When the dusts of Superman's death settle, all that's left are debris of a world haplessly attempting to rebuild its own Kryptonite. But the cameras have panned for countless reminders of his demise throughout the DC Extended Universe that remembrance is already beaten to death. Not even the Justice League could resurrect the supposed sympathy that is buried in heaps of newspapers glorifying the fallen Kryptonian. The DC executives, however, do not realize that their weakness is painstakingly re-piling scenes that viewers have seen before; even sequences that appeared in Marvel's "The Avengers." It's as if they are paying Zack Snyder to copy and paste the Kryptonite because even Supes could recover eventually from superhero fatigue.
About 10 minutes into the film, Wonder Woman steamrolls a gang of baddies that terrorized an art gallery. After she stopped the bullets from drizzling through the hostages, the gang's leader quips, "I don't believe it. What are you?" Wonder Womans retorts, "A believer." Summing up "Justice League" as logic was deflected out the window early in the film like how Wonder Woman tossed a bomb through the roof.
The movie wastes no time assembling the heroes though - Bruce Wayne quickly cajoles Aquaman and The Flash into joining his team. While Barry Allen is fast to enlist, Cyborg isn't - taking majestic minutes of the film brooding about his come abouts. He is the segment of the viewers that ponder hopping on the DCEU bandwagon due to their instilled trust issues with the polarizing movies it has released so far. Regardless, the "Justice League" wagon is still loaded with hopefuls like Cyborg.
Though a breath of fresh air in the film's dark choking aura is Ezra Miller. His take on Barren Allen might be the formulaic comic relief, yet his swift banters are exciting, funny, and enjoyable even at par with his rapid super power. Blink and you'll miss The Flash, but get a split second of his gags like whiplash. It is worth the ride even if the cheap laughs do not justify the hefty price tag the audiences paid.
Director Snyder does his best to craft a better DCEU film this time and he does. It does not mean it is great though. Only because "Justice League" stands out does not render it outstanding. The movie's opening sequence is a tried and tested slow dance of Snyder's auteurist montage - complete with the starting sound track and retelling of the superhero's past. It is his stamp on his work, still, the audiences need to see new materials. Since the DCEU is sampling products from Marvel, they may want to hire indie directors to inject fresh adrenaline onto its universe's stale bloodstream.
It can refuel the flow and flawlessly tether the sequences because the editing in 'Justice League' is scattered to embers as when Doomsday left the previous installment in his wake. The movie's pacing is convuluted due to the overly speedy shift into next scenes that it is difficult to digest each as another begins, then suddenly, the viewer is lost trying to retrace the tracks of the plot. Luckily, Barry Allen is on the good side of the film using his humor to pick its odd seams off and explain the chaos around it and the cinema.
"Justice League" boasts an eye candy of action sequences and visual effects which can enthrall audiences into shifting their paradigm. Just when the film is spiraling into the abyss even deeper than Atlantis, it resurges to spellbind fans to viewing that it has now built a league worthy of fighting an alien horde from other cinematic universes. Bring on the Parademons!
Whilst the holes in its cape, the film is in a league of its own. Nothing else shall want to reach its unjustifiable bar. Viewers are craving for the DCEU's vindication. The true justice will be served when the sequel arrives. Hopefully it will be a great installment. Until then, justice is denied.
Director: Zack Snyder
*Trailer © Warner Bros. Pictures; YouTube.com
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