Zack Snyder’s second attempt to redeem the Justice League and unite some of DCs most beloved characters on screen wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for.
There is no doubt that this redemption for Snyder’s 2017 Justice League is far superior and executes more originality and cinematic visuals. Although, I am rarely left undecided on my feelings towards a movie and after sitting through four hours of the Justice League I am left almost unsatisfied.
Let’s discuss the pros, which for me, are few and far between. Firstly the casting is utter perfection, every character within this DC universe is perfectly represented by their actors and for me that really encourages my expectations for upcoming movies. The cast as a whole creates the illusion and completely look and feel as though they have jumped out of the comic books, I just wish their adventure was less predictable. I personally adore DC characters, significantly more than any Marvel character but I am constantly left feeling underwhelmed by their representation in cinema.
This motion picture felt cinematic and atmospheric, I could feel a huge influence from Christopher Nolan in the dark representation of characters and overall aesthetic. Favouring deep, evocative shadows, documentary-style lighting and almost a film noir style colour palette this movies aesthetic and overall personality felt a lot stronger than its actual portrayal of character or plot. In saying that, I did find that the character of Cyborg was given a fuller and in depth character journey, we got a chance to understand his character more by being given the details of his backstory, which personally I really appreciated and felt would have left a large hole in the picture without it being included.
Now, let’s discuss the cons, which there are plenty… I simply must address the overuse of slow motion. I felt as though this movie exceeded its use of slow motion by using it, what felt like, every couple of minutes. Personally, I find slow motion can become incredibly monotonous and repetitive. In saying that, when it is necessary for the narrative, i.e The Flash’s running scenes, it can add a great deal of drama to a scene but unfortunately it wasn’t isolated for The Flash so it became almost comical when a bullet would fly in slow motion, again and again and again.
Personally, this movie was lacking in comedy, although I understand that DC superhero’s have always been represented as the weightier roles that should be taken to a darker place, I felt as though the movie was taking itself too seriously. At the end of the day, this is a superhero movie, its fantasy and I really missed the insert of a light hearted joke here and there… and yes, many would argue that The Flash’s character was the comedic value in the film but I simply felt that his characteristics in comparison to the momentous Batman and Wonder Woman was idiotic and distracting, not funny.
The soundtrack, oh how disappointed I am by the soundtrack. Synder had the perfect opportunity to include some incredible pieces of music into this film to elevate the audiences excitement and wake them up. I felt like every time the team prepared for battle we were hit with some brilliant instrumental beats but it would cut away instantly, I felt like the brilliant pieces of music were simply filler for dialogue when all I wanted was the Justice League to actually fight to the music!
Overall, I am sorry to say I was not invested in this movie at all. I am a massive fan of The Justice League and this cast of sensational actors but the movie was a whole fell flat for me. I couldn’t wait for the film the end because it was trying far too hard to look visually pleasing rather than delivering in the substance of the film.
I would like to acknowledge my respect for Zack Snyder re-creating this movie in his own image and bringing us this incredible cast again but unfortunately this film had all the potential to be incredible and it simply brought me a sad comparison to The Avengers.
Also, If you are wondering why I didn’t mention Jared Leto’s Joker scene, stay tuned, I will be adding a blog post all about that very soon….
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