Posters were a nice touch

Rating: 6/10 (10 December 2017)

I'm not really all that sure about this film, though a part of me feels that the creators are simply trying to cash in on the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is why it sees that they have decided to bring a number of DC superheroes together. Obviously, when you have to group the superheroes together then no doubt you are going to be looking at something that is going to be super dangerous, which is no doubt the case with this particular movie.
So, we have already met Batman and Wonder Woman, and in the previous films, there have been hints of the existence of some others, namely Aquaman, the Flash, and Cyborg. As for Superman, well, if you remember the previous films then you will know that he is dead. As such there is a suspicion that maybe, just maybe, with Superman out of the way, then some really nasty alien being may consider invading Earth.
Well, not quite, because the entity that comes along is an entity known as Steppenwolf. Apparently he came to Earth a millennia ago and brought some artifacts whose only use is to basically lay waste to the world. However, he is beaten back by an alliance of humans, Atlantians, Amazons, and a myriad of other creatures (including the Green Lantern), and the motherstones were split apart and hidden across the world. Well, it turns out that he has returned, and he wants to find motherstones in an attempt to once again attempt to remake the world in his own image.
As a film I have to admit that it was quite enjoyable, though in a way they just don't seem to stand up to the story that happens to be the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Okay, we have only just started this series and we are only five films in, whereas we are much further into the Marvel series. Still, the problem with having such cinematic universes is that we tend to need a pretty longterm commitment from the actors who are playing the various roles. I'm quite sure that Affleck was over the moon when he scored Batman, but then again Batman just happens to be one of those characters that everybody likes. Interestingly though, there are subtle hints that maybe the original films may be connected with this one, though it has more to do with mention of the mechanical penguins than anything else (and suggestions that Robin has also died).
One of the themes that seems to regularly flow through this movie is the idea of hope. In fact what was interesting was that on the leadup to the film all of these posters appeared around Melbourne (and Sydney) with a picture of Superman, and the words 'Hope Never Dies' printed underneath. I pretty quickly worked out that it was advertising the upcoming Justice League movie, which was actually a rather different way of advertising it. The other thing was that all of our heroes were confronted with the fact that while they could also be shinning lights of hope, none of them were because they were all grappling with their own losses and demons. In the end it is the struggle with Steppenwolf that brings out that realisation.
There are some rather amusing aspects in this film as well, but in the end, unlike the more recent Marvel offerings, there was a much more serious overtone. However, I did quite like the Flash.