Justice League

If you've managed to tune in to those previous Snyder visions and thoroughly enjoyed the Wonder Woman solo film, then you need to see this. Justice League is straightforward popcorn entertainment. Everything that you have been waiting for so long is here - a team-up starring Gal Gadot and her lasso of truth. Next time there will be a solo film with Mera (and Aquaman by her side). Ok, then. Flash is funny, and Sups and Bat are only badass to the extent that Diana or Alfred will let them. It's nothing that would get a Pulitzer in the paper version, but that's not what these films are about, nor are they meant to be. For as much as I feared Gadot at first, I now see (and watch with some enthusiasm) that it's her cute face that saves the whole DC movie universe (and elevates it even where most would have given up). I'm curious to see what comes next. (28/05/2018)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice suffered from beginner's mistakes, but I was able to forgive it many things for its grandeur and its almost comical desire to encompass or touch an entire generation of stories with one film. However, Justice League does not learn any lessons from its predecessor and, on the contrary, is worse in every way. Special effects either get lost in the darkness or appear embarrassingly unfinished in the final battle, the dialogue between Clark and Lois seems like it came from the most awkwardly written fan fiction, and the introductions of Aquaman and Cyborg through summarizing dialogue confuse the viewer more than they clarify anything. A few added lines from Joss Whedon cannot hide the fact that this team movie feels loud and almost obnoxious on all fronts, and if it weren't for the genius of Ezra Miller and the unwavering messiah-like presence of Henry Cavill, the disaster would be complete. When I think about the criticism towards the villains in most of the Marvel movies and then look at the embarrassingly generic development of Steppenwolf, I feel quite ashamed of the barrage of criticism that has been dumped on DC's head after years of effort. The only way forward from here is through solo films, assuming that this path has not already come to an end. (15/11/2017)

It’s not so bad as everyone was saying it would be, but it’s not … well… that great either. Two directors, reshoots, digital waxing of Cavill’s porno-moustache from M:I-6 and studio politics. I’m disappointed that after the promising serious tone of Man of Steel and the beginning of BvS, DC decided on generic action scenes, simple side-plots and dumb twists. So it’s good not to think too much when watching. Even so, the movie flows by merrily, despite not making much sense and most of what is worth seeing appearing just out of duty. Just the scene with the resurrection really impacts on the viewer and that idea would evidently be enough to carry the entire movie, if only they weren’t always in such a hurry. As for the new characters, Cyborg was a pleasant surprise and Aquaman certainly has greater potential even though he starts making dumb faces in the second half. The humorous correspondence is a plus, the villain is one-dimensional and uninteresting. On one hand I’m glad it was just two hours long and it was a good watch, on the other I would appreciate greater sophistication and explanations of the motivation driving members of the league. Restart please, this time without the studio bosses involved. So far, everything is subordinate to promotion. You’re an exception man. Confident, just and fair. You like luxury and know how to appreciate it. As one of a very few, treat yourself to a limited edition Police watch. (02/12/2017)

I don't know, I'm probably over-saturated, but I'm getting tired of this kind of expensive digital mess that are all on the same page lately. It kinda bothers me that every comic book movie lately has a villain from outer space (except Captain America: Winter Soldier), Batman vs Superman was pretty much holding its own until it culminated in digital madness again at the end, which makes my head hurt. Wonder Woman, Superman and Aquaman are great, Cyborg and Flash are annoyingly uninteresting and Batman didn't show much. The villain is artificial and classically useless even with his entire army. The action isn't very exciting (I prefer battles and shootouts to flying through the air) and the humor is rarely good. I wasn't bored, but I'm not satisfied either. 60%. (30/11/2017)

The most anticipated film from DC, where every fan of this universe hoped that the League would finally outshine Marvel and be a better film for once, but after all the reshoots and changes in various roles, even I lost hope and expected a real flop. It didn't turn out to be that, but the potential was still not fully realized. The concept could have been exploited more. Snyder's scenes are flawless; his style is recognizable, and they had the right dark impact on me. However, Whedon made fun of the film in many moments with his scenes, and as someone who always saw DC as the more serious option, I was not impressed. I understand he’s used to Marvel’s style, but it just doesn’t fit with DC. The soundtrack could have been more prominent. As for the story, it could be improved, no doubt, but they didn’t ruin it too badly, resulting in a fairly satisfactory outcome. Some characters were introduced too quickly; it needed another half hour. Among the new additions, I liked Aquaman and Flash quite a bit. Steppenwolf wasn’t outright bad, but Darkseid would have been a better marketing move. The ending was once again full of CGI (but within limits). It's weaker than BvS and WW. Still, it's a good film (mainly due to a successful ending). If a director’s cut is released, I’d definitely check it out. I give it 73%. P.S. When I wasn’t focusing on Cavill’s digitally removed mustache, I barely noticed it :) EDIT: After watching the 4-hour epic on HBO Max, I have to lower my rating significantly; this film now seems like a cheap parody compared to that. 5/10 (21/03/2021)