Justice League (2017) Review

First thoughts are that this was way better than Batman v Superman (2016). The story is at least comprehensible, which is low hanging fruit when it comes to improvements and the least they could do. So, in a rather straightforward fashion, we have a big bad guy who wants to destroy the world, and our heroes need to team up and work together to beat him in the next two hours. You know, just like every other superhero movie ever written. It’s a safe bet, and DC is not about to take risks.

It does feel like a terribly rushed story. This is an artefact of DC comics trying to push a universe while skipping the establishing chapters. We are introduced to a couple of new heroes who receive only a few minutes of introduction. They each have one or two moments of interaction with their fellow heroes, but we are still far away from feeling any team spirit. This is The Fast and the Furious with Superman being Don (Vin Diesel), but without the warm feelings of family. There are also some kind of objects like in the transformers movies, and an infodump brings us up to speed with the bad guy of the week.

So, most of the storytelling problems have improved compared to the previous DC films, going from abysmal to serviceable. One deep problem remains, though. The characters have so little… character. This too is a consequence of rushing the films. Superman is a blank slate, and his relationship with Lois Lane evokes to emotion whatsoever. The Flash is the film’s attempt to add some levity, but it comes from a mentality where the comedic lines are forced into the story, instead of really fleshing out the Flash’s character. Cyborg just has no character; he is just the robot guy. Batman doesn’t raise much interest and feels a bit useless. Only Wonder Woman seems present and interesting, and Aquaman has a few nice moments.

There are one or two memorable scenes. Both are arrival scenes. The arrival of the villain and the subsequent part with the Amazons is riveting, and in the second half when the great hero of the story returns. Unfortunately, when the final struggle starts, all the tension deflates quickly and the bad guy is summarily dismissed within a few minutes. Again, the story feels rushed. I’m reminded of the last seasons of Game of Thrones, where characters seemingly jump from one end of the continent to the other.

The big baddie is called Steppenwolf (I have no idea why he is called Steppenwolf, I’m not familiar with the comics and the film doesn’t explain it). All I know is that he looks as if he walked out of an animation from a video game from the early 2000s. The special effects in general are not strong in this film, but Steppenwolf is especially cartoonish.

So, all in all, Justice League proves that DC Comics can at least make a generic, half-decent superhero flick. It’s more damage control than celebration of the old comics. It’s also a shame that the series rushed into the justice league storyline, which should have been an exciting climax. But the many problems in establishing interesting characters and working up any sympathy for them makes this climactic film feel soulless and hastily put together.

Maybe one or two more films from now, I will truly get to know these heroes and care about them. I’d rather see another Wonder Woman film or an Aquaman film first. The premature ejaculation that is Justice League left me cold.

6.5/10