Justice League

Thousands of years ago, Steppenwolf (voiced by Cirian Hinds) led an army of Parademons from the planet Apokalips in a failed effort to conquer Earth. He was thwarted by the combined forces of humans, Atlanteans, Amazons, Greek Gods, and Green Lanterns. His three Mother Boxes – sources of immense power – were distributed among the humans, Amazons, and Atlanteans for safe keeping. Following the death of Superman (Henry Cavill), Steppenwolf senses and opportunity and returns to Earth to reclaim the Mother Boxes and finish what he started. To stop him, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) recruit a team of empowered individuals, including Atlantean heir Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa), speedster Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller), and technopath Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher). Though brought together by a common threat, the would-be heroes agree on little, including whether or not to use the Mother Boxes to their own advantage.

DC Comics may have a decades-long history of iconic characters, but recent attempts to translate that mythology to the screen have largely been met with disappointment. Poor pacing, inane plotting, and an overly grim tone have been the prime culprits though the well-deserved success of Wonder Woman gave hopes that a reversal of fortune is possible. Sadly, Justice League does not rise to that film’s level, yet it also does not commit the worst sins of its predecessors. It’s an uneven movie, praiseworthy in some regards, cringeworthy in others. However, given both the anticipation and the gargantuan budget, it is hard to see “adequate” as anything other than disappointing.

In fairness, Justice League suffered from quite the troubled production. Director Zack Snyder had to step down during post-production to grieve for the loss of his daughter, leaving Joss Whedon (who helmed cross-company equivalent The Avengers) to fill in. Between being ousted as director of a solo Batman film and facing allegations of sexual harassment, the already-polarizing Affleck attracted even further controversy. And everything from re-shoots to composer changes (Danny Elfman subbing in for Junkie XL) to digitally removing Cavill’s moustache nearly sank the film before it even opened.

Despite the burden of these negative expectations, Justice League manages to get quite a few things right, starting with several of the performances. Gadot remains the perfect Wonder Woman, an uber-capable demigoddess and world-toughened idealist who hasn’t lost her heart. Meanwhile, Affleck’s Batman seems to have regained some of his as he is considerably less brutal in this outing though, true to most modern interpretations of the character, is still driven to a disturbing degree. Fisher, a relative unknown, deftly plays Cyborg as both philosophical and bitter regarding the erosion of his humanity. Amy Adams isn’t given much screen time as Lois Lane and she deserves more characterization than merely “Superman’s girlfriend,” but she is credible as a journalist who has lost her nerve. And though his role in the film is even smaller, J.K. Simmons at least has the look and demeanor down for Batman ally Commissioner Jim Gordon.

Justice League also feels like a less excessive and more measured film than several of its predecessors. Batman v. Superman was a drawn-out affair with a now-clichéd city-destroying CGI-soaked final battle; Justice League eschews that in favor of brisker pacing and less taxing fight sequences. Yes, the film overuses slow-down effects (as did Wonder Woman), and certain things still look ridiculous (underwater battles, The Flash’s running, etc.), but the overall execution is tighter and less bombastic, and the film balances its urgency and what-have-we-done introspection with humor and at least some semblance of fun. Elfman’s score also makes good use of each hero’s motifs (including his own famous Batman score) in key places rather than trying to ape Hans Zimmer’s work.

For all of these bright spots, however, there are blemishes aplenty. Though Miller supplies some much-needed levity, his version of The Flash – an empowered young science nerd awed by the chance to join a superhero team – seems cribbed from Tom Holland’s winning take on Spider-Man. Miller’s cinematic Flash also does not compare favorably to Grant Gustin’s more rounded television counterpart. Thanks to 1970s cartoon corniness, Aquaman has existed in public imagination as a joke hero who talks to fish. Justice League actively engages (by having characters as if this is one of Arthur’s abilities) and deconstructs (by casting the muscular Momoa) this image. And yet, the veneer of leave-me-alone surliness is rather short-lived, giving way to a combat-happy sea bro, a still-goofy, if more imposing take on the character. While Hinds does a fine job with Steppenwolf’s voicework, the character is underwritten and not particularly interesting. He exists because the League needs a unifying threat to face, and the filmmakers (wisely) did not want to squander Darkseid right away in such a role.

A similarly lackadaisical approach can be found amid the film’s plotting. The stated reason for Steppenwolf’s return (Superman’s death has left the planet vulnerable) leads viewers to wonder what the would-be conqueror was doing when Kal was still an infant on Krypton. Speaking of Superman, his resurrection functions as the epitome of a non-surprise, easily predicted and only delayed to the extent that it was to prevent the film’s conflict from being resolved too easily. As a director, Snyder has a refined (if somewhat divisive) visual style; as a writer, he and collaborator Chris Terrio should leave the task to more capable hands.

Given these faults, it would be easy to write Justice League off as another cynical cash grab. After all, despite the huge budget, there is merchandising potential aplenty, the team-coming-together narrative leaves the door open for character crossovers in future DC films, and a post-credits scene foreshadows the next movie in DC’s shared universe. And yet, if that was all that Justice League was designed to do, it does more than it needs to. Some credible performances and a long-missing sense of restraint aren’t enough to wipe away the specter of failure but they do at least suggest that the higher-ups at Warner Bros. can learn from at least a few of their mistakes.

7.5/10