This is the second time I watched the film and I can finally get into the details of this movie.
Let's talk about the bad things about this movie. Maybe "bad" is not the right word for this but there is a lot to complain about this movie which is the story/story decisions. If you're a big DC Universe fan then you will be disappointed of a lot of things going on but if you're a casual movie fan and probably not watch too many superhero movies then you definitely enjoyed it. I am the type of guy that grew up with DC Universe when I was a kid from watching Batman: The Animated Series all the way up to Justice League: Unlimited. I also watched majority of the DC Animated Films like "Justice League: War." Because I have seen this animated film the movie "Justice League" did not feel that fresh as I thought it would.
In my earlier review: https://steemit.com/entertainment/@l82matthew182/justice-league-my-spoiler-free-review I said that the story was predictable and simplistic while everything else was good. If you are not like me and haven't grew up with the cartoons as a kid and never seen the animated films then this movie will be a little less predictable.
If you guys already watched this movie then watch "Justice League: War" directed by Jay Oliva. You guys should definitely do a compare and contrast between the two. I would have enjoyed the live more if I didn't watch the animated before but oh well. If I had to compare these two I would say both of them feel rushed. Here are the list of things I need to elaborate;
Antagonist:
Diving in to the story I was wondering why Steppenwolf was the main antagonist for this movie. They should've introduced Darkseid into this story or at least bring him into the climax. It's weird how the next sequel for Justice League will turn up especially when the movie "BvS: Dawn of Justice" did a buildup to Injustice. Also people should know after this film Henry Cavill is going to play Superman in one more film. It makes me really wonder how Darkseid will play in the next sequel since he is like the Thanos in Marvel Cinematic Universe. Back to the antagonist to this film. This antagonist is not very memorable as the antagonists in the MCU. He looks badass but that's just all there is to it. I'm just glad they put plenty of attention to him and not have other antagonists jump in like the movie Thor: Ragnorak. The film does not dwell much about his backstory. The film could have done that but it didn't. The film didn't show much about where he comes from. He comes from the world Apokalypse.
The World of DC Universe:
Since I mentioned Apokalypse I wonder how that place will play a part of the world of DC Universe. Also when there is Apokalypse there is New Genesis where the characters introduced are the New Gods. I guess if they do show it it will be somewhat similar to Infinity Wars where they really go in depth with Celestials and the gods clashing each other. I really hope the film will go in depth with Boom Tubes and Mother Boxes but they didn't.
Mother Boxes:
The mother boxes in this film is sooo different from the mother boxes in all the animated shows. The mother boxes from the original comics are devices to teleport/transport to different places. The mother boxes in this film are three boxes when putting them together it terraforms the Earth into Apokalypse. It also brings back Superman from the dead. The animated and live films have one thing similar which is turning Victor Stone into Cyborg. For me it just feels weird because the mother boxes have many other functions and thinking of it makes me believe or hope that they will play an integral part for the next sequels.
Cliche:
Bringing back Superman from the dead was the obvious part that was going to happen in the movie. I knew the Justice League were going to struggle against Steppenwolf then Superman jumps in to kick ass and they start winning. Could they have made a better decisions? I don't think so. I think this was a better decision before they overcomplicate the story and the story build-ups. This was the best decision so that DCEU films can head into the right direction. Part of me feels like Darkseid should've jumped in when Superman jumped in.
Post Credit Scene:
This scene showed Lex Luthor escaping from prison and introducing the character Deathstroke. It appears that Lex is trying to form his own team against the Justice League. Again another build up to another film but how is it all going to fit especially if Henry Cavill is going to play Superman one last time? I believe they will call it the Injustice League, Legion of Doom, or probably Secret Society, or even better "The Light" like in the animated series Young Justice. I am hoping they will integrate the Project Cadmus arc where they get samples from Superman and try to create their own evil army of monsters or something. I really hope that Lex Luthor will be smarter and actually make plans that will him be more memorable in future sequels compared to Lex Luthor in BvS. I also hope they bring many elements from Young Justice to this build up.
My Theory:
My theory is that they will introduce parallel-world/multiverse in the DC Extended Universe. Since Henry Cavill is going to play Superman one last time I believe that the Justice League will find another Superman in a parallel-world/universe and make him the Superman of this live franchise. The same also most likely go for Ben Affleck (Batman). I mean you can't have a Justice League without Superman and/or Batman.
Lingering Thoughts:
Movie was far from perfect but I still enjoy overall. I did enjoy Wonder Woman coming in kicking ass at bad guys in the introduction. I did enjoy the character interactions with each other and how they didn't overdo it like Guardians of the Galaxy 2. I did enjoy the slaughtering scene in Themyscira. I really enjoyed the last 15 minutes of the movie which was the climax. I wish they put more action in the last 15 minutes and not take too much time bringing all the characters together. I feel like the climax was rushed and they could have stretched that scene longer. They could have also introduced their hideout known as the Watchtower that hovers above planet Earth but I guess they decided to go with The Hall.
I wonder what the future of this franchise will lead up to? MCU is coming close to its peak or it could just be the beginning since there are speculating news about Disney buying Fox which means that MCU will finally get to use Fantastic Four and X-men into their films. Maybe...maybe DC Extended Universe will take the spotlight when MCU is coming to its peak. Part of me wishes DCEU pulled an MCU where DCEU have phases. If DCEU have phases where this film was the end of Phase 1 I would say this Phase 1 is better than MCU Phase 1. I said in my earlier review this one was better than the Avengers (2012). Also Wonder Woman was better than the first Captain America film. If I had to compare the remaining films like the MCU (Thor, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Hulk) vs DCEU (Man of Steel, BvS, Suicide Squad) I would choose DCEU. I really hope DCEU will build up their stories at a good pace and who knows people will love it even more.