By the Entertainment Editorial Team

CONFESSION:  Being a self-admitted comic book/universe foreigner, I didn’t know there were multiple universes in the comic book world.  I didn’t know who Iron Man was until the movie came out.  I still haven’t finished watching the last 60% of Captain America because I can’t stop falling asleep when it’s on.  I likely won’t purchase Batman v. Superman on DVD but will likely stop to watch it on TV.  I didn’t know that these superhero movies either belonged to Marvel or DC and that they were 2 very separate entities.  Stan Lee and Jim Lee was one person and I was just confusing the first name of the same individual, so imagine my surprise when I learned Stan Lee wasn’t Asian.  I am as neutral as a movie-goer can get.  It is through these movies that I feel I have been receiving a firsthand education on comic book universes and all of its characters.

As a non-partisan movie goer who has thoroughly enjoyed both Marvel and DC movies, this movie gets 4 out of 5 stars. 

Here’s why:

1)      It’s not Batman v. Superman.
2)     It’s a DC movie and compared to other DC movies, this one did a lot better than Batman v. Superman (BvS) but not as strongly as Wonder Woman.  If wonder Woman is 5 stars, this one is a solid 3.75.  This isn’t a Marvel movie and it never will be.  People so desperately want to compare these two franchises.  The only common denominator is that they are about comic book superheroes.  People have to realize they are comparing apples and oranges. Yes, both can be categorized as fruits but the fact is some people prefer apples and some prefer oranges.  It doesn’t make sense to say an apple is any better than an orange.  They’re not the same thing! DC movies should be compared to other DC movies.  Marvel movies should be compared to other Marvel movies.
3)      Stylistically, DC has chosen to take a risk by setting a very different visual tone completely separate from what Marvel has been producing. Stating the obvious, Zach Snyder has opted for the dark and gloomy visual blue, some like the artistic change, and many despise it.   But props to DC for taking a creative risk and trying something different, new, and edgy.  This tone and visual concept would perhaps work well for a Batman movie but it doesn’t seem to jive well with the other standalone movies.  And we know that now.
4)      I grew up watching Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.   There is a deep connection that I can’t deny and watching a live action movie with all of these characters coming together is pretty damn epic in it of itself. 

Due Diligence Before the Movie:

A good amount of the reviews leading up to the release of the movie were harsh and unnecessarily negative, written suspiciously with the transparent intent to drive you away from going to theaters.  Had those reviews been about Batman v. Superman, it could have been a fair assessment.  But, truth be told, this movie was a step in the right direction from the debacle that was BvS but the critics were not even going to give it a chance.  After reading all the negative reviews, I felt the critics:

a)       Were not credible enough to write a review on this genre of film.  I have come to realize that in order for any movie critic to do true justice in their reviews, they should have solid background knowledge on both Marvel and DC characters and the comic book storylines in order to accurately assess this film;
b)      Were likely monetarily encouraged by Marvel/Disney to write such grossly negative reviews which transparently came across as a direct attack in order to upsell Thor Ragnarok (Look, if Trump is being investigated for colluding with Russia to win the Presidential election, I’m not gonna NOT consider this);
c)       Didn’t actually watch the movie in its entirety, likely watched the trailers, surmised on how it would be based off of their last viewing of Bv.S and wrote a dismissive piece to meet a fast approaching deadline;
d)      Didn’t give me a valid reason why the movie sucked.  All the reviews talked about how much they thought the movie sucked but didn’t give a substantive reason as to why.  Did Wonder Woman’s character not consistently carry over from her standalone movie to this ensemble cast?  Was Ezra Miller a horrible Flash in comparison to Grant Gustin’s version on the TV series audiences have come to love?  Did they introduce Cyborg at all? Is Jason Momoa just a sexy face? Was Amy Adams still not a believable Lois Lane? Did they stay true to the comic book storyline?  If not, how much of it was different?! What was changed?

All of these suspicions were further amplified after reading audience feedback through various social media platforms, especially Twitter.  People actually loved it.  I didn’t think it was as bad as the reviews and the critics had expressed. 

And now... the movie: 

There are a lot of ass shots in this film.  It’s hard to miss because there are close up shots, shots that pan up with the ass in focus, and action shots with the ass dead center.  It’s pretty clear that these actors worked out hard core and the cameras were not going to miss a beat. 

The movie begins as a continuation from BvS.  With the death of the Kryptonian, who stood as a bright symbol of hope,  the world begins to enter a dark path of chaos and imminent fear and allows Batman to come to his own realization on how much the world needs Superman.

In the meanwhile, the evil villain, a heavily CG’d Steppenwolf, is born through the broken hopes and growing fears of the world and is on a mission to obtain 3 boxes that consolidate to form the Unity.  The Unity turns the Earth into an Apocalyptic birthplace much like where Steppenwolf originated from.  A quick segment is dedicated to explaining the history of Steppenwolf and the boxes with a great inclusion of other DC characters.  As Steppenwolf pursues the three boxes, Batman enlists the help of Wonder Woman to band together a group of superheroes to obviously save the world. 

