Justice League

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a pretty mediocre film by any measure, yet it somehow manages to present a final product that is a step up from the last three films. I would give Justice League a 6/10.

There are several moments throughout this film that shows how well this functions as a superhero team film; moments where heroes quip alongside one another or come into some really well-orchestrated inner conflict. The cinematography used throughout the feature shows a very trained and expert eye; the attention to detail throughout this film means that as far as visual storytelling goes it's about perfect. The special effects are also some of the best I've seen for a superhero feature; slow-motion sequences, battle-torn landscapes and the manner in which super-strength is portrayed is quite impressive. The score for the film is very powerful, it stands out by setting its own unique tone and giving the feature a sense of grand scale.

Ben Affleck, who played Batman, really drives the narrative of this film quite well; Affleck balances the hard, cynical nature of Batman with the emerging hope for the future his role has developed. Gal Gadot, who played Wonder Woman, is really the strength of this film; Gadot immediately recaptures the tough edge of her role while also maintaining a caring heart towards her fellow teammates. Jeremy Irons, who played Alfred, somehow manages to outshine Affleck with his cynical persona and humour; Irons has a dry sense of humour throughout that often manage to steal the spotlight in the scenes he is in. J.K. Simmons, who played Commissioner Gordon, immediately forms a solid connection with Affleck that that makes their characters famous relationship immediately evident; I like Simmons' more grizzled Gordon, he enters the screen with a world of experience upon his shoulders.

However, the best performance came from Jason Momoa, who played Aquaman. This reluctant hero really succeeds at creating some interesting conflict within the team, in particular, his clashes with Affleck are interesting to see play out. Momoa brings forth a very transparent sense of indifference about the events within the film; yet, this character is clearly driven by a responsibility to defend his world. The sarcastic and offhand humour which Momoa often lands is a really nice fresh change of tone within the film; it's not a complete departure from what has been done so far but it's heartening to see such a well-crafted, unique character such as this.

This film is a lot of empty set up and information off-loading, as an audience member this is very much a film that likes to tell you about everything rather than let you experience it. The pacing of the film is slow and often leaps from one beat to one significantly different to the other. The film seems preoccupied with trying to justify fitting in so much backstory, worldbuilding, character introductions, references and mistakes that needed fixing from past films; that not a great deal of it comes together cohesively. Justice League places too much confidence in characters that have already been established to carry the film, while new characters or aspects aren't examined in great detail or given many opportunities to take the focus of the feature.

Henry Cavill, who played Superman, has played the role so differently over so many films now that he no longer seems consistent; Cavill is very roughly introduced into this film and once he does appear on the screen he comes across as little more than cheesy. Amy Adams, who played Lois Lane, seems to have really been stuck into the token love interest role; Adams' overly passionate speeches and dialogue exchanges feel very detached from anything an actual person would say. Ezra Miller, who played The Flash, very nearly tanks the whole film with his horrendous performance; Miller comes out with some of the dumbest lines which often feel out of character and really don't mesh with the tone of the film. Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, gives quite a monotonous depressing performance throughout; Fisher is a character more reminiscent of something from Batman V Superman rather than a superhero film that has energy and which an audience would actually like to watch. Diane Lane, who played Martha Kent, seems rather redundant at this point; Lane walks into scenes often looking as if she has little understanding of what purpose she has in the film. Connie Nielsen, who played Queen Hippolyta, still suffers from being too identical to the Amazonian 'characters' as a whole; Nielsen is in this film for a quick messy action scene and is immediately forgettable. Ciaran Hinds, who voiced Steppenwolf, is a pretty generic antagonist, to say the least; Hinds' bellows out a lot of exposition and empty one-liners without ever really defining or developing his role. Amber Heard, who played Mera, is introduced in this film in a manner that seems to indicate we should know this role already; Heard is dull and her sudden intense conflict with Momoa seems quite out of nowhere. Joe Morton, who played Silas Stone, is rather boring as yet another minor scientist character; furthermore, Morton's father/son relationship with Fisher is nothing we haven't seen before and is one of the weakest aspects of the film. Billy Crudup, who played Henry Allen, suffers from a weak father role similar to Morton's; Crudup doesn't have any chemistry with Miller and it's a shock that this pair were cast alongside one another at all.