'Justice League' Review: The Superhero Team-Up That Everyone's Been Waiting For

It’s been years in the making, and now it’s finally here. “Justice League” comes out of the shadows strong and packed with more superhero guns than we could ever imagine. Significantly besting most of it’s DC Extended Universe predecessors, this is the superhero team-up that everyone’s been waiting for. It’s a 2-hour-long journey that establishes DC’s top-tier heroes in a way that makes you understand the depth of each. Although a bit rushed at some points, “Justice League” definitely drives the point smack dab in your face and makes you hunger for more individual superhero outings. This is going to be a spoiler-free review, so let’s get the ball rolling.

A strong narrative, but lacks proper pace

The first act of the movie is a beautifully-made sequence that further cements the background of each character before they set out for the battle. It’s one thing to know the context of the Justice League in the comic books, but it’s also important to see how they are built up in the movie. Each character scene is so expertly-done that it doesn’t even feel overstuffed with characters (looking at you, Fantastic Four and mainly every Spider-Man film before Tom Holland), especially when it comes to exposing their strengths and weaknesses.

It then builds up to dramatic scenes of war and invasion, where Earth is in disarray after Superman’s death. But one of the most gripping parts of “Justice League” is probably the war sequences, where the world unites against one common enemy—Steppenwolf. Here we see the Humans, Amazonians, Atlanteans, Olympians and the Green Lantern Corps battling Steppenwolf with all they’ve got. It’s something that’s reminiscent of the fight scenes in director Zack Snyder’s “Suckerpunch” and “The 300.”
The only thing that’s a bit of a drawback when it comes to the film’s story is the rushed ending. Towards the final act, we see the league battle Steppenwolf albeit abruptly and without substance. It feels as if it were a hurried fight a la “mom’s about to come home and see us fighting so we better end this fast.” But it could probably be due to the trimming-down that Warner Bros. imposed on the film and the extensive reshoots Joss Whedon did after taking over the helm following Snyder’s exit.

That being said, the first hour of the film was a good pace for establishing the characters and the conflict, but once it came to the tipping point, everything went downhill. I hope that an extended version or director’s cut would come out once it’s released on Blu-ray. I’m sure “Justice League” will make more sense and will add more to the conflict once it does.

The League, United

For a movie as big as “Justice League,” one might assume that the entire story would be convoluted with so many background stories and conflict that the audiences would fail to keep up. That is not the case for the film, however. The personalities and internal strife of each of our heroes were spot-on and executed on full display. There’s no rushed feeling and no hurried exposition.

The character that caught my attention all throughout the movie was Ezra Miller’s Flash/Barry Allen. Miller was the best character in the film, and he was a fun and faithful adaptation of the character. His wit, awkwardness and extraordinary charisma overflowed throughout his performance, and I could easily say that this is the best portrayal of The Flash on screen (I’ve since fallen out of love for Grant Gustin’s take on The CW, so there’s that.) He could quickly pass off as the real Barry Allen in a heartbeat. I once doubted Miller’s ability to give justice to The Flash, but after seeing him kick ass and crap in his suit in the movie, I know that “Flashpoint” is going to be one hell of a solo Flash film.

Cyborg (Ray Fisher) is one exciting and game-changing character. I’ve never really liked him back when he was a part of “Teen Titans” and when he joined the “Justice League.” But man, Fisher’s take on his character completely changed my perspective and saw him for the excellent and critical character that he is. He sports a genuine love/hate relationship with his abilities and makes a good moral compass for the team. True, it’s Superman that holds them together, but Cyborg is the one who makes them all re-evaluate themselves and look at the bigger picture. Without Cyborg, the League would fall apart as well. But even though Cyborg was a great character, I think pushing for his solo movie is a little too early. There’s not much narrative to build from, and in all honesty, he can only so much as act as a compelling supporting character. Having him star in a standalone movie would be a hit or miss. Nonetheless, Fisher as Cyborg is a welcome addition to the DCEU.

Batman (Ben Affleck) is somehow a changed man, following the events of “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.” He’s one of the characters who also had a complete 180 in terms of character psyche and development. From a brooding, angry dark knight to a hopeful, sometimes joking beacon of justice. Of course, he still uses fear to make his enemies surrender to him, but this Batman’s character is significantly lighter than how he was in BvS. It’s a little odd at times since Bruce Wayne isn’t known to be this hopeful and confident, but it works nonetheless. One thing I’ve noticed, though, is how he’s seemingly tired from 20 years of crime-fighting. It looks like he’s hanging up his cowl for another one soon, further proving some speculations that Jake Gyllenhaal will be taking over from Affleck. But in all honesty, I think Affleck’s Batman would always be the best thing that the DCEU has ever created.

Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) continues to amaze me. Gadot’s portrayal has been going uphill since her movie last June, and she doesn’t fail to incite an inspiring vibe that makes you root for her even more. In her film, she’s a pure heroine endowed with power and grace. In “Justice League,” she is a full-on demigod with the strength of Superman and equipped with a heightened drive to protect planet Earth. Not much has changed when it comes to her character and personality, save for the fact that she’s in extreme warrior mode.

Aquaman (Jason Momoa) is the oddest character of the bunch. Yes, he’s extreme and almost seeming like a metalhead most of the time, but the way Momoa does the role is a bit off compared to the comic book-esque traits of his other colleagues. He’s more of a thrill-seeker than a superhero. It’s a commendable approach, though, because looking at Aquaman’s origins (which is the stigma of talking to fish), there’s nothing that amazing. But in “Justice League,” he’s more of a sidekick to Wonder Woman. However, he has a substantial role in the story, both literally and figuratively. Despite lacking depth, he’s a fresh take on an otherwise frequently laughed-at superhero. He’s also getting a solo movie, so maybe the context of his character would be explored even more.

And finally, the return of Superman (Henry Cavill) is something that was born out of supreme marketing. Everyone knew that he’s bound to appear in the film, but he was blatantly absent from all the marketing materials. Despite this, his return felt a little rushed. It wasn’t as glorious as I expected, and frankly, his character seemed more of a cop-out instead of each of the superheroes giving their all. But then again, the League wouldn’t be able to move forward without him leading the way. Batman brought them together, but Superman is destined to handle the wheel. However, this is where we finally see a more heroic and hopeful version of Superman. Ever since Cavill took on the role in “Man of Steel,” he always had this tinge of darkness in him. But now that he’s reborn and more aware of his place on Earth, he’s closer to the great leader and beacon of hope that he was always meant to be.

The fallouts

Let me get to the point here: Steppenwolf. Yes, Ciaran Hinds is a great voice actor and such, but this is just a wrong way even to launch the Justice League. He’s a character that doesn’t have an ulterior motive, no deep conflict and no reason to be evil. His only mission is to claim Earth for his own and be the supreme leader. His reasons for terrorizing the Earth doesn’t make sense, and he’s such a weak character that Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor would’ve been a better villain. And the fact that he’s an entirely CGI character makes everything tasteless and arbitrary. There are times when he had the upper hand, but even then it would seem weird for him to emerge a victor. “Justice League” would’ve made more sense if the villain wasn’t as massive and disappointing as Steppenwolf.

The next dealbreaker was the poor CGI in some parts of the movie. Snyder is great at creating fantastic CGI landscapes and sequences, but this could be due to Whedon taking over. I’m, not saying he did a lousy job; it’s just that he could’ve refined these scenes more. For one thing, Superman’s CGI lip (remember how he wasn’t allowed to shave for the reshoots? Well this is the punishment for that) bothered me so much that I couldn’t even take him seriously.
The running time was significantly trimmed down that it even eliminated some scenes from the trailers. But then again, this always happens to movies once it gets the final cut, so this can easily be fixed by a special release on Blu-ray extending the duration of the film. I’m pretty sure the studio is up for this, and so we can at least expect that soon.

‘Justice League’ Overall Verdict

Zack Snyder has yet again crafted a magnificent piece of cinematic art that directly comes off of a comic book page. The brilliant direction and the explosive acting wraps it all up to a glorious crescendo of epic displays of power and amazing sequences. “Justice League” is probably not just a superhero movie fanfare, it’s a tentpole film that celebrates the essence of DC’s top-tier superheroes, even besting the pages at some point.
“Justice League” could have been a film that deserves an 8.5 rating—or hell, it could’ve been a 10, too—but the studio’s move to trim the story down and cut off some essential elements makes it a bit less than what it should be. Nonetheless, it feels like a legitimate ensemble superhero film, partnered with the goosebumps-inducing score from Danny Elfman (who, by the way, brought back Batman and Superman’s original themes within the new musical arrangement).
It’s been a wait too long for me, and now that I’ve seen my childhood heroes together in a film for the first time, I could never be more grateful for the inspiration that a superhero fan like me felt all throughout. For what it’s worth, I think this is the best DCEU film so far, next to “Wonder Woman.”
You really can’t save the world alone, and we have to thank the Justice League for showing us that.