Messy, fun, entertaining!

Rating: 7/10 (15 November 2017)

I'm a fan of Marvel but a bigger fan of the DC brand, so every time I head into a DC movie there is some DC bias. But so far, the DCEU has yet to fully win me over. Man Of Steel was decent, BvS was average and Suicide Squad was laughable. Luckily, Wonder Woman was lot's of fun and enjoyable, so my expectations were high for Justice League. So, how is it? Well....
First of all, I didn't like the plot that much. It was messy, disjointed and at times incoherent. I don't know if the shortened run-time hurt the plot since a lot of the sub plots went missing or half way through were just cut off (if there's an extended version, I might be keen to get it). Steppenwolf just felt misused. He was a simple generic villain, that could've worked, but so many missed opportunities with him that it was disappointingly handled. The CGI also needed a bit of work. These things definitely hurt the movie, and had more time gone into reworking these negatives instead of re- shoots, it could've been better. But...
I loved the Justice League! Ben Affleck's Batman was once again a great showcase. Gal's Wonder Woman felt fully developed after her stint in BvS and solo outing. Momoa's Aquaman was fun and larger than life. Ezra's Flash was witty, entertaining and exciting to watch and newcomer Ray Fisher's portrayal of Cyborg was nuanced, but believable. The way they bicker, argue, interact and work together felt magical. It was very reminiscent of the first Avengers movie when they team up at the end. It was a blast! Their chemistry is what elevated the movie, and they were far better than they had to be. If anything, THEY are why you go see the movie, if for anything else. The second and third act of the movie is also very good. If you complained that MoS, BvS, SS and WW had terrible 3rd acts, I'm pleased to say that JL fixes that, immensely. It was fun, lighthearted, interesting and a bright direction on where the next slate of DCEU movies head.
All in all, while the villain was generic, plot was messy and CGI was pretty bad in certain scenes, the Justice League's chemistry and a strong closing act help elevate JL to be a at times messy, wholly fun and very entertaining viewing. I plan on seeing it again and hope there's an extended version.
7.4/10