So the time has finally come to bring DC's heroes to the big screen in Justice League. It was a long road to get here w/ a rocky production w/ lengthy reshoots involving a CGI-removal of mustaches, switching out directors, and mandates from the CEO. The now shorter film w/ a runtime of just under 2 hours didn't deter me from checking it out. So the wife and I made it out to a Friday matinee to see it. So let's talk about Justice League. Was it DC's last hope or a better step in the right direction?
What I liked:
- Interactions between the team was spot on
- Aquaman's underwater scenes (a huge improvement of him almost drowning from BvS)
- Power levels displayed accurately for once on the big screen
- Action sequences were really good as they weren't fighting Parademons all day
- Post-credit scenes were amazing fan service and add more excitement for the next JL movie
What I didn't care for:
- Noticeably bad CGI and I'm not talking about Cyborg
- Steppenwolf dialogue was kind of weak
- A few of the jokes didn't land for me but most of them did
- The shorter run time when I know a more flushed out story could have been told w/ 45 more minutes.
Instead of the murderous Batman & uncertain Superman, we get a closer to their comic book counterparts that we all know and love.
Batman/Bruce Wayne is a bit more of the mission-focus, kind of asshole w/ a bit of humor. Superman/Clark Kent is more of the beacon of hope w/o the self-doubt & confident in his abilities. Wonder Woman/Diana Prince is still big-hearted bad-ass who can command a battlefield. Flash/Barry Allen is wet behind the ears and haven't been the Flash for a long time but still retains the great qualities of Barry while being the equivalent to Wally in the JL cartoons. Aquaman/Arthur Curry gets introduced in a good way showing off some of his abilities as he cares about people despite his tough exterior. And Cyborg/Victor Stone is more of the Ben Grimm of JL where he is powerful but reluctant to embrace his abilities until driven to do so.
The overall story is kind of pieced together a bit but its a standard villain must obtain objects to fulfill his goal. Heroes gather to stop him and lose. They regroup and learn to work together to save the day. Steppenwolf looked good but didn't really do much. Your atypical superhero team-up movie premise but it's all about the character interactions. This is where the movie shines and is fun. There is actual good chemistry w/ all of the league members. From the dialogue to the banter to them fighting together, is the fun part of the movie. But there is a lot wrong here too. There is noticeably bad CGI w/ Superman, Steppenwolf's bad dialogue, Batman is a bit willy-nilly w/ his secret identity, a few of the jokes were a misfire, some of the editing, and some parts just seem like we're not getting the whole scene or story.
This marks a shift in the right directions by course correcting some of the missteps from BvS (even though I enjoyed it). This improves on the many negatives people had about their movie universe. Justice League now has a lighter tone many are used to, more laughs, more fun, & more action. This should make the DC movie universe a lot more likable to the masses.
I would love to one day see a documentary on the making of this film as I am sure there was a lot more going on behind-the-scenes than we know about it. But maybe that's just me. Also, I would love to see that 2-hour & 50-minute cut of Justice League as well but doubtful. I hear there won't be anymore Ultimate Edition or Longer cuts on Blu-ray/DVDs. moving forward.
The fun of a Marvel movie w/ better chemistry & better power levels - despite its noticeable shortcomings.
So was it worth the wait? I think so as it was not a perfect film. Not at all. But it gave DC fans moments & team chemistry we wanted to see on the big screen since forever. More importantly, a better step in the right direction for the DC Movie Universe. Although we didn't have the Geoff Johns involvement here like in Wonder Woman, it still came out pretty good. So we enjoyed it despite its imperfections.
If you saw it, what did you think about it? Sound off.
