moments don’t have as much time to breathe as they should. Nevertheless, Whedon doesn’t kill the flick with his usual impulses of making the thing so snarky that you want to strangle it because it’s so pleased with itself (hence, why I’m so lukewarm on both of the Avengers movies and most of his work in general). Still, this doesn’t prevent the movie from being a blast that works like gangbusters in its best moments. Thankfully, unlike The Avengers, the humor here is quite playful and has an undercurrent of mythic sincerity over weightless facetiousness. It may not be as deep or intellectually challenging as Man of Steel or Batman v Superman; but, it doesn’t need to be and works as a final chapter in a transitional period of these heroes going through cynical/ponderous beginnings into being the hopeful icons of true aspiration that have made timeless since their conception. A lot of this can be seen in how the film uses the return of Superman. I won’t give away too much. For now, I’ll say that he comes back with a bang and Henry Cavill’s charisma is in full swing when he’s back in action. Those who have ignorantly complained about Superman being too mopey should be just fine here. Its good to have you back, Mr. Kent.
Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot are still effortlessly terrific. While Wonder Woman remains as ethereal and virtuous as ever, Ben Affleck’s Batman manages to soften up in contrast to his brutal depiction in BvS and it plays out naturally. Regardless of what the final word on this franchise ends up being, Affleck’s Batman will undoubtedly go down as one of its greatest strengths. Aside from making the surfer dudebro personality work surprisingly well, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is refreshingly awesome and has some of the best lines in the entire movie. Give it a while and the trite “Lol, Aquaman is the lamest” jokes are going to flame out for a long time. Ezra Miller’s Flash is awkwardly endearing and sweet. It’s amazing how cool they make the Speed Force look. Then, there’s Cyborg. Sadly, he feels like the one member of the team that gets a little underdeveloped; still, newcomer Ray Fisher conveys a lot with what little he’s given and he gets a few moments to shine once the third act kicks in. Everyone else gets the job done without much to say about their performances. Ciaran Hinds isn’t great as Steppenwolf; but, to say that his character is the worst superhero movie villain ever is puzzlingly disingenuous and hyperbolic (especially when you remember that Catwoman and The Amazing Spider Man 2 still exist).
Again, with the exception of what they did to remove Superman’s mustache, most of the CGI is fine. Even though some of it looks pretty cartoonish, I’ll give it a pass because it fits with the visual aesthetic at play here. While it may be a bit too familiar and at times out of place, Danny Elfman’s score is as effective and crowd-pleasing as one would expect. All of the action setpieces are pure, candy-colored kinetic joy. It hits that nice middle ground between chaotic superpowered spectacle and hard-hitting fisticuffs. Of course, all this wouldn’t amount to much if we didn’t like these characters and that leads me to this film’s greatest strength. Everyone in the League works remarkably well off of each other and their back-and-forth banter is hard not to enjoy. It’s also a nice reminder in a post-MCU world that not all team up movies (or movies in general, come to think of it) don’t need an onslaught of previously existing origin films to get us to care about them. I know I’ve already brought up The Avengers a few times here; but, I’ve done so with purpose and what I’m about to say is what makes the two films interesting. In the first of Marvel’s flagship crossovers, most of the film has its protagonists at odds with each other until they realize how they need to settle their differences (which is fine and realistic, but not every movie of this mold should follow this pattern). Here, such petty bickering is put aside because pretty much all the major players are keenly aware of what’s at stake and don’t waste too much time at each other’s throats.
Ultimately, as hackneyed as it sounds, I can say that Justice League is everything I wanted it to be as a comic book fan and as a movie junkie. It gets to why seeing a cinematic adaptation of comic book madness is so fulfilling. It’s not just that it’s throwing a bunch of stuff I recognize on screen. No, its more than that because it can be an epic take of something near and dear to your heart and some of this minutia would look amazing on the silver screen, regardless of whether or not its original or it came from the four color page. Sure, its not perfect; but, no movie really is and it’s those imperfections that both amplify the silver linings and reveal how much effort/care went into the film’s making. I’ve been waiting for this movie for about a decade and it’s definitely worth it. I’d probably go as far to say that I’m a little glad certain critics don’t care for it. It’s just more fun for a specific niche and I’m comfortable in the knowledge that such negativity won’t be able to take away how much of a blast I had with this.
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