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Spoilers Justice League - Grading and Discussion

Grade the Movie

  • A+

    Votes: 7 6.3%
  • A

    Votes: 12 10.8%
  • A-

    Votes: 9 8.1%
  • B+

    Votes: 20 18.0%
  • B

    Votes: 15 13.5%
  • B-

    Votes: 12 10.8%
  • C+

    Votes: 11 9.9%
  • C

    Votes: 6 5.4%
  • C-

    Votes: 2 1.8%
  • D+

    Votes: 5 4.5%
  • D

    Votes: 3 2.7%
  • D-

    Votes: 2 1.8%
  • F

    Votes: 7 6.3%

  • Total voters
    111

dahj

Vice Admiral
Admiral
It's here, Justice League, for the first time on the big screen!

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Reviews start coming in tomorrow before the movie opens almost everywhere in the world by the end of this week so it's time for a new thread filled with spoilers, grading and discussion, as is custom.
 
Justice League is not BvS.

I actually mean that in a bad way, it's a very safe movie. Don't get me wrong, it's a very entertaining movie, and about as close as you could come to an actual Justice League comic(or the animated series) on the big screen, I came out of the cinema last night with a big grin on my face, so it gets a big fat A, but something has been niggling at me all day today, so I have to get that out first.

There is a lot that's been cut, of the top of my head there's no "more more or more less", "I take that's a yes", "he said you'd come", "i'm real when it's useful" scenes from the trailers(and there's no Iris in it). And it's not just the missing scenes, I got the feeling that there was a much better, way more sombre film that explores the fears in our society and the plight of the outcasts and the disenfranchised with way more pathos and way fewer jokes, and those themes are brought up in the movie, but completely overshadowed by heroes buddying up and being all heroic. I would have loved that movie, but everyone else would have probably hated it, so good one for you guys I guess. :shrug:

Oh and the music is as bland an uninspiring as is inhumanly possible and I will NEVER forgive Elfman for not including Zimmer's Superman theme(there's three bars of it at one point and that's it), nor Paramount for ruining Henry Cavill's perfect face. ;)

That's about it for the bad stuff, and it's not really bad stuff, just missed opportunity stuff. What it does set out to do it does admirably, I don't think anyone can possibly complain that these "aren't the characters from the comics." I'll do a longer post about all the good stuff later, but it's customary to complain about DCEU movies so it would be weird if this thread didn't start out with that :p
 
Just got out of the theater. Definitely a crowd pleaser, popcorn flick. Like The Force Awakens, it's really in a hurry to get some place. At 2 hours, the movie moves at a brisk pace. The theater I sat in had fun and the audience laughed several times. If you're a Superman fan, you won't be disappointed.


Why the critics don't like this one is beyond me.
 
Wonder Woman is my favorite character in the DC universe. So, I enjoyed her time in this film.

There are many negatives with this film, unfortunately. The aftermath of Superman's death and its impact on the world, the weak villian and his insect cronies - the parademons?, the gloominess of the colors in the film, etc.
 
He’s honestly the weakest villain I’ve seen in a comic movie in years. Hell Mr Freeze in Batman and Robin at least had some motivation and a personality.

The whole movie needed another rewrite and another year to finish the CG. Some of it would look laughable on a SYFY original movie.
 
I think that attaching the name "Zach Snyder" to any movie just turns off a lot of critics for some reason.

Is this the best superhero movie ever made? No. But is it as terrible as some make it out to be? Nope.
The good: All the characters shine in this movie. I especially felt like Cyborg and Flash get the most development that they could given the running time of the film. Wonder Woman even has some development from her own solo film and Batman grows as a character. The only character that kind of fell flat for me was Aquaman but it wasn't bad. The movie is a lot of fun with some good action scenes. I was happy to see Superman again and while I loved MoS, this version of Supes is closer to the comic. The story is quick and concise.

The bad:
Steppenwolf is a throwaway villain. He's on par with Yellow Jacket or Maleketh in terms of blandness. There are some parts where the CGI isn't very good but if you complain about the CGI in this film, please also complain about the atrocious CGI in the Civil War airport fight. The story is rushed at times. I kind of felt like it needed to be just 10 minutes longer, not the 3 hours that Snyder probably envisioned. There were a couple of tonal issues with some jokes falling flat.

