By Dominick Ferrara V, Editor In Chief
After two massive critical failures in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, Warner Bros and DC Comics finally took a much needed step in the right direction this summer with Wonder Woman. Now, the two companies are trying to carry that momentum into Justice League, the first time that the iconic team of superheroes will be on the big screen together. This is a make-or-break film for DC, and the film that will set the course of the DC Expanded Universe for years to come as the company attempts to compete with the wildly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. Does the film put the DCEU on solid footing, or is Justice League an injustice to our eyeballs?
I want to start this review by saying that I am not going to play along with the illusion that Superman is not in this movie. Henry Cavill is billed second and has been doing press for the film, so while it is very obvious that Superman would be in a Justice League film, it is important that I establish this upfront, as Superman carries one of the film’s larger issues.
The most important thing to say about this film up front is that it is entertaining. Unlike Batman v Superman, which was a chore to watch, Justice League is able to capture and keep an audience’s attention. As a film, Justice League is incredibly messy and has numerous issues, but most importantly of all, it is a fun two hours at the theater.
Before I talk about the film’s issues, I want to talk about the strengths of the film. Firstly, the chemistry between the team is fantastic, and makes audiences believe that the team dynamic is the dynamic between the actors when they’re not on camera, making it obvious that the cast enjoyed making this film. Gal Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman continues to anchor the DCEU in ways that I never expected when she was initially cast as the character. She brings charisma to the character and her performance brings out the best in the character, as well as the best in the other actors. Ben Affleck, one of the better parts of Batman v Superman, continues to play Bruce Wayne/Batman very well, bringing the right amount of darkness to the role while also bring some leadership to the team. Ezra Miller is the true breakout of the film, delivering quips for nearly the entire 1 hour and 59 minute run time. It is obvious that Joss Whedon, who directed extensive reshoots for the film, played a large role in crafting the character of The Flash, and Miller executes the character. Jason Momoa brings a badass vibe to the character of Aquaman, and establishes Aquaman as an interesting character heading into his solo film next year. Ray Fisher plays Cyborg well, but isn’t given much to do. Henry Cavill continues to shine as Superman, and in a film that understands who Superman is and his moral compass, his performance shines even more.
Danny Elfman’s excellent score helps to bring more of a light-hearted feel to the tone. Elfman also includes his own 1989 Batman theme and John Williams’ 1978 Superman theme in the score, so it automatically scores points with me. The score felt natural within the film, and the score never felt forced. If you don’t notice the score much during a film, that’s a sign of a good score, and Elfman certainly has created one for this film.
However, not everything shines in this film. The CGI isn’t very impressive at all, most notably involving the upper lip of Henry Cavill. When the film went into extensive reshoots this summer, Cavill was in production on Mission: Impossible 6, for which he grew a mustache. Paramount would not allow Cavill to shave the mustache for the reshoots, and Joss Whedon chose to use CGI to take the mustache out of the film. The CGI used on Cavill’s upper lip lead to unnatural facial expressions and mouth movements that Cavill has not made in any films as Superman, a distracting problem that takes away from the experience of the film, despite its high entertainment value. However, Cavill’s upper lip is sadly not the only instance of subpar CGI, as some of the film’s action sequences look almost like a CGI cartoon instead of a live action Justice League film.
Another one of the film’s major issues is the villian, Steppenwolf, played by Ciaran Hinds. Firstly, the character was entirely CGI, and once again, the CGI was a large issue. Sometimes, the effects made it look as though Steppenwolf were a character in the upcoming God of War game and not in a Justice League film. The character is also so little known, that he requires multiple expositional sequences to explain his plan, as well as a flashback sequence narrated by Wonder Woman regarding his backstory. He basically serves as a boss battle for the Justice League, and the audience never feels that he has an actual chance to defeat the team. DC has many of the best villains in comic history, and the studio made a huge misstep by choosing to use Steppenwolf as the film’s main villian.
The film is unable to establish one tone, and instead has two clashing tones fighting each other. This is understandable, because of the extraordinary circumstances involving the departure of Zack Snyder and the involvement of Joss Whedon, but it is painfully obvious which scenes were directed by which director. It feels as if you’re watching two very different films: one being a dark look at a superheroes realizing that they’re little fish in a big pond, and the other being an entertaining, but more traditional approach to making a superhero film.
The film also features numerous plot holes that make it a narrative mess. There’s a particular location in the film that is firmly established as a dead zone for communication, but in order to serve the plot, Batman is able to radio Alfred at a crucial point in the film. There’s also a point in which Batman flies the team to an island that he discussed with Alfred in the previous scene, only to ask Alfred where he has landed immediately after. It is lazy film making choices such as these that have incredibly frustrated me when it comes to the DCEU, and are why the franchise needs a truly great filmmaker to come in and right the ship. Hopefully when Justice League 2 is inevitably greenlit, it will be with Patty Jenkins sitting in the director’s chair.
Overall, Justice League is an incredibly messy film, but one that I ultimately enjoyed enough to mark it as an above average product. It is an incredibly polarizing film, and one that had numerous production issues that lead it to be what it is. Justice League is not a good film, but it is incredibly fun, and sets up the future of the DCEU for years to come, and shows what the universe is capable of down the road, if the studio can find a way to stabilize the franchise. I don’t usually recommend bad or mediocre movies to people, but I do highly recommend seeing Justice League, because it is entertaining enough to be worth the price of admission.
FINAL SCORE: 5.5/10
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