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| (Image Source: Collider.com) |
To recap the critical history of DC’s
Extended Universe; Man of Steel was polarizing, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
bombed like a nuclear missile, as did Suicide
Squad, and Wonder Woman managed
to… somewhat redeem this dying cinematic universe. Did Justice League manage to
replicate the success of its predecessor, or was it a massive, poorly-paced
mess like Dawn of Justice? In my
opinion, I can honestly say both “yes” and “no” to these questions.
To begin, I can confidently say Justice League was a MASSIVE improvement
over Zack Snyder’s previous film in the DCEU, which was Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The pacing is definitely an
improvement, and does not drag out like the latter film (which was even worse
in the extended cut, despite the story improvements). There is also a smaller
amount of plot holes, which was another major problem I had with Dawn of Justice. However, with that
being said; there were still some minor story flaws that I need to address.
First, while the pacing was an improvement, I feel like certain events moved rather
quickly. Some moments in the story moved by so fast, I did not have a good
amount of time to take them in. The overall tone was also improved to be more
digestible to moviegoers, thanks to the involvement of Joss Whedon. While the
tone was lighter than its predecessor, it was also very inconsistent (maybe
because of the polarizing styles of the two directors). Some moments would be
dark and brooding, while some would be goofy and lighthearted. It can be
inferred the darker scenes were filmed under Snyder’s direction, while the
lighter scenes were filmed under Whedon. The latter type of scenes felt more in
line with the previous DCEU film, Wonder
Woman (you may want to take notes from this movie, Snyder). Adding to that
statement, Zack Snyder still does not understand how to write certain
characters aside from Batman. Whedon thankfully understands and successfully
manages to make each character as accurate to the source material as possible,
while also fitting the world the film is set in.
I praise Joss Whedon more than Zack
Snyder for finally getting the characters right! Unlike in Dawn of Justice and Man of
Steel, Superman finally acts like more positively (instead of acting like
an emo teenager). Batman was also adjusted to be more like his comic
counterpart, instead of the brooding extremist from the previous film. However,
what irked me this time was him being a tad insensitive towards his comrades,
especially Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. Speaking of which, I loved the
interactions between the two, and felt it was similar to their animated
counterparts from the Justice League cartoon.
I believe this could hint at a budding relationship between the two characters,
as I can tell they have feelings for each other. If I had to choose one
character to be the movie’s “breakout”, it would definitely have to be Ezra
Miller’s Barry Allen/Flash. This version of Barry was hilarious, keeping me
laughing almost every moment he was onscreen, and I love how Justice League acts as the starting
point for his development. However, while I do enjoy his personality and
character, I still think Grant Gustin is the better Barry. Gustin’s version of
the character has a personality closer to the comics, while Miller’s felt more
like a copy of Peter Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for Aquaman, I
felt like he could have had some more character development, as we do not learn
much about him throughout the film. I honestly hope the upcoming Aquaman solo film manages to expand upon
their title character. The character that does receive an ample amount (maybe
the most amount) of development is Victor Stone/Cyborg, plus he is the
character that is most accurate to his comic counterpart. He acts and feels
like the Cyborg I grew up reading about in the Teen Titans comics and watching the tv series of the same name,
even saying “boo-yah” at one point in the story.
Overall, while this film is a major
improvement and a bright light for the future of the DCEU, there are still some
problems that need to be fixed in future films. Zack Snyder needs to learn more
about these characters, so he can give viewers accurate portrayals. Second, he
needs to learn that not every DC film he makes needs a dark and brooding tone;
it is alright to have some positivity. Not every film has to be like Watchmen. For example, Superman films
need to be fun; as the title character is optimistic and always thinking of a
positive outcome. Finally, he needs to learn about pacing in a film, and find
some balance between the dragged-out Dawn
of Justice and fast-paced Justice
League. If he and DC can manage to iron out these three problems, then the
future of the DC Extended Universe is
a bright one. I look forward to the future of this cinematic universe, and I
would hate to see it fail because of the movies always repeating their previous
mistakes. I would highly recommend seeing Justice
League, do not listen to what the other critics say; form your own opinions
and feel free to discuss them in the comments below.