Overall it's good. Not great but still worth the money to go see it. It sets up a lot for the future and it left me wanting more of every hero, especially Superman.

A solid B+ from me.
 
The opening with Batman chasing a petty criminal to set a trap for a parademon was cool, and I hope Matt Reeves was watching because this is the Gotham look that I'd like to see in the solo, not entirely "Gothic Burton", not entirely "Real Nolan" but just right... (Batman Begins would be the closest to the "proper" look so far)

The movie then goes on to gather the group of heroes that have, for one reason or another, shut themselves off from the world. Even Steppenwolf fits into this theme. He's an outcast too, exiled for his failure and trying to claw his way back into good graces. As I've mentioned earlier, this is where it's pretty obvious that the movie was originally likely conceived as another 3 hour Snyder/Terrio epic much more in line with BvS, with strong thematic undertones, before the reception to BvS forced them to shorten and streamline the movie, putting the majority of the focus on characters and their interactions.

The core of that however still remains in where the finale action takes place, the heroes aren't saving skyscrapers and cozy office buildings, they're saving people in not-Pripyat, those that were dealt a bad hand way before aliens landed in their back yard, those abandoned and forgotten by society that's too entrenched in their own fears to feel empathy for those far less fortunate than them.

As for characters, despite the short running time all the characters have little moments where they shine through and I loved the little interactions they had, and that there were a lot of them. The only one that didn't quite work for me was the little talk between Mera and Arthur, which felt too expository, but I'm all for women slapping some sense into men so I didn't really mind that one either :p

The way they handled the return of Superman was unexpected, and really well done. I enjoyed all the discussion leading up to it, and the fact that Batman was being his manipulative self but also getting served("If she kills you, we'll back her up" ;)). I love that the secret contingency Batman had if things went south was Lois and not some kryptonite doohickey. The fight with confused Superman was great, especially the moment he notices the Flash which was absolutely priceless, I knew it was coming and it was still freaking awesome :D

I really hope Superman shows up in the Shazam! movie, his moments with Flash and Cyborg show why having a kid look up to him would totally work, and I shall be very cross if WB doesn't announce a proper Superman sequel soon. Having Cavill on your payroll and not doing it is Heresy!

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, it has a pretty straightforward story, a rather fast pace and while some moments should have been given some more time to breathe it got its point across nonetheless and was fun and entertaining in the process. Even though I will probably never get over what could have been if only people were more receptive to taking risks with popular characters I think there's enough things here for me to appreciate even more on a rewatch which I'm looking forward to, as well as to the next installments in this universe. :techman:
 
MY DC movie stance:
Man of Steel and BvS are minor masterpieces. Deep, Human, well acted, well written, superbly directed. I think highly of Zach Snyder, and dread his departure. I can conceive how you may not like these pictures, but if you tell me these are bad films, I must call you critical faculties into question. Sorry you didn't get SuperJesus and BatJesus, but I prefer them as men.
Suicide Squad, the comic, is an idea I've always found better in thought than practice. As for the film, It wasn't a boring experience, but artistically it was a disaster.
Wonder Woman was a fun little story from the least funnest war. My problem with it was it was very much the adventure of a wonder girl. Can they make a good film out of a mature wonder woman?

Now on to Justice League.
-The film itself is rough. Whether this was because of corporate shenanigans, dealing with solo movies that haven't even been finished yet (perhaps not even begun), or Snyder's personal tragedy I cant guess. Still Synder knows how to direct, and I liked the set up, Batman's trap, the amazon action, the gathering of the heroes, and the ancient history very much. Superman catching sight of the Flash was delightful. But the threat...
-After the Brilliant Knightmare scene in BvS, the New Gods stuff was big disappointment. I thought Steppenwolf had some presence, but he might h
as well have been a Marvel movie villain for all the depth he had. Worse, the attack of the clones! My old enemy from JL animated has returned! Surely a few henchman could have been thrown in.
-I liked the members themselves. The Big Three are great. And the little three were also pretty cool, though Flash was a bit cliché i'll admit. I love the idea of working class Aquaman. And Cyborg! the biggest and most welcome surprise for me! I though it was a bad idea adding him to the founding league members in DC's 52 relaunch. Not just because he was teen titan, but because he had such a teenager's origin (succinctly put: "Curse you, Daddy!"). This was an interesting take. Daddy didn't make him "different(TM)". Daddy made him alien. Unknown even to himself. A creature of chaos even. Most interesting.

