DC has always had a real hit or miss stance with its superhero flicks. When outstanding films like the Dark Knight Trilogy to Wonder Woman knocking audiences for a loop it is sometimes easy to forget the colossal failures like Green Lantern or the less than exciting recent Superman films. So when Justice League was announced I was a little hesitant to let myself get too excited. I walked into this film feeling like it would be better than Batman Vs Superman but not nearly as good as Wonder Woman. Was I right? In my opinion, completely, but I definitely raised the bar a lot higher than I expected it to. So let's break down why.
The film, of course, takes place pretty quickly after Batman Vs Superman leaves off. The world is without hope after the death of Superman and Bruce Wayne knows dark forces are coming to claim the now unprotected earth. The Solution is to bring together a team so bad ass that nothing can stop it from defeating evil. This teams, of course, includes Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and well, Batman (Ben Affleck). The movie acts like one giant crossover episode bringing in characters from the Superman films like Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane), as well as, all of our favorite Amazon's from Wonder Woman. We get introduced to new faces we have yet to get to know like Mera (Amber Heard), but we will as soon as the new Aquaman movie hits the big screen next year. Superman (Henry Cavill) also makes an appearance in the film's opening scene as a flashback. It is hard not to get excited seeing this many big names in one place, but the story itself still has to live up to the hype and I am still not 100% sold on Ben Affleck's Batman.
The film is packed with action and some pretty damn funny humor. Much of it coming from Ezra Miller as the starry-eyed Flash. To be honest, I was a little bummed they didn't take Grant Gustin of the TV Flash to play this role, but after seeing Miller on the screen I am totally on board with their choice and their version of The Flash. This movie needed him. Not just because have the time his snarky comments are everything the audience is thinking, but also because I think he can be one of the most relatable characters in the movie. I swear we all have that one friend that is just like him. Fantastic job Miller. Aquaman's Jason Momoa's appearance in the film felt like a tease. He was a bad ass when he was on screen, but damn he just left you wanting more. Cyborg was great to see on screen because he was the character I knew the least about and I glad we got a chance to get where he is coming from. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman still has a tendency to be the very best thing in this movie. Her character is everything I wanted from this film. She is a true powerhouse and is clearly the lifeblood DC needed. So you may be wondering what our take on the Bat was for this film. While Batman was a million times better than he was in Batman Vs Superman, he still wasn't great for me. He felt like the weak link in the team a lot of the times and you really start to see his shortcomings as a superhero in this film. When Flash asks him what is superpowers are and he replies "I'm rich." Yeah, we get that Ben because in the heat of battle with these superhuman aliens you are kind of getting your ass handed to you. Wasn't Batman this crazy hardcore trained fighter? I love Batman. I believe in Batman.....just, not Ben Affleck's Batman. Sorry Guys.
Overall I did really like this movie and would totally recommend it. You'll have fun watching this. Bring your friends and really take it all in. It's a good time. Plus, in true hero film fashion stay until the very end of the credits for a pretty exciting look at what is to come for this team. We scored this one with a B+. Nice work DC.
Justice League hits theaters everywhere November 17th.