Fleeting moments of entertainment in ‘Justice League’ can’t make up for a poorly constructed storyline and a lack of chemistry between Affleck and Gadot.
Summary
Our tale picks up following the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) actively recruiting other individuals with abilities to form an alliance. Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) has joined Bruce in this endeavor as they both fear a greater enemy might be coming. They seek out Arthur Curry (Aquaman played by Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) in the hopes that this team of heroes can hold off any threat. However, when the enemy reveals himself to Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciarán Hinds) this proves to be too much for these five, and the one person who could help is deceased.
What Worked
Miller’s performance was one of the highlights in the film. His naive nature and continually being awestruck as he stood next to this band of heroes was at times entertaining.
Momoa stood out to me as well. He portrayed Aquaman with the perfect mix of bad ass and immaturity. At this point, Momoa’s character hasn’t ascended to the throne of Atlantis. However, he is set up to have quite a compelling storyline down the road.
Bringing in Danny Elfman was a great decision. He brought his unique sound to the film but still managed to mix in familiar scores like the one from Batman. Loved the upbeat tones he used anytime The Flash was using speed force.
What Didn’t Work
The way the writers brought back Superman was anti-climatic. His return should have been this memorable moment, but it ended up being forgettable.
The film’s narrative is a complete mess. Instead of being invested in who the villain is and the type of hell they wish to bring upon us all, it was another ho-hum moment. At times the film tended to skip from one story chunk to another without allowing the story to flow. Part of what made Wonder Woman so fantastic was how invested we were in Diana’s quest. A great story is one that builds and isn’t rushed.
Steppenwolf was a forgettable villain. Nothing memorable about him and this film needed a strong bad guy.
Why were Gotham and Metropolis bathed in dark colors? If there’s an uglier looking film in 2017, I would be surprised.
The use of slow motion during the fight sequence was way overused. Not every fight needs a slow-motion sequence.
There’s little chemistry between Affleck and Gadot in the film. Even during the film’s more heated moments, it appears they are going through the motions. While Gadot stole the show in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice it wasn’t in her interactions with Affleck which stood out.
Overall
While Justice League has moments where the film is entertaining, the poor writing and odd pacing of the film doomed the final product. If anyone in your family is a hardcore fan of DC comics, they might be willing to overlook these flaws. However, with the price of a movie ticket these days, investing in a film that’s this mediocre doesn’t seem to be a wise choice.
