NO SPOILERS: DC’s Justice League is good fun, if a bit vanilla and a waste of a good villain [Review]
Unless you haven't seen Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; then, yes, there is a major spoiler!
Ever since the death of Superman in Batman v Superman, the world has been under threat. (Everyone remembers Suicide Squad, right?) Now comes a powerful alien villain, Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds, aka Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones!), who no hero can take on alone. To face this foe, Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) gather an unlikely band of superheroes to form a team and save the world. Their new friends, some more reluctant to join the merry band than others, are The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher).
You’d think that's a pretty good premise for a superhero team up movie, but the story is not interesting, and it’s lacking the bombastic, larger-than-life drama you would expect from a gathering of the world’s greatest superheroes.
Steppenwolf is a waste of Hinds’ acting ability. While he gets plenty of screen time, he’s not memorable; except for maybe one good taunt, so you can’t even justify it with the cliche that the baddie has all the best lines. When the strength of a superhero movie is balanced by the strength of its villain, creating a boring baddie you’ll forget the moment you leave the cinema does not bode well.
At least the super team is good. There is a good amount of interplay with the heroes, each has their own unique personality and personal dramas, and each has their moment to shine. From The Flash’s inexperience with the whole superhero gig to Batman’s “I’m getting too old for this”, and Woman Woman’s struggle with love and loss, you really get to know these characters a bit more.
The action sequences are decent but not spectacular, with the superheroes’ fights overshadowed by the non-superpowered Amazons’ defence of their home, the hidden island of Themyscira, against Steppenwolf. Their battle proves that, sometimes, toning the superpower thing down a notch or two, and turning up the emotions, can make for great cinema. Their desperation and bravery in the face of an overwhelming force is more gripping, and rooting for the underdog is more engaging than seeing a superhero take a punch that won’t hurt.
Overall, Justice League is a good entertainment and worth your money, but there are better superhero flicks out there.
Edited by Heidi Yeung