Like many I come from the era that has enjoyed the DC universe to the fullest in my childhood and early teens. Alas, that could also be a huge reason for my disappointment with the films that are coming out of those comic books and the animated tv shows. The latest edition to the DC universe’s cinematic world is the Justice League. The much awaited film has not just let me down but made me question whether The Warner Bros are even interested in making a film, or has it all become just business ? Looting from the royalty of the past.
I will start with the sound design. Replacing Junkie XL with Danny Elfman was not just a bad decision but a colossal one, specially when the latter decides to put in the scoring used back in the 80s to complement the film that is made in 2017, for the people of 2017 and to give the vibe of the badass heroes that we think that the league would have in 2017. I feel there was absolute incoherence between the visuals and the sound scoring ; specially in the scene when Wonder Woman enters a bank to stop a robbery(in the initial 20 minutes of the film). Coming back to Junkie XL’s music, the only few scenes where I was interested and could feel the 9 year old me getting excited was when I saw Aquaman, apart from Jason Momoa looking absolutely amazing in the role, a lot was done because of the track that wasn’t replaced by Danny Elfman.
The sound design wasn’t the only problem I had with the film. I had huge problem with the linear path that the film followed. It was so basic that I could actually predict what was coming next. Establishment of characters( 10 minutes each. Not to the flash because he's just there for the comic relief)- Bruce and Diana trying to convince every other hero to join the league but all of the them declining the offer because of their personal reasons(not the flash, because he’s there just for the comic relief) - all of them suddenly forgetting all their crisis and agreeing to joining the league- the rebirth of the invincible Superman and boom! yay, the Justice League wins. Every person sitting in the hall knows what the end will look like, they are all there to see the whole film to get an experience of a lifetime ; not to predict the next scene. The Flash was legit just used to bring in the comic relief and his crisis and establishment was only given 2 scenes where he met his father before and after the league defeats Steppenwolf. According to me, the character of Aquaman was completely neglected. He had the least amount of screen time and the little amount that he did have ; was all about Jason Momoa, his sex appeal and how cool he looked in the film. The only new character that I was happy to see was Cyborg. His establishment, crisis and character graph seemed pretty relevant to the film. I wanted to see more of him simply for the link he had with the mother boxes.
Now coming to the big guns, Batman, Wonder Woman and the infamous Superman. One of the biggest perks of being a diehard batman fan is that I am bound to enjoy any movie that even has so much for an Easter egg of the character ; but this movie has really opened my eyes. My biggest let down in the film was the character of the Batman. Ben Affleck is one of the best actors we have in the world right now yet there were huge inconsistencies with his character. The reason is not his acting but poor direction ever since Joss Whedon donned the directors hat. The character of Batman in Batman Vs Superman was as dark as it gets. We didn't even see a full fledged laughter from the character of Bruce Wayne in the film but the same character is cracking one liners after getting beaten down by the Superman in the Justice League. “ yeah, something’s definitely paining.” This is something I’d expect from a Marvel film and why shouldn’t I, after all Joss Whedon tried his best to make this movie one. There were huge inconsistencies with the character of batman and his character was given unnecessary screen time when the same time could've been used to establish more on the Flash and Aquaman. Wonder Woman for me was the best. The character of Diana Prince was not only given appropriate time but also used pretty efficiently. Superman’s character was way too inconsistent. One moment he wakes up as the evil nemesis that was the wrong decision to make and the other moment he's behaving like this saviour of the world. If nothing at all, we could call superman VERY moody. The runtime of the film was 120 minutes and all it took was 15 minutes in the end for the superman to defeat steppenwolf. Why were the others there, anyway ?
After everything said and done, I feel the sad demise of Zack Snyder’s daughter didn't just affect him and his family but also this film. Joss Whedon completely destroyed the film for me. I could distinctly see his direction in the second half and that of Zack Snyder’s in the first half. There were huge inconsistencies with the characters, the plot and of course the storyline. For me, all of the issues I have raised in the article have something or the other to do with the changing of the director. In the end, all I’d like to say is, Justice League is a part of the DC cinematic universe, not Marvel.