Justice League (2017) - Movie Review
Justice is served! Did America's most iconic superheroes come to play? Let's break it down with my take on JUSTICE LEAGUE!
Justice League is directed by Zack Snyder and is the fifth film in the DCEU, followed by past features like Wonder Woman and Batman v Superman.
Inspired by Superman's selfless sacrifice, Batman and Wonder Woman must rally a team of "metahumans" to protect the world from an impending alien invasion.
I'm not knocking DC and Warner Bros. when I say, this is the "Avengers" movie of the DCEU. On the contrary to the Avengers, now it's America's most iconic superheroes finally coming together on the big screen. Needless to say, this movie is kind of a big deal.
If there's one aspect that Justice League got right in this film is the understanding of their characters. To put it in short: the league is awesome. To put it in more detail, this is a remarkably likable and talented cast of heroes.
Ben Affleck's Batman and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman continue to excels in their respective roles as the initial leaders of the league and their new teammates are no different. I will continue to sing the praises of "Batfleck" and Gadot continues to solidify herself as a great actress.
Jason Momoa is great as Aquaman, delivering a charismatic performance. Ezra Miller as The Flash might have stolen the whole show because he was fantastic, he's having a ball in this role. Ray Fisher as Cyborg is a real breakout star of this film, he's surprisingly very integral to the plot and Fisher came to play in his debut feature.
I have to imagine it'll be tough for anyone to pick a favorite out of this bunch of heroes.
Now if we're being honest, we all knew this movie wasn't going to be perfect. A string of production issues plagued the film going into its release and we had the right to be skeptical.
Because of the film's two hour run time, the story does feel rushed at times. Certain aspects are somewhat brushed over too quickly and don't give enough time to let a scene breathe with the audience. However, to the film's credit, its pacing is well balanced enough to keep the momentum strong, constantly keeping things entertaining.
The main villain, Steppenwolf, is entirely a CGI character and it becomes quite apparent that he isn't going to be given much depth aside from being a poorly rendered bad guy. Steppenwolf is simply a one-note obstacle for the League to conquer and make the League look strong in the end.
But again to the film's credit, even Marvel has done this formula with their heroes and villains in their movies. The villain is simply present to make the hero come off even better than when they started in the beginning. Justice League followed that working concept to make their heroes the forefront of the show and it pays dividends.
Final Take
In the end, the goods of Justice League far outweigh its bad. Is it the game changer we were all hoping for in the DCEU? Not quite, but what the film gets right is the most important takeaway here: the characters. The Justice League is lead by great talent and impeccable team chemistry. Although their mission may have felt rushed, we can walk away loving these characters and looking forward to their next venture.
I'm going to give Justice League a solid "B" as my final take. Also, make sure to stick around for TWO post-credit scenes. They're pretty awesome.
As always, thanks so much for reading and make sure to stay posted to Frank’s Takes for more reviews. Until next time, keep it 100.
