Review: Justice League
“I need friends”
With the less-than-stellar reception of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad lingering in viewers’ minds, and Wonder Woman’s recent success seen as a turning point for DC superhero films, Justice League has a lot to prove.
Seeing Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, and Cyborg working together is a delight. Having grown up reading about these heroes, I couldn’t help but enjoy watching them fight off legions of bad guys. Even one particular Kryptionian in a red cape gets to join in (it’s no secret at this point), and finally begins to reach the Christopher Reeve-era Superman’s charisma.
Unfortunately, the end result is less than the sum of its parts. The plot, threadbare as it is, feels rushed and contrived, introducing and discarding story elements that logically would’ve been mentioned in the previous films (possibly due to the extensive reshoots). The dialogue is cliche and even the actors don’t seem to want to say most of it (almost as though there are two directorial voices at odds with each other). Larry Fong’s visuals are sorely missed as well, with the majority of the film appearing flat and obviously CG. The editing also leaves much to be desired, with pacing and cuts that don’t fully make sense. In particular, the passage of time throughout the film is never clear. Even Danny Elfman’s score, which echoes his prior Batman work and even the original John Williams Superman score, feels overwrought.
Still, the tone is less dour than previous DCEU movies, and while the connective tissue between scenes (and even the dialogue in scenes) can feel disconnected or incomplete, there’s a sense of kinetic energy running through Justice League, and watching Superman and Batman actually work together can still thrill.
The cast is enjoyable as well, even through stilted and often cringeworthy dialogue. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is a highlight, continuing her solid work from Wonder Woman.The new heroes are entertaining as well, though they’re not very fleshed out here.
Seeing how far films based on DC characters have come (Christopher Nolan’s last Batman film was just over five years ago) is disappointing. Justice League is a flawed movie. It’s not even a particularly good movie, with rough cinematography, immature dialogue, a one-dimensional antagonist, a ham-fisted score, and choppy editing. It’s got a Dark Knight budget and a Green Lantern script. But the childlike wonder of seeing icons like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman working together is still powerful. Knowing the long, difficult process that led to this movie’s release (including the director leaving the project) makes evaluating the film somewhat difficult. It’s obvious that this film was a labor of love for so many people, and while I hoped for more, Justice League is still entertaining.
One of my biggest problems with the previous DCEU films was that the heroes rarely felt like the larger-than-life icons I grew up reading about in comic books. The Justice League animated series from the early 2000s captured the sense of optimism, bravery, sacrifice, and camaraderie better than any film, and the DCEU films seemed more focused on what the heroes can do, and not why they do them. Oddly enough, Man of Steel has aged surprisingly well, with Superman’s characterization finding stronger footing than the frown-fest that was Batman v Superman. Earlier this year, Wonder Woman changed my opinion. Sure, the film was uneven (the third act in particular), but Diana’s characterization was right. Her optimism, selflessness, strength — it was all there.
Justice League treats her well. Her bravery is shown again, and while the plot of Wonder Woman is mentioned several times (in very on-the-nose ways), her portrayal here does not feel like a retreat (although the fact that the Amazons have ditched their armor from Wonder Woman and now wear “armor” bikinis is concerning, as is the cinematography, which lingers all too often on Gal Gadot’s behind). The Flash and Cyborg manage to entertain in their first appearances, with both heroes showing courage and urgency that I found engaging. Aquaman is a little shaky, wavering between “dudebro” and actual superhero, but Jason Momoa brings charisma to the role. Oddly enough, the weakest character in the lineup is Batman. While an improvement over his “I murder people with guns and bombs” portrayal in Batman v Superman, Justice League finds Batman unsure of himself, and he’s kind of unengaging. Ben Affleck doesn’t even seem to want to be there (giving some weight to recent rumors), and he just doesn’t really act like Batman. He’s kind of whiny and unable to contribute much — which may in some way be the point, as the events of Justice League more or less confirm his fears from Batman v Superman. His characterization is very inconsistent here, however. And spoiler, Superman is finally Superman.
But by the end, these heroes are where they need to be. They’re where they should’ve been all along. Regardless, Superman and co. finally feel like heroes, and they’ve never been more welcome.
