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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.

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