A Step in the Right Direction, But Still a Far Ways to Go

Rating: 6/10 (18 November 2017)

Justice League picks up after Batman v Superman, in a world in which Superman no longer exists. He is mourned and Steppenwolf pounces on this new vulnerability of Earth to achieve his evil plan.
As someone who was thoroughly disappointed in Batman v Superman, I didn't really know what to expect from this movie. But I can say Justice League is an overall fun time. The most important job this movie had to fulfill was to make the viewers buy into this team, and I think it was a success. This team functions really well as a unit. I enjoyed watching them fight together throughout. The team chemistry is rocky in the beginning but gradually improves throughout, as it should. Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman are all pretty cool characters and I can't wait to see more movies with them. The tone of this movie is also rather relaxed and lighter than usual, which is a pleasant surprise.
As for negatives, there are a lot but most of them can be overlooked. First and foremost, Steppenwolf continues the trend of these new DC movies and is not just bad, but awful as a villain. Never once did I fell he was a menacing villain. No development is given for him and he just shows up whenever he wants to. It just seems like the DC movies are whiffing on their villains and hoping the heroes can make up for their shortcomings, and that better not be the case once Darkseid is involved. Second, it's so blatantly obvious how much was edited here. The first half was much of a drag for me. The setup is handled sloppily, again because of the excessive editing. The action scenes, especially the finale, look like a giant video game. Another trend in Snyder movies, there is barely any regard for civilians. Honestly, I can pick this thing apart but I know it wouldn't be right because of the struggles the crew had while filming.
What brought life into this movie is Superman. No Spoilers but his scenes are by far my favorite. This is the Superman that we all wanted to see all along, and Henry Cavill is amazing. If Superman was mishandled again, this movie would've been a disaster but thankfully that didn't happen. Everything they did with the character worked for me.
To wrap it up, Justice League is a mixed bag for me. The characters work well as a team, which at the bare minimum is all I wanted, and this definitely a step in the right direction from Batman v Superman. The movie is good enough that I want to see more, but this universe needs much more work in order to shore up the plot and tonal issues. Good villains would help too.
Justice League gets a C+.