Thank goodness for Joss Whedon and his intervention in the Justice League because this is the DC movie we’ve been waiting for.
Rating 4/5
Justice League kicks off where we left our heroes at the end of the disaster that is the theatrical cut of Batman v Superman. The world is still in mourning after the death of Superman (Henry Cavill) and Batman (Ben Affleck) is trying to get the Justice League together because Earth faces impending doom.
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Although Zack Snyder is the director of the film, he had to step off the project before re-shoots because of a family emergency. And while it was tragic, having Avengers director Whedon step in might save the DC film from total implosion.
The problems of the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) movies – sans Wonder Woman – have, in essence, been fixed and for once I have mostly good things to say about the film. While some of the actors have said that Justice League is not a lighter film, they were lying. Gone is the doom and gloom and ever-changing tone that littered Batman v Superman.
Now, we have a consistent tone throughout of the film, witty dialogue from the characters, a story that makes sense and every member of the Justice League has a distinguishable personality. And for the first time, Clark Kent/ Superman and Lois Lane (Amy Adams) have chemistry on screen without it being forced.
While this is not all thanks to Whedon stepping in, you can clearly feel an influence throughout this film. The fact that he gained a writing credit is a testament to how much he changed the film. The Flash/Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) also brings a fresh naivety to the film. Miller differentiates his version of Barry Allen from the TV version and makes the character his own. Most of the humour in the film rests on his shoulders and he does a stellar job.
Jason Momoa as Aquaman also deserves a shout out for doing a great job and will have you excited for the upcoming Aquaman movie. The only two negatives in Justice League are the CGI, especially when it comes to Superman’s face, and the main villain.
The reason for Superman’s face being iffy at times is when re-shoots happened Cavill was booked for another film which he had to keep his moustache for. Production then decided to CGI the moustache off, but it is very noticeable throughout the film. There are also some fight scenes that are too CGI-heavy and look fake.
The other small problem is the villain Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds). He doesn’t have a real purpose for his plan, and just acts as a big baddie the league has to fight. Overall, this film builds on Wonder Woman’s success and is sure to easily breeze over the billion-dollar mark. I think most of this is thanks to Whedon and his changes to the film. nd his changes to the film.
Let’s hope that DC keeps this going and finally get their cinematic universe on track.