An enjoyable transition in the DCEU

Rating: 7/10 (18 November 2017)

After the very polarizing critical failures of previous entries in the DC Extended Universe, the year 2017 was seen as do or die for the franchise and it got off to a good start with Wonder Woman, which was universally well received by critics and fans alike. In Justice League, we have a dream film for many who were first introduced to the comics world through the various adaptations of DC characters for both big and small screen. The idea of seeing the epic team-up of said characters in a big budget project was something many fans from different generations could only fantasize about for a very long time and with it finally happening, there was a sense of caution, considering the sour recent experiences. The result was a very enjoyable film that while not a masterpiece, wasn't really trying to be one. The flick succeeds in its' most important mission which was giving fans a fun two hours.
There are more than a few negative aspects of the movie. For instance, the short run time makes it difficult to properly explore the characters who probably could have benefited from a closer look at them. When it comes to the villain, Steppenwolf of "New Gods" fame, I don't think even more time could have made him a credible threat as he is about as empty as a filler bad guy of the week TV episode.
While Superman is definitely one of the better parts of the movie, his return to life feels somewhat hollow in meaning, considering that Henry Cavill is the second name in the opening credits and that there was never a reasonable doubt about his being a fake out death. One that was not properly built up as it happened in only his second film. This time, it feels like the best improvement made was exactly in the handling of Supes, presented as a beacon of hope for the world, which would've been much more meaningful if it had been shown like that in previous outings.
The CGI, as you might have read or already seen, is very disappointing and at times it seems inferior to even the Injustice video games. That is unforgivable on a project with such a large budget and while it doesn't detract too much from the movie going experience, it still is very distracting and should be vastly improved in future entries.
Putting the negative aside, this was a welcome change in tone. The touch of Joss Whedon is very noticeable and it's a shame he wasn't brought on earlier in the production. We got superheroes instead of dark and gritty antiheroes that do not always work. A team that was actually saving people rather than causing a lot of the destruction that terrified citizens to begin with. They are now very likable thanks to the dialogue and better chemistry between all involved.
Ezra Miller, playing the role of The Flash as basically Spiderman now is for the Avengers as a kid working alongside veteran heroes does a good job and my only complaints are that he is basically Wally West with the Barry Allen name. His origin story has a very big hole, but I believe that will be better explained in his own movie.
Gal Cadot is perfect once again as Wonder Woman and her story as a reluctant hero gets properly developed. That is of course one of the benefits of having separate movies to establish the members of a superhero team as it helps flesh them out more. Here, we understand Diana's doubts, her motivations and reactions thanks to the fact that we already know the character independently from the League. Ben Affleck does a good job with what he is given for Batman and proves a good transitional leader, being forced into that position by the circumstances around him. He assumes the responsibility of a world without Superman, knowing quite well that he can never become that symbol. The traditional loner becomes the uniting factor here and left me wanting more of the character, in a good way.
I didn't care much for Aquaman and Cyborg, but they are good utility players here and think there is a lot of good that can be done with them in the future. Which in the end, is what this movie does, give us a transition from one vision that didn't work to one that hopefully does much better. Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice for the most part, were not fun, but Justice League was. Once you bring entertainment back to the center of film making, you are going in the right direction. I understand and perhaps even agree with most of the criticism for the movie, but I think audiences will be greatly pleased with this leap in quality. Just like The Flash is seen getting used to his speed and stumbling, we are seeing a franchise growing accustomed to its' powers in the lead to something that can be great.