Overall I enjoyed it, but I can see a loss of faith in vision on the part of Warner Brothers. I dread what that means for the future. Solid B.
 
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The opening with Batman chasing a petty criminal to set a trap for a parademon was cool, and I hope Matt Reeves was watching because this is the Gotham look that I'd like to see in the solo, not entirely "Gothic Burton", not entirely "Real Nolan" but just right... (Batman Begins would be the closest to the "proper" look so far)

The movie then goes on to gather the group of heroes that have, for one reason or another, shut themselves off from the world. Even Steppenwolf fits into this theme. He's an outcast too, exiled for his failure and trying to claw his way back into good graces. As I've mentioned earlier, this is where it's pretty obvious that the movie was originally likely conceived as another 3 hour Snyder/Terrio epic much more in line with BvS, with strong thematic undertones, before the reception to BvS forced them to shorten and streamline the movie, putting the majority of the focus on characters and their interactions.

The core of that however still remains in where the finale action takes place, the heroes aren't saving skyscrapers and cozy office buildings, they're saving people in not-Pripyat, those that were dealt a bad hand way before aliens landed in their back yard, those abandoned and forgotten by society that's too entrenched in their own fears to feel empathy for those far less fortunate than them.

As for characters, despite the short running time all the characters have little moments where they shine through and I loved the little interactions they had, and that there were a lot of them. The only one that didn't quite work for me was the little talk between Mera and Arthur, which felt too expository, but I'm all for women slapping some sense into men so I didn't really mind that one either :p

The way they handled the return of Superman was unexpected, and really well done. I enjoyed all the discussion leading up to it, and the fact that Batman was being his manipulative self but also getting served("If she kills you, we'll back her up" ;)). I love that the secret contingency Batman had if things went south was Lois and not some kryptonite doohickey. The fight with confused Superman was great, especially the moment he notices the Flash which was absolutely priceless, I knew it was coming and it was still freaking awesome :D

I really hope Superman shows up in the Shazam! movie, his moments with Flash and Cyborg show why having a kid look up to him would totally work, and I shall be very cross if WB doesn't announce a proper Superman sequel soon. Having Cavill on your payroll and not doing it is Heresy!

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie, it has a pretty straightforward story, a rather fast pace and while some moments should have been given some more time to breathe it got its point across nonetheless and was fun and entertaining in the process. Even though I will probably never get over what could have been if only people were more receptive to taking risks with popular characters I think there's enough things here for me to appreciate even more on a rewatch which I'm looking forward to, as well as to the next installments in this universe. :techman:
I enjoyed this in the same way I enjoyed Captain America: Civil War. Fun, some good (if truncated) character moments for all, but “safer” than necessary. It’s clear the studio got “cold feet” as the opportunity to further explore the MoS take on Superman (undoubtedly to the satisfaction of many, but not to me) was turned into “how can we make this Superman like all the others”.

Steppenwolf was somewhat disappointing (bit of a “one-trick pony”). Really hope there is a longer cut in the home video release (it did wonders for BvS, even though I already liked the theatrical release).

In the end, it will likely not “convert” the anti-Snyder crowd, despite being “Snyder-lite”, but I’ll still reach for it on the shelf when it’s available—as I regularly do with MoS, BvS and (on the Xmas list) WW.

B+ (might have graded a bit higher, but for Steppenwolf and the feeling there is a 25-40 mins longer cut that should have been released instead—also, not a fan of Elfman’s scores [really didn’t like the revival of his Batman theme; I MUCH prefer Zimmer).
 
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Just had a look on Twitter and the reactions seem so wildly different compared to the critical reception that you would think the critics saw a different movie.
 
Just had a look on Twitter and the reactions seem so wildly different compared to the critical reception that you would think the critics saw a different movie.
That's true. Current RT score from critics is 39%. While RT audience score is 86%.

