The Just-Okay League: A look at the latest mediocre superhero movie

BY DARIAN SABLON

From the very beginning with the less than stellar release of “Man of Steel” in 2012, the DC Extended Universe has always been seen as the inferior counterpart to the more successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. With the outstanding reception of “Wonder Woman,” there seemed to be a chance for the critically failing franchise to exceed expectations with the long-awaited team up of some of the most well-known characters of comics in “Justice League.” While “Justice League” does not reach the highs that “Wonder Woman” did, it is a very entertaining watch for viewers despite its various flaws.

One of the best things in “Justice League” is its ensemble cast. Filled with both household names and lesser known heroes, most of the cast seem to be having a good time playing their characters, which can be seen in the excellent portrayal of their comic book counterparts. Such in the case of Jason Momoa as Aquaman, who gave viewers a different kind of Aquaman in comparison to the comics and proved to be enjoyable. The characters themselves are interesting, but how they interact with each other is probably the biggest thing “Justice League” has to its advantage. Audiences can really have fun watching all of the banter and teamwork between all the characters.

That being said, “Justice League” has many problems. The first thing viewers may notice is the almost neck-breaking pace of the movie. Things start happening so quickly and suddenly that some may feel that there was something missing between two scenes and be left confused. It is as if there were points A, B and C and the makers of “Justice League” decided to completely skip B and go from A to C with no explanation.

Related to the problem with pace is the plot, which feels very bare because of the fast speed and is also something overplayed, found in a slew of other superhero movies. This skeleton of a plot was most likely cobbled together in response to the common complaint of many DC movies that they are too convoluted. Instead of finding a nice medium, it seems that Warner Bros. decided to go in the complete opposite direction, failing again to deliver a good story in the process.

Another problem among the film’s pitfalls was its villain. Superhero movies have their fair share of bland villains, but the big bad Steppenwolf definitely comes close to the top of the list. The CGI was also incredibly bad in some parts, especially in one scene where it was painfully clear that there was a green screen behind one of the actors.

Yet despite all of its cracks, “Justice League” is a good watch thanks to its interesting heroes, who are somehow able to transcend the depths of movie inferno and bring “Justice League” to a watchable level. It is not advisable to run to the nearest theater or DVD store for “Justice League” but if it happens to be playing on the television, do not be in such a rush to change the channel, and give it a fair chance.

Photo courtesy of Justice League movie franchise[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]