A Lot of Fun

Rating: 7/10 (22 April 2018)

I did not care at all for Man of Steel. It was insulting as a comic book movie and as a movie about people. BvS was better but the CGI looked way too cartoonish. Wonder Woman was over-hyped, but still entertaining. Justice League, in my opinion, comes very close to getting it right...almost.
First the bad. I simply cannot understand how in this day and age, DC still churns out such horrible CGI. It still looks cartoonish. It takes me out of the movie every time. (Wonder Woman had this same issue). The villain was lame with no other role than to be a plot device to get a League together. Lastly, Batman is just a man, but he gets thrown into walls and cars with nary an impact. His CGI scenes are the worst which is quizzical since he's a man so they should have used a stuntman. If you needed CGI, then just don't use the scene. Lastly, as other reviewers have mentioned, they rushed the team up. We have no vested interest in Aquaman, Flash, or Cyborg and a barely competent movie, IMO, of Wonder Woman.
Now the good. I liked the story. I thought the way they got the heroes together was well done. I really like Affleck's Batman. Bale is going to be the ultimate Batman for most because of the movies he was in. I think Affleck makes a better Batman, but his movies have stunk. Ezra Miller is a wonderful Flash. I think his character had just the right amount of wonder, fear, and courage. Also his comedic relief was perfectly played. Jason Mamoa was also excellent as Aquaman. I thought this character was going to be a joke, but Mamoa did a really nice job. Ray Fisher's Cyborg needed to be fleshed out (no pun intended) a bit more, but there is a really interesting character there. They still can't seem to figure out what to do with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. She is too wooden and doesn't emote which is strange for a character that is supposed to be the leader. The supporting cast was okay, but didn't have much to do other than to be thrown in so we don't forget they exist.
Henry Cavill's portrayal of Superman in this movie should have been how the character was handled in MoS and BvS. What a wasted opportunity for those other films. He was charming, seemed to actually enjoy life, and had a nice chemistry with the other characters. I loved Cavill in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and never could figure out why they wanted him to play Superman as such a dullard.
One special mention is the scene where Superman is resurrected. This seems to be one of those scene you either hate or love. I really loved it. For me, it was the highlight of the DCU so far. If you've ever been under anesthesia, you know how disorienting and frustrating it can be when you awake and don't know where you are. Playing it this way, I thought, really brought out how dangerous Superman could have been (as Bruce mentions in BvS) should he not be benevolent. My favorite part was Wonder Woman telling Aquaman to calm down and Aquaman replying, "I can't. He ain't right." Flash tries to run around behind Superman and, in slow motion, Superman is turning to keep up with him, totally freaking out Barry (and me, to be honest). That entire scene from start to finish was well written, entertaining, made sense in the realm of the plot, and was a ton of fun.
It looks like DC might be finally figuring out their characters. They really need to hold off on Justice League 2 until they have given the others their own movies and maybe let them do cameos in each others' films. They rushed to get this movie out because they felt they were behind Marvel. Take your time. Be patient. You have a wealth of great characters here and you only get one chance to not screw this all up. At least you're not Universal.