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Justice League

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The Justice League. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/TM & © DC Comics )
The Justice League. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/TM & © DC Comics )

MOVIE:

Justice League

OUR RATING:

3/5 Stars

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. Despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

Justice League is one of the most anticipated films of the year and it doesn’t disappoint; with a stellar cast, big action and some big laughs. The well-rounded cast’s performances (as a whole) are the best part of the movie for me.

My favourite moments came from Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and Ezra Miller as The Flash/Barry Allen. Gal provides the glue that keeps some of looser narrative parts of the film together while Ezra brought a levity that surprised me and endeared him to me, in this role.

Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne gives a solid and reserved performance as The Dark Knight, while Ray Fisher as Cyborg/Victor Stone is brooding and mysterious with a touch of unpredictable. Of course Jason Momoa provides some of the best eye-candy outside of Atlantis and I loved his interactions the rest of the team.

Introducing three new characters to an audience is not an easy thing and I really enjoyed how it was done. I left the screening wanted to see more of each member’s backstory and where they are after the events of the film take place in the DC Universe. I am particularly excited to see what could happen to these characters in the Flashpoint paradox storyline (which was hinted at when we saw Thomas Wayne played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan on screen during Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice) because of where this film leaves things.  

Zach Snyder’s world is incredibly dark and obviously a continuation of the scene that was set in the previous films with comic book references and interesting interpretations of source material that will get long-time readers talking. In this particularly desolate world - which picks up where the last one left off, without Superman - Firefly creator Joss Whedon’s deft touches are distinct; especially in terms of dialogue and comic timing. The dichotomy between Zach and Joss’s styles added a layer of entertainment to the superhero flick to me. It was like every time the dark got too much the light came in through a crack and made me smile. 

This action-packed flick isn’t perfect. There are narrative flaws and I agree with the popular critique that the villain, Steppenwolf, is a not one of the best that I have seen on screen. Another weak point is some of CGI. I won’t go into more detail about those computer generated touches that I disliked as they relate to one specific character and I don’t want to give any spoilers.  With all that being said, I have to emphasise that those were minor issues for me in a very enjoyable experience. They were small distractions in what I think was an incredibly fun ride with lots of ups and downs. 

Go watch this movie if you like to have fun at the cinema and enjoy seeing superheroes doing their thing on screen; it’s a roller-coaster that I loved riding. But please go watch Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice before you do because it picks up right where the 2016 left off. 

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE:



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