Decent entertainment, but there's still a lot of room for improvement

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2017)

So, this obviously has quite a bit of stuff to unpack, being a huge movie - marketing, budget, time spent, scale, etc. I want to start by focusing on the points made on Wikipedia, then continuing from there into whatever else I have to say.
The action sequences and performances were praised. Now, if you don't nail the action sequences in a SUPERHERO movie, it's not gonna be that good of a superhero movie. I'll admit, they were pretty well done (I don't think they were, "chaotic," as RT says); just perhaps done in excess (Zack Snyder tings) and unfortunately replacing proper character development.
This leads into the performances, which were weirdly uneven across the team - I'd say Miller (The Flash) takes the top spot, with Momoa (Aquaman) getting second place. I think Cyborg (Fisher) had the least development in the team, and his character was partially boring, along with his somewhat dull performance. I get that the DCEU has already made movies for the 3 more significant members (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman), but you could've done a lot more and just spent more time on the movie (which is only 2 hours, not almost 3, as some prankster decided to show online). I mean, I would've liked to see what they could've done with almost 3 hours and a better director (PATTY JENKINS FFS), who might not have even needed that much time. Most of the development they try is weak (like interactions with parents and how the superheroes view themselves). This action/character imbalance is kind of expected from Snyder at this point (this will lead up to a point I make at the end).
Now for the criticisms *cracks fingers* - a thin plot, weak villain and overuse of CGI. On the first point, I didn't exactly think the plot was bad, but I'm assuming, "thin," means a lack of depth, because that's certainly true. I could make the same point about the length - should've been longer to enhance the plot in some way. It was kind of the stereotyped superhero movie plot of some extraterrestrial being coming to destroy/conquer Earth, but ultimately losing because it's a movie (that's not a spoiler; you knew it was gonna happen)
I'm not gonna say much about Steppenwolf now; I reckon that I'll kind of ruin him for you guys. The CGI, however, was EVERYWHERE. I do think that it was used unnecessarily at many points (action sequences, along with designs and aesthetics of locations, even Cyborg's looks) and that they should have used practical effects more often (the lack of it kinda screws with the physics on some occasions and makes situations seem unrealistic even by superhero movie standards). I get that you like to stylise your action, but keep it logical, otherwise you're just not really caring about rules and it's going to stand out in a bad way.
The tone was very up-and-down, with some calling it lighter than before (yeah, kinda) but others calling it inconsistent (I agree with this more). It went from dark and dramatic (e.g. Diana's meh exposition about how Steppenwolf came to be) to comedic and more human (e.g. Flash just having fun with the others). You know, the funny thing is that because Snyder left the movie (his daughter died; I understand) early, they got in Joss Whedon (who directed THE AVENGERS) to direct some scenes, eventually getting a screenplay (writing) credit at the end. Given the styles of each director, it wouldn't be hard to pick out whom you would credit for certain scenes. I don't think Joss would be the type of guy to intentionally screw with DC to give Marvel a bonus (MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA) - DC's already in the gutter; Marvel need not worry.
Because of the overall quality of the DCEU so far (except Wonder Woman - I know we have some critics here, but the general consensus is good), I just think that there was too much hype leading up to Justice League. I know that it's a big superhero movie and all the kids are gonna be excited, but none of the others (Patty Jenkins, you can leave the room now) have really nailed it like they should have. Sure, Justice League was an improvement over past efforts, but there's still a LOT of room for improvement. I'm not even thinking about Marvel comparisons here; the DCEU just needs to do justice (haha) to their huge superhero universe and upgrade itself as a movie franchise. Whether or not that'll happen, I'm not sure, because it seems like money is mostly their concern instead of actual film quality (even though higher quality can mean higher earnings). I don't care about the whole critics-VS-audiences thing; it's possible to make a movie that gets both of them (and Internet users) fired up (actually, Patty, come back for a moment, please). However, I do think the critics were a bit too harsh; I was expecting an RT score in the 40-60 range (it just barely gets in with 41%, not to mention a 42% difference between critics and audiences as of now).