Another blockbuster losing fans

Rating: 4/10 (26 March 2016)

So DC wants to kick-start it's Justice League bandwagon very badly. They are much delayed as Marvel has already marched ahead with 2 Avenger movies raking in billions. So they rope in Zack Snyder again who barely did justice to 'Man of Steel'. And then they cast Ben Affleck as the Batman. (Few Spoilers ahead, which won't matter much)
I tried my best to watch the big budget beginning of Justice League, without any preconceived judgements. Yes, I loved Nolan's Batman, but to each director, his own. First, the good!
The movie begins with young Bruce trying to run away from his childhood tragedy, across the woods and falling into the old well. In much improved 3D, the makers have to be credited for the photography and slo-mo scenes which is as good as it was in 'The Watchmen'.The slow falling leaves, the voice-over accompanied by relatable music, (gives you hope). Also, the alternate view of the man in the street feeling helpless while the God in cape fights his enemy without a care for the collateral damage is well presented. Bruce even with his financial and technological prowess, stands biting his lips while holding a child, who just became an orphan. (Hope did rise again) 18 months later, Bruce is busy tracking criminals and we are introduced to the maverick Lex Luther playful with his words while malicious in intent. Oh, and there is a scene where batmobile crashlands after just brushing it into the kryptonian generating chuckles from the audience. And another where the dark Knight keeps punching Mr. Tight jaws's face and he suddenly realizes that he's hitting a Spartan shield with a rubber fist. Oh, the Wonder woman is a hoot! Tall, talking with her eyes and dressed in style, she steals her scenes. And then there are Batman's hallucinations (makes u wonder if scarecrow still has an impact), which have graphics akin to video games with good action and appearing randomly, which could confuse a novice audience. Also well shot are Man of Steel's adventures, including saving astronauts from an exploding rocket.
The sad part is that the movie doesn't make much sense. The question of humans over how to trust an alien with powers that could easily destroy a world, who on one hand endeavors to save humans, is merciless over others who have threatened him or his love, delivering his own definition of Justice, is raised so meekly that it doesn't shake your conscience, neither do you believe it disturbs Clark the way Henry portrays it. One is similarly surprised when Bruce's initial enmity grows up to a peak and suddenly vanishes because of a common mother's name. Lois loiters all around in the movie, first in a desert, then all over metropolis, about to get shot, fall and drown, so that Mr. Steel can keep saving her. Big disappointments are also the design of Batmobile and Batplane, which looked like toys when compared to the 'Tumbler' or ' The Bat'. Also the car chase sequences, hand to hand combat and the final fight appear very weak and offer no new excitements.
As to the cast, Henry Cavill as The Man of Steel only looks the part, but fails to emote / move people. Ben Affleck has also built up a good body, looks dapper in his business suits with the greying hair showing age (20 yrs experience as the nightcrawler, older than his dad ever was), but doesn't come across as the dark and cunning Knight we have come to know. Jeremy Irons as Alfred, behaves less like the Butler and more like Fox / Robin, gets very few non-witty one liners and is wasted. Jesse Eisenberg as the hereditary CEO of LexCorp's keeps remembering his father and puts on a good show. Gal Gadot as the Wonder woman also looks the part as the Amazonian princess, has wonderful body language, but doesn't get much action screen time with her ill-designed wardrobe.
Lastly and more importantly, it's not at all clear as to why Luther was tracking 'Metahumans' and also why Bruce asks Diana's help to find future league members, except for his 'feeling'.
Overall a failure, another Big budget film goes the way of Avengers (Ultron) / Star Wars, losing more fans everyday, which their predecessors earned the hard way.