I don’t know why I never sat down to watch Justice League. I wasn’t crazy about Batman vs. Superman (sorry-but Supes would kill/maim/defeat Bruce in the blink of an eye) and had head JL wasn’t really good, but heck-I got the time, so might as well watch it. I went into the movie blind-not knowing what the story line was, and was sold when I saw my first Para-Demon. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
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I’ve gotta agree (about JL at least). I’ve always been a DCEU apologist, so I feel like I’d be able to enjoy those movies no matter what, but I still really liked it a lot, flaws and all. For what it was and not what it could’ve been, I just thought it was a lot of fun w/ enjoyable characters and cool action. That said, I’m also definitely excited to see how different the Snyder Cut will end up being. Ultimately I’m just enjoying everything we’ve gotten and will continue to get from this movie
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Justice League is very good, which is why I have no interest in this whole “Snyder Cut” thing beyond morbid curiosity.
The DCEU as a whole has not disappointed so far, and so I’m glad that it will continue with Wonder Woman 1984, The Suicide Squad, Shazam 2, Black Adam, and other films.
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I like JL, it turns out to be a fun, cute little movie. Let’s just get the “Covid-19 cut” out and released. It’s not going to change the new trajectory DC Films is going. As we’ve now seen with Statgirl, Geoff Johns and company understand the genre and bring stories of hope and a brighter, more vibrant color palette that superhero movies should have and what gen pop audiences want and expect.
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I agree, I walked out of the theater really happy with Justice League. It wasn’t on the level of the Avengers, but it was still such a treat finally seeing the JL on the big screen. I watched it with two friends who knew Marvel and knew nothing about DC, and they loved it and were really excited about seeing Aquaman next.
I agree with a lot of the people wishing we got the Snyder Cut instead. I think we were robbed of a LOT of really cool moments. Especially exploring the world of Darkseid and the history of the mother boxes. But I have a feeling it will be free of most of the jokes and team chemistry that made JL a pretty fun movie. I know that puts me at odds with a lot of DC fans who hated that, but I thought most of it really helped balance the movie well. And I loved seeing Superman back in action at the end. That was so good to finally give him a chance to shine as the Supes we know and love. Snyder’s take on Superman has always depressed me, so I’m excited about the Snyder Cut but also really cautiously optimistic because the JL we got was pretty great.
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The only thing I don’t like about Justice League is the terrible CGI on Superman’s face. If the Snyder Cut puts most of its budget towards fixing that, or uses footage for Superman’s scenes that was shot before Cavill grew that mustache for Mission Impossible, that along will justify its existence.
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It’s A LOT better than the popular opinion about it is.
I blame Paramount more re: the mustache. They wouldn’t let him shave it for reshoots, and refused to compromise with WB. I mean, Mission Impossible production was shut down anyways (due to Cruise nearly offing himself doing a stunt), it wouldn’t be an issue of time to grow it back!
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I walked out of Justice League feeling very positive. Yes, it was a Frankenstein’s monster of two different elements blended together but 1) We got a Justice League movie. So many people banked it wouldn’t happen, especially in light of Zack Snyder’s tragic family situation. 2) It was a movie that placed the importance back on Superman. Even when he wasn’t on screen, he was integral to the plot. When he showed up at the end, the audience I was with cheered. 3) We got to see things we never thought we’d see on screen (Flash/Superman race, Deathstroke, etc.)
I think some of the reaction to the movie was just piling on. A small portion of people wanted the DCEU to fail, whether it was because they didn’t like Zack Snyder or they felt DC was dumb for daring to have a cinematic universe like Marvel. And those vocal few snowballed to this wave of negativity. I noticed it with Man of Steel but in 2016 when we got Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad…wow, it was bad. The moment you came out of the theatre, there was nothing but waves of negative press and comments. Wonder Woman gained some good will among the people, but when Justice League came out, it was like they made you pay for having any good will at all and trounced Justice League.
The mustache thing was ridiculous. Most of the time, if no one had said anything, you probably wouldn’t have noticed. But because it became this big thing before the movie, everyone was looking for it and it became a meme. I think the only place where it’s truly awful is that opening scene with the cell phone footage and I would’ve cut that scene entirely or saved it maybe for the end credits or something.
I’m not saying Justice League or any of the DCEU movies are perfect. They have their flaws just as any other movie does. No movie is perfect. But I think Justice League and the DCEU as a whole gets an unnecessary bad rap. Aquaman, Shazam and Joker were fantastic and no one complained, but the moment Birds of Prey didn’t live up to some unattainable projected gross, the puff pieces of “The DCEU is back on the derailed track Justice League left in its wake” come from out of the wood work.
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Exactly! People have this real hate for DC Films and root for them to fail to fit their own petty little personal agendas.
(Plus people went out of their way to derail BoP too…)
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Dude you nailed it right on the head. The criticism against the DCEU is ridiculously unfair. I thought the same thing about Superman’s cgi mustache, outside of the opening scene I didn’t notice it even once. But since everyone knew about it they blew it up like it was a huge deal instead of just sitting back and enjoying the movie.
I think this speaks to how aggressive and mean our culture has become. I think we’re seeing a pack mentality that loves ganging up on the underdog. The media/Twitter smelled weakness in the nascent DCEU when it tried to start a rival universe to MCU’s powerhouse. And they pounced, and never let up. If they were objective the movies - MOS, BvS, SS, JL - weren’t that bad. They all had faults, but the treatment they got was just cruel. And it gave the green light for people to basically bully anyone who didn’t speak the party line. It’s sad.
