Justice League Movie Review By Monica Solano
The long-anticipated Justice League film will have both DC fans and moviegoers either loving or hating it.
Following the events of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the death of Superman has left the world in utter fear while a newly awakened enemy by the name of Steppenwolf uses this to his advantage as he seeks to take over the world.
Inspired by the Man of Steal’s selfless act and wanting to restore faith within humanity, billionaire Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) enlists the help of his newfound ally Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman) as they work together to quickly recruit a league of heroes to take down Steppenwolf.
Now with Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash on their side, it is up to this unlikely team to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions before it is too late.
Comic book films have come a long way in the movie industry. Unfortunately, Justice League is one that takes a backward turn for the worst.
With a Mandate sent out by Warner Brothers to filmmakers forcing them not to make the film over two hours long, Zach Snyder having to take leave on the project due to an unfortunate death in the family then Josh Whedon taking over, the final product is just plain sloppy.
Although it is more consistent than its predecessor, overall the film lacks story and is extremely rushed while trying too hard to either focus on one plot point or throws in WAY too many plot points that are not executed well.
The cinematography at times can be enjoyable to watch when done right during certain action sequences. However, the excessive amount of special effects and forced dialogue and humor tends to overshadow any redeeming qualities this film may have had.
Due to time constraints, the introduction for certain characters and their backstories were severely rushed and butchered as some audience members will not be able to fully connect with these characters unless they are “die-hard” comic book fans.
Steppenwolf as the villain is forgettable and once again the overuse of CGI made it feel more like watching a video game character on the big screen than an actual actor playing the role.
One saving grace for this film (for me personally) is when the team itself finally all comes together— which is when we get to see them interact and struggle with their human persona.
Ben Afflict and Gal Gadot do a great job reprising their role as Batman and Wonder Woman while Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa and Ray Fisher as the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg also do a great job portraying their characters.
But due to time issues, there are only a few scenes when we see the teams dynamic really shine in the film.
Though certainly not the worst film of the year—Justice League has its moments— but sadly does not quite hit the mark.
Overall Score: 6/10