Fun and Entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (7 December 2017)

The long awaited DCEU Justice League movie has arrived, and I enjoyed it more than I expected. This film is getting critically panned and is under-performing at the box office. It's sad, because I was actually hoping this film would actually do well, despite everything plaguing it, given the surprise success of Wonder Woman. I feel that if this film had come out ten years ago it would have been praised as an amazing achievement, and would have done unprecedented numbers.
However, in a world where we've now had two Avengers movies, and Civil War, many people see this as a generic, by the numbers flick, which is a valid argument. I understand those who feel that way. Even so, I found myself having fun with the movie, and I feel there are some genuinely good things about it.
The plot is the same as the Avengers, so there's no point in going over it. First, I'll discuss what I like about Justice League. The film looks good, in my opinion. There are instances of sub-par CGI particularly with Cyborg, but overall I like the look of the film. When the action kicked in I was having a good time, especially during the climax.
Ben Affleck as batman was really good here. I always liked Ben Affleck as an actor, and felt he could play a great Batman. His character was just characterized so poorly in BVS. Thankfully, I liked him a lot more here. You can tell the events of BVS are weighing greatly on him, and is trying to make a change for the better. I also like his costume more here than BVS. His outfit was awesome here, and he gets some good moments and fight scenes.
Gal Gadot was Wonder Woman was also a plus for the movie. I liked her in BVS, her own movie, and she was good here too. She had some good banter with Batman and the others, and her action scenes were always entertaining.
Jason Momoa as Aquaman was okay. I actually liked more than I thought I would. I'm still not totally sold on the look, but I found him fun enough. Though, he did have his annoying bits. Cyborg was there for me. I didn't dislike him, but I did not really care much for him either.
Now I discuss the things I don't think worked about Justice League. Firstly, I'm not a fan of this version of Barry Allen/The Flash. I don't think the actor was that good, and I found the character more irritating than anyone else. I'm not even comparing him to the CW Flash series, as I'm not a fan of that either. In my opinion they have yet to get the Flash right in a live action adaptation.
The villain was there. He looked cool, but there was nothing else to him. So he's basically the average MCU supervillain.
The thing is, aside from Superman, Batman (sort of), and Wonder Woman, none of the other heroes have gotten their own solo film developing them as characters. Due to this it makes it more difficult to get invested in them. Much of their backstory is shoehorned in this film as long exposition. I know much of this film found itself on the cutting room floor, so there probably are more scenes in the movie dedicated to developing them. However, that can have the effect of making the film too bloated and unfocused, like BVS was. Whether you like the MCU or not, there way was the more effective when it comes to setting up characters.
The final issue is with Superman. Henry Cavil is a great actor, he looks good in the costume, and I think he could play a great Superman. There are moments in this film where the Superman as he should be does come through, even if it is little. The problem is that this Superman has been characterized so terribly throughout the DCEU, especially in BVS.
What's so weird about this film is that everyone is constantly saying how much of a selfless hero superman was and how much the world needs him, including Batman. Everyone keeps saying how superman is a symbol for hope and justice. Yes, Superman is supposed to stand for those things, but with how he's been handled in these movies, including this one, those claims are entirely unfounded. Even in this film Superman still seems like a muscle headed idiot who only listens to Lois Lane.
In BVS everyone, including Batman, hated and feared Superman. Not to mention, Superman himself does not seem to care to much about being a hero. He even admitted it to Lois in BVS. Even in this film he still does not seem to care that much. Nowhere is that demonstrated more than in the opening scene of the film, where he gives one of the most awkward and unconvincing heroic speeches ever. From that scene, and the montage that followed, I thought this film was going to be a disaster. Of all the DCEU movies, this one had the weakest opening sequence, other than maybe Suicide Squad.
Overall, Justice League is a fun popcorn movie. There are some glaring faults, with a couple being major. There are really bad things in this film, but the film as a whole is okay in my opinion. It's probably even my second favorite of the DCEU line under Wonder Woman, though that doesn't say much. It's definitely better than BVS and Suicide Squad. I'd even put it over Man of Steel (though I like MOS alright) because Justice League had more fun, was not as long, looked far more colorful, and didn't take itself so overly serious.