Nov
22
6.42pm

HYSTY MOVIE HOUSE // Justice League


It’s been hard to love DC movies. The first three, Man Of Steel, Batman Vs Superman, and Suicide Squad, were long slogs showing very little worth. But Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman brought the hope Superman supposedly represented in the films. Now, it’s the moment all four films have been leading up to, with all of the heroes joining forces for Justice League. While better than first three films, Justice League proves a massive drop in quality from Wonder Woman.

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The world is still mourning the death of Superman. But a new threat in villain Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) appears in search of the Mother Boxes. Batman (Ben Affleck) sees to uniting a group of heroes to save the world, including Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). It’s very basic stuff, but it doesn’t stop director Zack Snyder going hard with unnecessary exposition, including one that looks a lot like it was taken from The Lord Of The Rings.

Underneath all of the layers of CGI and muck is an interesting film, but it only shows up in flashes (pun intended).

The film feels like a mash-up of two styles that don’t belong. We have the heavy style-over-substance of Snyder; his trademark slow-motion at weird moments (knocking over oranges doesn’t warrant it), dull colours, and empty metaphors (the oranges, again). But, there are attempts at substance by screenwriters Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon (who handled DC’s more successful rivals Marvel’s films) by putting in some humour. It’s still odd to see grimly serious characters try to land zingers—especially Affleck’s Batman, who comes across like PM Malcolm Turnbull rapping [shudders]—but it works for some characters.

Gadot’s Wonder Woman is still the standout character of the franchise. Miller’s The Flash channels the awkward charm of Seth Cohen from The OC to hilarious effect (Fun fact: Adam Brody was in line to play The Flash in the 2000s). Momoa’s Aquaman oozes rock star cool, making hopes high for his upcoming solo-outing. Even Cavill’s Superman has more charm than before. But Affleck, Fisher, and Hinds all may as well have played Cyborg due to their lifeless and robotic acting.

Underneath all of the layers of CGI and muck is an interesting film, but it only shows up in flashes (pun intended), like when the heroes interact with each other. It’s a shame the quality dropped off after Wonder Woman proved DC can do good films. Justice League is still a massive improvement on the opening trilogy. Now all these great characters need is a good story.

RATING: 5/10

Justice League is in cinemas now.

DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder
PRODUCER: Warner Bros. Pictures
CAST: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa
STICK THIS NEXT TO: Man Of Steel, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman





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