I said there would be a disconnect and there is. What can you do about it?:shrug:
 
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I got the chance to see the movie earlier today, and I thought it was great (as I have with the rest of the DCEU). One thing that struck me is that, at least from my perspective, there's been a misidentification of the reasoning behind the film feeling 'lighter' than MoS and BvS. It's not that JL's overall tone and aesthetic are different from BvS' and therefore the film is 'lighter' and has more humor; it's that the nature of JL's narrative and the introduction of characters who are featured allowed for there to be more humor.

I also don't think there's as many deleted scenes as some think there are, nor do I think the identified "trailer scenes" that were cut had any significant impact on the overall story, and, with the benefit of context, were a little redundant or unnecessary, and would be perfectly fine if we don't get a "Zack Snyder Extended Cut" of the film, although I would like to know just what Lex Luthor and Iris West's inclusion in the story entailed before their parts were cut purely out of curiosity.

Delving a bit into specific elements of the film, I really liked Ciaran Hinds as Steppenwolf. I think the way he mowed through his enemies for much of the film helped elevate his "threat level", and the interplay he had with Diana was great. I also though the design they chose for him was great, reminding me of the Minotaur from Greek mythology as well as evoking aspects of Loki and what I've seen of Cate Blanchett's Hela from Thor Ragnarok.

I also really liked the slow build to the League's formation and first fight with Steppenwolf and his Parademons, who were a lot creepier here than they were when we briefly saw them in Batman v Superman.

Speaking of Batman v Superman, I wasn't expecting so many callbacks to the film, and was pleasantly surprised that we got as many as we did. I was especially happy with the way that JL explained the context for Barry Allen's warning and the "Knightmare" sequence from BvS without actually explaining it, because you just know that in the future from whence Barry came, somebody resurrected Clark with the Mother Box and he went nuts, possibly even aligning himself with Steppenwolf.

Another thing that I was surprised by was just how much this version of Barry ended up getting on my nerves. I'm not sure why they chose to make DCEU Barry rather obnoxious and a bit too over-excitable, but it wasn't the direction I think anybody who's a fan of the character and/or The CW's TV show featuring him thought they were going to go. I did like how he ended up settling down a bit as the film progressed, though, and ended up getting to actually do something against the Parademons and Steppenwolf, even if it wasn't much comparatively speaking.

With Barry being fairly obnoxious, the role of "comic relief" that I thought he was going to end up filling was instead filled by both Aquaman and Cyborg, which was a pleasant surprise for me. The interplay between Arthur and Bruce really 'clicked' for me, and the unlikely friendship that started forming between Arthur and Vic was also fun, especially when they ended up being 'paired off' together towards the end of the film.

I also really liked the interplay between Bruce and Diana in the film, especially when she opposed his plan to resurrect Clark and he hit a bit below the belt by invoking Steve Trevor's name and opening up old wounds that still weren't fully healed. It made the scene where she later pops his shoulder back into place after the fight with the mindless Clark and admits that she's shied away from leadership out of fear of loss all the more poignant and resonant.

Speaking of Clark, I really liked the way they brought him back to life, especially since I was expecting something entirely different based on the final shot 'stinger' we saw in BvS of the dirt on his coffin levitating. Tying his resurrection to both the Mother Box and Lex Luthor's "Doomsday" experiment was a pleasant surprise, and something that I think worked really well. It also led to a great utilization of Lois, as she got to be Bruce's "big gun"/contingency plan.

The film's two "credits stingers" were also neat. I liked getting to see Jesse Eisenberg's Lex again, even briefly, and am intrigued with the storyline possibilities that this apparent alliance bvetween him and Deathstroke to create a "league of their own" present for the future. It was also fun seeing Barry and Clark interact and 'race' each other.

All in all, I really enjoyed Justice League, although the fact that I enjoyed it as much as I did is only going to increase my level of anger if Warner Bros. were to decide to do something stupid like cancelling the DCEU outright or concluding that they should use "Flashpoint" to 'retool' things.
 
Why did they CGI off the mustache? Wouldn't it have been easier to just give Superman a beard for this movie that he shaves off afterwards?
 
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