The movie fans of the comic-book genre had a fantastic year in 2017 with some excellent movies from both Marvel and DC. While Logan, Spiderman: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy -2 and Thor: Ragnarok all got a thumbs-up from audiences, DC’s lone outing this year before Justice League was an unexpectedly good movie too!
So with so many good movies setting the bar high this year, it was indeed a tough ask for DC to make Justice League stand out.
And were they successful in their venture? You may want to take the decision for yourself, but here are my two cents worth after watching the movie last night.
I’ve not been particularly impressed by any of the DC franchise movies since Christopher Nolan stopped making
Batman movies (and ho boy, did he make them well).
While Man of Steel was good watch, I found the Batman V/s Superman movie a needless drag. Wonderwoman, which came out earlier this year, was so refreshingly good that I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it!
Coming to this movie, Gal Gadot is a treat to watch on screen – her presence is so magnetic that it’s almost impossible to take eyes off her every-time she appears on screen. The woman has it all: grace, beauty, screen presence and a talent to blend in with her character – she’s truly a wonder woman.
Ben Affleck as Batman does no harm to the role either and has executed it with finesse. Ben Affleck’s Batman may not have the energy of Christian Bale’s one but then as a middle-aged more sober (or grumpier?) Batman, he does the best he can - and this should be Ben Affleck's best outing as Batman.
Ezra Miller, as the Flash provides practically all the funny lines in the movie – and I’m glad there are a few – there’s only so much of seriousness one can take in a movie like this.
Jason Momoa looks good (really good) as Aquaman and does hold on his own ground quite well and Ray Fisher as
Cyborg, is quite ok – I suppose not being part of the best lines or best action scenes kind of pushes him a little behind the rest of the others.
And Henry Cavill? Oh well the best-looking Superman since Christopher Reeve does pretty well though his screen time was far more limited (thanks to the story-line). Superman is a character that is often portrayed with God-like virtues and he is given a very revered position in the movie - in fact you could say, the movie shows him worthy of worship.
So, castwise, we don’t have anything to complain about. However, the villain Steppenwolf is just a darn bore and that kind of reduces the whole impact of the movie. The mindless flying vampire-like creatures that feed on fear only look menacing when they come in large numbers. Otherwise, meh.
The plot of the movie isn’t anything original to be honest – it’s the typical villain comes from hiding and threatens to destroy the world and we need the mini army of superheroes from stopping him doing that. Of course, when it comes to DC/Marvel movies, it’s the treatment of the movie that makes each movie stand apart.
While I did find the movie entertaining – I’m quite certain it’s not something that will stay in my mind for a long time. It’s more of that kind of movie you’d watch and forget after a while – though when you do watch it, it must be in a big screen to get the thrill of the visuals.
This is the kind of movie that will be enjoyed by DC fans but is very likely to be thrashed by critics – because the rather flimsy plot offers nothing new and one has to rely completely completely on the main characters, a few visual thrills and a handful of funny one-liners for entertainment.
If you’re a DC fan, you will enjoy it, and if you’re a Marvel man – it’s ok guys, don’t be too hard on the movie – at least the actors did their best.
And oh yeah, if you’re a Wonderwoman fan, don’t drool too much during the movie..😊 ;-)