Justice League (2017) - SPOILER-FREE Review
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Directed by: Joss Whedon, Zack Snyder
Written by: Chris Terrio, Joss Whedon
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons, Ciarán Hinds
Runtime: 119 min
Synopsis: Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) enlists newfound ally Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to face an even greater threat. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to recruit a team to stand against this newly awakened enemy. Despite the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes - Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) - it may be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Everyone knows about the story behind the production of this film, right? TL;DR Zack Snyder was the original director and got to shoot most of the movie, but a tragic family issue made him step off the project. Enter Joss Whedon, the new director who reportedly changed much of what was originally intended through reshoots and re-edits, delivering a less than two-hour superhero flick as demanded by the studio. At the time, my expectations were extremely low, not only due to its complicated production phase but also due to the DCEU’s filmography until that point. Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman were the films that preceded the get-together of Justice League.
Ignoring my opinion on each film, my biggest fear walking into this movie was the fact that only two members of the team had an origin film (Superman, Wonder Woman) while Batman shared the spotlight with the two previous heroes in BvS. So, how would they introduce three new superheroes and get them all together as a team to fight an unknown villain in under two hours efficiently? Well, I didn’t know the answer, and after rewatching this movie for the second time, it’s clear both Whedon and Snyder had an impossible task. People quickly jump to comparisons, and it’s easy to look at Marvel’s own cinematic universe after its undeniable commercial success and call it “the best formula”. However, I defend that there’s no good or bad method.
Even with an origin film for almost every major superhero, The Avengers has approximately a two-hour-and-thirty-minute runtime. This proves that it doesn’t really matter how much screentime the characters already have, there’s still a necessity of creating a story that efficiently and logically brings them all together to fight a common enemy. Justice League was doomed from the moment the studio mandated that runtime restriction, independently of its production issues and crew changes. Snyder, Whedon, or any other filmmaker would struggle to deliver a movie that could reach the fandom’s incredibly high expectations. Despite all of its unquestionable flaws, I still find this film decent enough.
Cast-wise, DC is proving to be as impeccable in its choices as Marvel or any other studio with massive franchises. From my second favorite Batman actor of all-time to the absolutely perfect casting of Wonder Woman, the newcomers are more than worthy of belonging to this fantastic universe of characters. Ezra Miller brings a quirky personality to Barry Allen / The Flash that really humors me. Jason Momoa might have changed the world’s opinion on Arthur Curry / Aquaman by delivering a cool, badass performance that will end many jokes about the supposedly useless superhero (everyone has seen the countless memes throughout the last decades). Finally, even though Ray Fisher seems to be a good actor, the fact that Victor Stone / Cyborg is 95% CGI doesn’t help his display.
However, the predictable issue with the screenplay comes true, negatively affecting these new characters. The first act features extremely rushed introductions to the heroes, cutting from one place to another with no flow or rhythm. It almost feels like six different character trailers randomly mixed together with no connection between each setup. In addition to this, Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) and his cliche motivation related to the pursuit of three MacGuffins are as lazy, unexciting, and generic as it could be. By far, the worst aspect of the entire movie. From the horribly non-menacing, amateur design to the awfully cliche development, Steppenwolf will go down as one of the worst villains ever seen in a superhero film.
Changing to the good side, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot share quite a few compelling dialogues that I actually wish I could have seen more of their characters’ reluctant yet strong friendship. A bit more of Batman comes through to the audience, but there’s still a lot to uncover from this version of The Dark Knight. However, it’s in the action sequences these characters shine, which leads me to the only compliment I can offer Steppenwolf: it works well enough as the entertaining punching bag of the Justice League. Contrary to their introductions, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash all have key moments during the action-packed third act, working together as the team of superheroes the world so desperately needs.
Batman planning everything, Wonder Woman leading with heart, and the new metahumans showing their skills make the last thirty minutes partially compensate for the rapid-fire first hour. However, it’s Superman - trailers and posters showed him, so this is definitely not a spoiler - who steals the show. I find Henry Cavill a great casting choice for Clark Kent, but the previous movies didn’t let both the character and the actor reach their respective potential. Justice League holds a surprising, outstanding moment in Superman’s return to action, making me genuinely wish for his sequences rather than the rest of the heroes. Finally, something exciting about The Last Son of Krypton (yes, the digitally-removed mustache still stands out, but it’s such an irrelevant nitpick)!
Technically, the costumes look great, though they’re toned down by the murky aesthetic. For example, Wonder Woman’s suit popped off the screen in Patty Jenkins’ colorful film, but in this one, all costumes seem to lack glow. On the other hand, Gotham looks fantastic in that dark atmosphere, and the final battle emphasizes a red filter that surprisingly works quite well. The action sequences are mostly easy to follow, even though CGI often overwhelms the screen, but I can’t deny that some scenes really left me astounded. The editing team (David Brenner, Richard Pearson, Martin Walsh) obviously had struggles with so many reshoots and modifications, but overall, Whedon was able to put together a relatively coherent movie story-wise.
Final Thoughts
Justice League remains surprisingly decent, even after all these years. Despite its massive production issues and the studio’s mandate for a runtime shorter than two hours - dooming the film even when Zack Snyder was still at the helm - Joss Whedon still manages to deliver a reasonable superhero flick. Every actor offers excellent performances, namely Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot, but the negative expectations regarding the lack of screentime to introduce and develop unknown heroes come to fruition. Whedon and Chris Terrio couldn’t do better than an extremely rushed first act, skipping from a new character onto the next one with no connection between storylines or even consecutive scenes. In addition to this, from his awful design to his generic evil intents, Steppenwolf is undoubtedly one of the worst villains ever put to screen. The action-heavy third act features enough entertainment to compensate for some other minor issues with the screenplay, delivering outstanding sequences worthy of a much better movie. In the end, I hope that the upcoming Snyder Cut brings a lot more of the captivating character interactions that elevated this film, but without the restraints of studio orders.
