An Arguing With Myself Review: Justice League

December 27, 2017 Author: Chris Frodel

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), to face an even greater enemy. Together, they work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this league of heroes, consisting of Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and The Flash (Ezra Miller), it may already be too late..

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. That can be applied to the films of DC. As I’ve made mention in previous write-ups and on my guest spot on the Pint O’ Comics Podcast, I wasn’t a huge DC Comics reader. I am familiar with the characters and their histories, though, for the most part. I know who they are at their core. Heck, you’ve seen plenty of iterations of at least two of the “Leaguers”. So, why can’t I get on board with the rest of the moviegoers that love (too strong? Maybe “like”?) these films? Maybe there’s something wrong with me?

No! There’s nothing wrong with me. For as long as heroes have worn capes, there’s no excuse for poor writing and execution of these films. There’s a scene where Aquaman picks apart his team one-by-one in the most basic form. That’s how these scripts should be viewed. It doesn’t need to be complicated. Yet, time and again, the creators of this content lose sight of their basic idea. Learn from past mistakes.
I know, I know, you’re reading this and assuming I hated Justice League. Well, I didn’t. I’m always on the defense of why something doesn’t work for me. It’s just reflex. Plus, had I just come out and told you how I felt, you would’ve glossed over my review, entirely.

Justice League is not without its flaws. One major issue is the overuse of CGI (“scrub-gate” was the least of my issues). There was a sequence or two that I could swear didn’t have a single “real” actor on screen. And that isn’t including the big baddie, Steppenwolf. As predicted, well before my viewing, I said the highlights would be Batman, The Flash and Wonder Woman, which they were. What I didn’t expect, was liking Aquaman and Cyborg. Before I thought one was a soulless half-man-half-humanoid that gave a stiff robotic performance…and the other was Cyborg.

I was entertained, for the most part, with what Justice League accomplished. I’d say it’s the third best amongst the recent DC releases. Positioned behind Wonder Woman and Suicide Squad, respectively.
DC and Warner Bros. need to get their house in order, which I hear they’re doing. But it goes beyond firing and relocating departments. You need a Kathleen Kennedy, a Kevin Feige or one singular visionary to move forward. Until then, DC will continue to stumble their way to mediocrity…and I’ll end up reviewing it. Naturally.

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