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Yep, @ozymandias18! And it’s so flipping frustrating!
It seems no matter what DC does, in any medium, there are all these groups ready to rip it apart.
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I absolutely hated Justice League. The portrayal of Batman in the film was horrible. I mean Batman smiling, Batman popping off jokes… is not the Batman I wanted to see. The Flash falling on top of Wonder Woman was a classic Whedon move, that wasn’t cool IMO.
The movie starts off by putting the horrible Henry Cavil CGIed out mustache on full display. Superman’s costume with the whited-out highlights looked awful. The mix-mash of music pulled from what was, and then went off the rails into another direction.
Affleck as Bruce Wayne looked weird in some scenes. He literally looked like a different person from scene to scene in some cases.
Needless to say, I went on opening day with high hopes, and left wishing I had never seen it.
It’s better than it should be all things considered, but I still have problems calling it a good movie. It’s about as basic as you can get. Superman is such a 1 dimensional cartoon character in JL. That horrible “I believe in Justice” line is just cancer. The whole film is bland and predictable. There some great love letter moments for the fans, but there are some garbage choices made for the sake of runtime that are pretty clear. Like how Cyborg is just chilling behind a tree eavesdropping on Batman and Wonder Woman spouting exposition, no way either of those characters would notice a large cybernetic man stomping around Wayne Estate. I almost walked out when Supes was carrying that whole building with one hand, the structural integrity would give out almost immediately. I know, I know “but it was soooooo funny”. Subjective. I thought it was dumb. Superman leaving the battle because (gasps) “civilians” made my eyes almost roll out of my head. It was such a heavy handed clear attempt at winning over the “not-my-Superman” crowd. You know the type, they have strong opinions on Superman despite being completely unfamiliar with comic book lore.
Batman deducing the entire plan because a Parademon exploded and the spatter took the form of mother boxes…there really isnt anyway to defend such a horrible decision, that is absolutely terrible writing. I haven’t seen such egregious convenience since young Anakin Skywalker accidentally destroyed the trade Federation space station “oops, started the ship, oops I plotted a course, oops I destroyed a bunch of enemies with my laser cannons, oops I landed right in front of the core, oops I shot it, oops I escaped, oops I saved the universe”.
The highest praise I can give JW’s JL is that it is mediocre and basic.
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I seem to be in the minority in this conversation haha. I did not enjoy JL very much. I thought Batman’s character was different than the character we see in BvS in that he was more comical and less Batman-esque. Additionally, the climax fight was underwhelming. The movie just did not do the JL the justice it deserved. That is why I look forward to the Snyder Cut.
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It was the added humor and the change in Batman that made JW’S JL movie enjoyable. It is why I have no expectations that the S-cut will be watchable, but at least it will now be released, and everyone can move on with the remodeled DCEU.
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I think after the ginning up of an internet mob the last 2.5 years, it’s going to be difficult for some to just move on…
I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, Whedon’s influence was not as bad as it could have been. Some of the jokes are even mildly amusing, which is more than I can say for the humor in The Avengers. (Then again, the quips had improved in quality by Age of Ultron, so maybe Whedon had finally evolved beyond “the word shawarma sounds funny when you repeat it fifty times” gags.) But on the other hand, his inserted scenes looked flat and pedestrian.
Ultimately, the film was a disappointment because it was about as deep as flatbread. After two films that dealt with the gray areas of ethical questions and engaged in timely social commentary, we got another boring “people learn to work together” theme that feels more at place in a children’s film than in this series. It wasn’t challenging in the least as a piece of art.
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@ozymandias18 and @dkalban Yea, I noticed it with Man of Steel but it got out of hand with Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. And I know there were people who liked Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad because people kept coming back to theatres to see it. But even that wasn’t enough.
In the end, I washed my hands of reviews and public opinion and just watched the movies. I usually go the night before or on opening night in Times Square. The audiences are always pumped and make the movies even better with their reactions. No one cares about RT scores or the court of public opinion. For two to three hours, you’re sitting in your seat with people who looked forward to the movie and are seeing it with their own eyes. To me, that bit of joy is all I need.
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I like the light and dark in comics. I’m okay with the Snyder stuff. I’m cool with the John’s stuff.
I rewatched Aquaman last weekend and still don’t love it, but mostly due to casting. Love Shazam for the same reason. Don’t love WW. I’m just ignoring BoP.
I’m beginning to think I’m just a DC animated fan. I usually dig them. Rarely think they’re bad. Loved JLD: Apokolips War.
And I know some people had complaints about Batman in Justice League, but I always took it as Bruce’s character changing after the events of Dawn of Justice. When we met him in that movie, he was years into this dark hole in himself. He lost a Robin, he became more cruel and viscous. When Superman and the Kryptonians appeared and he lost people in the Metropolis battle, Bruce had Superman pegged as this overpowered possible despot he had to stop. When they meet and he’s about to Clark, with his dying breath, Superman tells him to save someone. In that one moment Bruce realized how far he was about to go and how far he strayed from his original mission. And when Superman sacrificed himself to stop Doomsday, Bruce realized he had to be better.
Now I’ll agree Batman could’ve used a little less jokes, but overall I saw a Bruce in Justice League who was trying to make amends for what he had become over the past few years.
That could just be my take on it, though.
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