Movie Review: Justice League
By Matthew Huntley
November 28, 2017
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Don't get me wrong; “Justice League” is lighter, leaner and more focused than its overwrought and overlong predecessors, but it still lacks that essential spark of excitement all superhero movies should possess—the one that makes us either want to be the heroes or be a part of their world (even the Gotham City in Christopher Nolan's dark and brutal “Batman” trilogy was appealing to a certain extent). The problem, I think, is director Zack Snyder, whose movies are often preoccupied with excessive violence and devastation, so much that the audience simply grows numb watching them. This style can work in some contexts (“Dawn of the Dead,” “300”), but it doesn't seem right for the superhero genre.
As a result, the worlds Snyder creates for Superman and friends are drab and depressing, while the characters themselves never seem to escape a perpetual state of sadness and remorse. And because action and spectacle take priority over character development, the heroes are often one-note and we never feel like we know them, let alone care about them. Plus, the general look of the places and environments they occupy are flat and hazy—they seem to have been filmed with a filter that lessens their overall opacity. Collectively, these qualities make “Justice League” more ineffectual than entertaining.
In the film, which takes place after the events of “Batman v Superman,” the world is fraught with grief and fear now that the Man of Steel is dead (recall he perished battling Lex Luthor's Doomsday creature), and Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) is, as usual, consumed by guilt, holding himself accountable for Superman's demise. But his woes extend beyond mere regret and liability, because Superman's passing has “turned on,” if you will, three energy containers known as the Mother Boxes. For the record, it's still not clear to me what the Mother Boxes actually are or what they do, but let's just say they've existed for thousands of years, yield great power, and have the ability to destroy and remake planets.
This latter attribute is the long short of why the super-villain Steppenwolf (voice of Cirian Hinds) wants to get ahold of them. Known as a “New God,” Steppenwolf lives only to conquer and uses his army of Parademons (winged, bug-like creatures not too far removed from the Wicked Witch of the West's flying monkeys) to attack the various races protecting the boxes, including the Amazons, Atlanteans and humans. Eventually, he acquires what he needs and sets up shop at an abandoned Russian nuclear power plant, where he plans to charge the boxes and reshape the planet.
That is, unless Batman and company can stop him. While Steppenwolf wreaks havoc, Bruce, along with his trusted butler Alfred (Jeremy Irons) and Diana Prince, a.k.a. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), recruit their own mini army of super humans. The members include the young and cocky Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), who, having been struck by lightning, moves at incredible speed and masquerades as The Flash; Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa), a.k.a. The Aquaman, who was somehow born with the ability to breathe underwater, swims faster than fish, telepathically communicates with the sea and its creatures, and possesses incredible strength, which he harnesses with his trident; and lastly, Victor Stone (Ray Fisher), a.k.a. Cyborg, whose father (Joe Morton) fused Victor's body with mechanical parts after an athletic injury rendered his son paralyzed. Now Victor is able to connect to any computer in the world, while his exoskeleton gives him strength and agility comparable to Superman. And speaking of Superman (Henry Cavill), the newly formed Justice League determines that in order to defeat Steppenwolf, they will need Supe's help and thus devise a plan to resurrect him.
“Justice League” ultimately sticks to the usual order of operations for an introductory superhero movie, or in this case an ensemble superhero movie. We get the standard (and very brief) character introductions, followed by some exposition about the bad guy, followed by some action, followed by the typical doubt regarding the heroes' abilities, followed by some additional plot developments, and finally an all-out, wall-to-wall action climax. Unfortunately, the movie adheres to such a stock and uninspired structure that it never breaks free from the confines of the genre and generates any real depth, distinction or emotional impact.
Things essentially roll out the way they're “supposed to” and aspects of the screenplay that should have carried weight, like Barry's relationship with his incarcerated father (Billy Crudup) or the romance between Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Clark Kent, are just sort of there. Even the action scenes, which I'm guessing is where most of the $300 million budget went, feel torpid and by-the-numbers. They lack vigor and stimulation, despite so much happening on-screen, which could be part of the problem. They made me think back fondly on “Wonder Woman,” which was comparatively focused, patient and rousing.
On a positive note, I was impressed Snyder kept the runtime of “Justice League” under two hours, which made it less exhausting than his previous “Superman” ventures. Then again, that could just be the movie not needing as much time to see its no-brainer plot all the way through. I can imagine Snyder and the studio wanted this inaugural “League” outing to serve as a springboard for standalone features, which they're now hoping will be as successful as “Wonder Woman.” But amidst looking toward the future of these characters and their own individual franchises, they let “Justice League” get away. It's got enough going for it that it holds our attention, and while it's not exactly boring, it's not terribly exciting or memorable, either.