Directed by Zack Snyder, Justice League delivered a dream come true for DC fans, especially comic-book readers. Do you have to be a comic-book reader to love the movie? Not necessarily, the movie does well to explain the setting, the background of the villain and the story overall without relying on comic-book references. However, for the hardcore comic-book fans, this movie is stellar as it brings the team together and ultimately displaying great chemistry.
Now, the backlash that Batman vs. Superman received was at times understandable, especially because it required the general audience to be acknowledged quite heavily with several stories from the comics. However, the beauty of Justice League is that it alludes from relying on comics, and allows the general audience to enjoy the movie, and that's honestly due to the great portrayals of each character. My biggest worry going into the movie was Cyborg, and while he wasn't the strongest part of the movie, Ray Fisher definitely proved that Cyborg is a likeable character with some really nice attributes which allows the audience to feel for him. The characters were just amazing, and each actor really outdone themselves. Ezra Miller as Flash was one of the strongest points of the movie, his personality, awkwardness and childish humor followed through the movie and made sense as he is the youngest member in the team. I personally loved that the movie doesn't just focus on the team having some sort of personal relationship with Batman. For example, while it makes sense for Bruce to be a mentoring kind of figure for Flash, it was interesting to see Wonder Woman playing that role but for Cyborg who is still new to his powers. The dynamics between each character felt genuine and was extremely enjoyable. Jason Momoa's Aquaman was basically confirmed to be badass from just the trailers, but the movie does well to add moments were you feel for Aquaman as more than just the buff badass he is. Although we didn't see as much of Alfred, who is played by Jeremy Irons, I continue to love his interaction with Bruce, and now Diana. Bruce's relationship with Diana grows more personal here, but from that personal growth, we see conflict rise between the two characters. Gal Gadot continues to prove that she is the ultimate Wonder Woman, she owns the character and that was obvious in her own solo movie, Wonder Woman, but seeing her interactions and the way she mentored Cyborg in this movie was great. I was extremely pleased with how each character was portrayed, especially as I am a huge fan of every one of them in the comics.
One of the better things that Zack Snyder done in
Justice League is that he learnt from his mistake in
Batman vs. Superman. The story is no longer so complex that it may be hard for the general audience to follow. The story is actually quite simple here but the way it unfolds is what makes it interesting. However, in saying that, my biggest gripe with the movie comes from the villain, Steppenwolf. That's not to say that Steppenwolf wasn't an okay villain, he just wasn't developed as I would've liked, especially as he wasn't shown too much. Nevertheless, with movies like
Justice League or
Avengers, typically, it's about bringing the team together and showing the interactions of the team, while developing and progressing each character, which ends up leaving little space or time to focus on the villain. Steppenwolf looks to transform Earth to Apokolips by uniting the motherboxes, however, what makes this so interesting is we get to see Amazonians and Atlanteans fighting Steppenwolf as both tribes are protectors of two motherboxes, which leaves the third with mankind. Seeing Atlanteans and even the Green Lantern Corps fighting Steppenwolf and the Parademons expands the universe of the DCEU even further. While Steppenwolf was at times underutilized, there were still moments when I felt that he was quite intimidating and threatening. Something that both both
Man of Steel and
Batman vs. Superman received backlash for was the civilian casualties. Well, Steppenwolf and the Parademons are based in Russia in an abandoned nuclear plant in the middle of nowhere, meaning there was no civilian casualties, and even when there were some people in danger, the team didn't refrain from prioritizing them and saving those civilians. The movie also does well to take inspiration from the New 52 story,
Justice League: Origins which is a smart decision as the storyline does feature uniting the League and the origin of the Justice League.
The action sequences in this movie were just spectacular and a lot of the times I found myself screaming with excitement during an action scene, especially in the first confrontation between the League and Steppenwolf. However, a great action sequence that didn't feature the League was the fight between the Amazonians and Steppenwolf along with his Parademon. The fight scene was fast-paced and extraordinary in every way, the pace of the fight really kept me tense throughout the entire thing, and once it had ended, I found myself taking a long breath as so much was happening. The fight showcases just how strong Steppenwolf is as he effortlessly takes down so many of the Amazons. The CGI at times felt weak, which was another issue I had with the movie, however, it was during two or three scenes that didn't take away or affect the story itself so I didn't truly care for it as much. However, it is still an issue and some people may find it more annoying than I did. Overall, the CGI was actually good though, for example, anytime Flash is seen running around with all the electricity around him looked fantastic, and quite frankly the CGI for all fight sequences were really well done. My last mention of a fight scene will be the concluding fight which was just amazing, all throughout I felt like I was watching a comic book coming to the big screen and that was just remarkable.
When talking about Justice League, it's impossible not to mention Superman. This version of Superman is simply the best version and the most comic-book accurate version of the character. It goes without saying but Henry Cavill owned the character since
Man of Steel but seeing the transition from that movie to
Justice League is wonderful. In
Man of Steel, Superman is unsure of who he is and what he's meant to fight for, in
Batman vs. Superman, we see him trying to fight for people and seeing good in them but isn't quite there yet. Well this is it, Superman is here and he is better than ever. He finds his place beside the Justice League, fighting the good fight and his interaction with the team, although not as much as I would've wanted, was still perfect. His goofy, humorous relationship with Flash is so light-hearted and fun to watch. The way Superman assists Cyborg in bringing apart the motherboxes and racing into action just shows why Superman is the necessary leader for the team. This is the version that everyone has been waiting for, the fun, optimistic, and at times cocky Superman is here. I would love to see more of Superman and Batman as their relationship in this movie was exciting as it truly felt like a Batman/Superman comic book. Superman's return was unpredictable and that's honestly awesome as their were a lot of good theories on how he would return yet Snyder still managed to make it a really cool return.
Typically, I don't stray away from my usual formula when writing a review for a movie, TV Show, game or whatever it may be. However, I feel this time it's essential. For people who are worried that this movie isn't worth your time or money because of websites like Rotten Tomatoes revealing the score, please don't let that be your decision not to watch it as they are not reliable. DCEU has been controversial since
Man of Steel, however, it doesn't deserve the hate or backlash it receives from people.
Justice League is a great film with so much to enjoy, especially if you're a fan of the comics. Now, I am a fan of both Marvel and DC, I've enjoyed movies from both companies and have disliked movies from both but a good movie is a good movie. I loved
Thor Ragnarok, and I loved
Justice League because they are both great movies, that are an absolute stellar to watch. Zack Snyder and the entire crew and actors behind this movie outdone themselves and worked exceptionally hard to bring to us a movie that is great to watch. Of course, every movie has its flaws but the bad in this movie do not in any way outweigh the good. Overall, my initial score for this movie was a solid 9/10 with my only complaints being not enough Steppenwolf and the CGI could've been better.