Justice League Review

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Batman vs Superman is a film that receives a lot of flack. It's reviews were pretty low with critics but a lot of audiences liked it. I for one thought Ben Affleck was excellent as an angry Batman and gave us a very different and brooding take on the character. Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot as well shined for me in that movie. Yes it was dark and a miserable affair but it was a much different take to what we get with MCU movies. Then Justice League hit cinemas and for me that was so much worse. They tried to brighten the film up and it didn't work both visually and comedically. The CGI was a mess and the film as a whole felt underdeveloped and poorly written. Then a lot came out about the Snyder cut in comparison to the Whedon cut we actually got to see. After watching that first movie I did wonder how different it could be from the first film and after watching I can say for sure that it feels like a completely different movie.


Granted it has been a while since I watched the original Justice League. It was one of those movies that I felt I had to see and after watching I had no interest in revisiting it. This movie though despite its extremely long length is something I would revisit. Although I definitely wouldn’t watch it in almost one sitting. 4 hours is ridiculous for any type of film and despite the improvement here I still don’t think a 4 hour run time is going to catch on. That being said the movie is broken into parts. Like literal parts where the movie announces its a new part rather than us having to decipher it. If I am to say one thing watch it in parts so you can make sure you’re fully invested. If I wasn’t writing this I may have lost some attention during that runtime but the film does keep you intrigued regardless.

As much as I enjoy the MCU it is refreshing to get a more gritty adult take on superhero movies. Thus far you could say the DC franchise has been even more wildly inconsistent than Fox's X-Men. This though for me is DC's best movie yet and good alternative to people tired of Marvels approach to their films. Batman vs Superman was too dark, Justice League round one was a hot steaming mess but this version just had a clear vision of a man who has been in control since the beginning that really helped this movie flow and gave us a comic book movie involving these legendary characters we deserve!


Zack Snyder's Justice League is definitely a movie to be watched at home. If this film was released in cinemas you would lose your head. 4 hours in a cinema is a long time. At home though you can have your breaks and pause. The movie is broken down into those 6 parts and a epilogue as I mentioned. Each part tells clear and key elements of the story and each has a ton of highlights that make them worth your time watching and enable the narrative to flow better. Could some scenes be cut down a little without losing key parts of the story? Without doubt they could have, but the story and characters really benefit from the extended run time.

Marvel when they brought us the first Avengers movie had given all of our key heroes individual run outs beforehand which established them as characters and gave us their backstories. In Justice League only Superman and Wonder Woman had stand alone films before it's release and Batman shared his movie with Superman. Aquaman (has since had a movie released about him), Flash and Cyborg had to have their backstories developed. In the original not enough time was given to them and they became poor under developed characters as a result. Justice League 2 really gives us the chance to learn more about them and wow does it make a difference. Cyborg in particular goes from a absolutely nothing character to maybe the key of the film. They all benefit from this extended run time and that helps this version of the movie massively.


As I touched on the improvements in characters is absolutely massive. Cyborg is so much more fleshed out and in a film with so many star names Ray Fisher really does shine in the role this time out. Ezra Miller as well is excellent for me as the Flash. In the first movie he was the comic relief and that comic relief really didn't work. This time out he is still there for some comedic moments/ most of the ones in the film but his character has more depth and heart to him. This movie really realised that building characters makes the story better and this was one of the key reasons for such a massive improvement. Also a random thought but does anyone else get Justin Long vibes from Miller?! The two seem so similar in their acting style and look especially in this movie.


With all these positives there are a couple of negatives. The CGI at the beginning of the film is a bit clunky but you can tell with the rework it does improve as the film goes along. The villains, as seems to be the case with a lot of super hero movies in general are disappointing Steppenwolf is basically a powerful lackie who you feel isn't the major threat. Darkseid is that threat but his involvement and development is minimal although his CGI look is awesome. I do feel like they are building this movie for future instalments and maybe that's why our villains don't get better development but this is the case in most super hero franchises. My other gripe is with the end battle. The amount of CGI in super hero films these days are ridiculous. It is one nondescript CGI battle after another and that for me is something that is letting the industry down as whole.

Snyder's version of the Justice League just has a vision to it that the previous movie didn't. You could tell this was a man in full control and confidence in his story telling. It really did show and it made the film so much more cohesive and easier to follow. It's just a lot more enjoyable and a film well worthy of really kickstarting Warner Brother's DC Universe. It's been quite stop start with the films and their critical success but this one and the hype around it will hopefully change that. One thing I will also add is I love Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne. I feel he is just suited to the role perfectly. This older and more bitter version is something I can really get behind and I would love to see him reprise it in the future even though that now seems unlikely as can be.


The ending of the film as well literally blew my mind. It set the franchise up for further instalments so nicely. The storyline it teased could well be one of the best seen on screen for a Super Hero movie. Will it happen?! I'm not too sure really what the future has in store for this franchise but the potential is there for one hell of a movie if they can follow through on the tease and trust Snyder to guide them to that movie. Will it be another 4 hour spectacle? I really doubt it but it would be a compelling story if they want to tell it.

Is it one of the best comic book films ever made? For me it probably doesn't match up to some of the others we've seen over the years. The Dark Knight will always be my favourite and despite this being a really good film it's not in that type of category. As I said though it is the best thing DC has done to date with this Universe in my eyes just not touching the elite categories of comic movies just yet. Thank god it was released though and washed the awful taste of the original Justice League out of our mouths.


Zack Snyder's Justice League is summed up in a conversation The Flash has with Batman. Flash says "We actually have a plan" and Batman agrees and goes "Yes, we have a plan". That's this version of the Justice League. A plan coming together.

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“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
No way I’m spending another 4 hours watching a movie I kinda already saw. If you’re on HoboMax, you should be watching Beartown anyways.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!


this was much better. And that creepy opening where batman catches a demon thing with super crappy cgi just doesn't exist here. That alone is worth the time of investment.