One of the best scenes takes place on the island of Thymiscara where the Amazonians fight Steppenwolf in order to protect one of the three boxes that was entrusted to them.  The fight scenes were vibrantly shot and lyrically choreographed.  The visuals were outstanding.  Everything we loved about female empowerment in Wonder Woman’s movie is certainly not absent in these scenes and even further highlighted during the start of the battle. 

Wonder Woman successfully carries over everything we loved about her from her movie to this one.  Gal Gadot stayed consistent and true to the very essence of Wonder Woman and kicked some major ass, again.  Her action scenes were some of the best fight scenes in the movie and she carried her own in a male dominated group.  At times, she stepped up as a true leader, especially when Batman seemed to show cracks of vulnerability. The story line did a great job revealing how her character has grown since her last battle with Aries.  In Justice League, we are seeing a much more mature Diana Prince, one who is not so naïve but determined to continue righting all wrongs and seeking justice.  For the fashionably conscious audience members, Diana Prince’s civilian style was one of modern sophistication and stunning class with a slight edge, which can be credited to the talents of Michael Wilkinson, who created one of a kind individual looks for Gal Gadot’s character in this movie.  We will gladly play dress up in Diana Prince’s closet any day!

Wilkinson’s personal favorite superhero is none other than, Aquaman.  So it’s no surprise that Wilkinson would be responsible for turning Jason Momoa into the King of the Seven Seas.  His starting point?  Momoa’s forearm tattoo which stands as a tribute to his family crest.  It would inspire the whole body tattoo for Aquaman’s new look, a complete departure from the visuals we’ve come to recognize from the comic book versions of the character.  Momoa infuses his character with a brusque alpha male quality that works naturally for the role and definitely holds his own against the other superheros in the group.  His introduction as a rough around the edges, no bullshit, badass character isn’t too far from who we think Momoa is as a person.  Justice League gave us a great introduction to Aquaman and left enough of an impression to leave the audience curious about how Director James Wan will deliver the Aquaman movie scheduled to be released in late 2018. 

The movie also introduced Ezra Miller’s Flash and Rey Fisher’s Cyborg.  There was no deep dive into these characters’ background stories.  It provided a mere introduction, which whenever they each receive their own standalone movies. 

If you can ignore Miller’s running style, Flash did not disappoint.  I was skeptical when I heard they had cast Miller for the role and felt it was a grave left turn from the favorited Grant Gustin’s version of Flash from the TV show.  But Miller stepped up and brought new life into this character that was surprisingly refreshing.  His excitement to be a part of the team is infectious and youthful.  It worked extremely well with the dynamic of the other characters who were portrayed in a more serious tone.  The contrast helped highlight Miller’s role as comic relief with a graceful naivete. 

Fisher’s Cyborg was Shakespearean in vocal tone and manner.  He provided a very poised and well-articulated character coming to grips with his new mechanical body.  For those who are familiar with Cyborg from the Teen Titans cartoon show, this might be a bit too mature of a visual to get used to.  What was absent here in this film, which one could hope will be deeply analyzed in the his standalone movie, is the background story about his football career and how he became a cyborg, which was the result of an attempt to save his life by his scientist father. 

Ben Affleck is Batman.  He looked like he was getting older and his costume was a tad oversized for his actual body frame.  Even some of his lines indicate he is slowing down.  Batman shows a sense of vulnerability and learns the importance of team work.  However, completely missing from this Batman was his resolve in finding the strength to carry on.  This movie took away Batman, the superhero, and made him look like a regular dude in a Halloween suit who can’t do anything right without the help of others.  He was just there in the background.  They took Batman away from Batman and lost sight of the character.  The one redeeming quality is that Batman’s ability to realize that he himself is not enough and that the world needs hope is what helps the movie segue into the surprise of resurrecting Superman.

That’s right, once again, the audience members get another opportunity to feast their eyes on Henry Cavill’s abs of steel Man of Steel, come back to life, that is if you can forgive his heavily and horribly CG’d face.  The one thing this movie got  right that was amiss in the Man of Steel is that they gave a nod to the classic Superman.  His ability to have a sense of humor while fighting his foes is one of his endearing qualities and it is desirably present and welcomed in this movie.  For the first time in a long time, we get a Superman we recognize and have come to love.  This alone helped to make this movie significantly better. 

Amy Adams reprises her role as Lois Lane.  We love Amy Adams and recognize her amazing acting abilities but we would be lying if we told you that we didn’t notice the lack of chemistry between her Lois Lane and Cavill’s Clark Kent in Man of Steel, B v. S, and now Justice League.  Cavill has more chemistry with Diane Lane’s Ma Kent.  However, the importance of Lois Lane’s presence in this film cannot be overlooked as she serves as the key to Superman’s true comeback. 

DC did an amazing job of casting a well rounded group of actors to play these beloved superheroes and epically brought them together as a team to save the world so that the director could take a few amazing ass shots.  With some wise ass lines to lighten up the mood and make the audience laugh coupled with a remake of one of the Beatles’ classic songs, it is a fun movie.  It will make you laugh and cry… and then maybe hit the gym once you realize those butts are not CG’d. 

Justice League comes out on Blue-Ray and DVD on March 13, 2018. 

Let us know in the comments section below what you thought of Justice League.