Justice League
I’m sorry, but I’m just gonna come out and say it, Justice League is a wishy washy mess of a film that has some redeeming features but not enough to save it.
The story centers around a aging Batman – but not aging in a good way like Hugh Jackman’s Logan – who discovers that a great evil force is about to descend on earth and realises that he’s not up to the task so has to enlist the help of some people with gifts that he’s been tracking. The team includes a geeky socially awkward teen known as The Flash, a Cyborg with the personality of an old IBM, and of course Bruce Wayne’s two aces, Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
This motley crew must defeat a big bad monster with his army of swarming bugs, who has already defeated the Amazonians and the under water dudes. But hey, Batman et al, have to at least try to prevent the destruction of earth even if they are hopelessly out matched.
Cue lots of fight scenes where hundreds of bugs get swatted as do our heroes. Add some humour, including some brilliant one liners, and you basically have Justice League. Almost. But to say any more would be to jump into spoiler territory, and I’m not going to do this.
Wonder Woman and Aquaman are awesome, for totally different reasons, and both steal the show whenever they are on screen. But sadly a lackluster plot, wooden supporting characters and nothing outstanding in the set pieces mean that even they can’t save the league.
If DC want to compete with Marvel then they have to play to their strengths. Ben Affleck isn’t one of them, but a Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman sequel and and Aquaman origin story would be a step in the right direction.
And I don’t know who paid Rotten Tomatoes to hold off on hosting any reviews or posting an aggregate score, but I have a feeling that’s going to back fire on both the film and the site.
Rating: M Violence.
FILMGUIDE rating:
