DC - you are not Marvel!

Rating: 7/10 (15 November 2017)

This will not be your average movie review, but something more...
Before all the DC fanboys will jump at my throat, I will say that Im a big DC fan and I love the characters more than I do Marvel's, but there is no denying that Marvel is knocking their movies out of the park and surpassing DC critically and financially. That being said, I've always respected DC for being different from Marvel and doing its own thing. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice were both controversial movies, but they did have their own signature. Zack Snyder has always had the unbelievably unique ability to transfer the pages of a comic book to the silver screen beautifully and that is also evident in Justice League's intro. But with the change of directors and Whedon taking over, that signature and that dark vibe was lost. I am aware that the popular opinion is that DC movies are too dark and somber and that they have no soul. This is where I disagree. They have soul and Id say that they have even deeper character developments than many of the Marvel movies. BvS is one of the realest and most intelligent comic book movies ever created. It is by no means a perfect movie, but it is a very grown up superhero film. And this is where I give high praise to what DC has done. Somewhere along the lines Whedon tried to make this into an Avengers movie and while that is a very delightful idea, it just fell short because of the already different vibe and style of the movie that was started. He tried to change it and bring more light-heartedness to it, but that should have been done in the conception of the film, not with re-shoots and gap-fillers. Most people will say that Ezra Miller's Barry Allen was the most fun character and he brought much- needed life into Justice League, I actually thought most of his comedic lines were forced and childish. And childish is a word that I would use to describe this movie. It felt very glossy and fluffy, especially in the final act. There were funny puns and one-liners with impressive CGI fights, but there was no weight behind it. This is where I contemplated the idea that DC tried to manage their movie into something very Marvel-like, but unsuccessfully in my humble opinion. And with that being said I think that Cyborg was the true break-out star of this movie. Ray Fisher down-played his character and he did it with finesse and subtlety which worked perfectly with his tragic backstory. All-in-all I will NEVER give up on DC movies, even after stinkers like The Suicide Squad, but I really hope that they stick to their style and not try to mimic what Marvel is doing. DC, do not rush your movies...you will stumble, you will fall, but in time, you will reach your destination. In time You will accomplish wonders...