Justice League tries its best to escape the black hole that is BvS, but its weighed down by all the things it's trying to achieve. From introducing new characters, course-correcting the DC cinematic universe, to making a movie that will bring them out of Rotten Tomatoes hell and into the critically-acclaimed limelight, Justice League has its hands full and you can tell it's juggling them as best it can.
The new heroes Barry Allen/The Flash (played with infectious fanboy glee by Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) are pulled into the story seamlessly enough, and though you can see the seeds of future DC movies being sown, thankfully they're just there to advance the plot and aren't needed to fully understand the new guys nor the rest of the film. See, it wasn't that hard, DC!
Surprisingly, Justice League does its best to be *gasp* fun! Gone is the somber mood that gets more dour as the movie goes on...Justice League finally admits it's a goddamn comic book movie and adjusts accordingly. Batman gets to be witty and relatable, and even Momoa as Aquaman is a hoot to watch. There's also a lot of bombastic superheroic set pieces now that they've decided to fight bad guys instead of each other. The action is flashy and intense, as Justice League gives you no doubt that these colorfully-costumed do-gooders can bench-press apartment complexes or stop every single bullet from an automatic rifle. Watch Flash race through the screen in a burst of lightning and energy and tell me it didn't put a smile on your face.
The one thing that did put a smile on my face was the gloriousness that is Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot is an absolute beast here, a beautiful enigma that smiles to put children at ease one moment, then goes toe-to-toe with the movie's villain Steppenwolf the next, all without breaking a sweat.
Speaking of villains, it's unfortunate then (or should I say appropriate?) that Justice League's weakness lay in its main bad guy. Steppenwolf may be imposing and even downright scary (thanks to Ciarán Hinds' absolutely diabolical voice performance), but then Plot-Induced Stupidity kicks in during the third act and he turns into the typical raving villain who fights the Justice League 1 v 6, conveniently forgetting he has the entire force of Apokolips at his command. Stupid, yes, but then again seeing the entire Justice League work as a team on the big screen has been a dream for most of us, and at this point I'll take what I can get.
See, all DC had to do was try. To make a competent movie, to make us believe in heroes again. It's safe to say that Justice League is a fun time at the movies with one of the first and biggest superhero teams of all time, even if it didn't wow me like Wonder Woman did. A win is a win, and by god I'll take that over another shitty DC movie any day.
If you haven't read a single Justice League or DC comic book in your life, you'll probably enjoy this one. If you're a fanboy like me, I'll ask you to bring seat belts and a fresh pair of pants...you're in for a bumpy yet fun ride.
Oh, and it feels damn good to see you back, Superman!
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