“Justice League” – A Review

By Muhammad Faiz

Spoilers alert: Read at your own caution!

“There are heroes among us. Not one to make us feel smaller, but to remind us of what makes us great.” –Lois Lane-

Justice League is one of the many movie instalments of superhero movies, namely for DC Comics. Some movies before Justice League are Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman and now Justice League. In this movie, Justice League, it revolves around six prominent figures which are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. Not only that, it has Steppenwolf and Parademon as the villain of the movie.

According to IMDb, the plot of Justice League are as follows:

Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless acts, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.

The story picks up a few months after the impending death of Clark Kent, the Superman. Everyone is mourning the death of the world’s beloved superhero, the beacon of hope Superman and unfortunately, new threats do not know any mourning period. The new threats prompted Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince to recruit some allies to help them fight, hence the newcomers in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) in the mix, such as The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg.

As a fan of the DC Comics universe whether it is the comics or the animated adaptation or the live adaptation of any characters in the DC Comics, I would definitely watch it. Out of five stars, I gave the movie 4.25 stars. The movie was also rated by IMDb a 7.6 out of ten and 39% Tomatometer by Rotten Tomatoes.

The ratings are indeed contradictory with one another but listed below are the reasons why I loved the movie, Justice League:

  • Barry Allen

Barry Allen or famously known as the Flash is one of the main members of the Justice League and the hero of Central City. He is the funny, quirky, and awkward superhero in the team. As he gotten the superpower due to being struck by the lightning, he is barely new with his power as he only uses it by pushing and running away. It means that he’s just starting out with the superhero business and in this movie, the audiences can see his transformational character. At the start of the Flash, he usually faces head to head with the criminals, and never alien yet at the end of this movie, he got brave when he fought the Parademon.

  • The comedic timing throughout the movie

The movies in the DCEU have never been famous for their comedic timing yet this movie proves otherwise. In every comedic scene that have some punchlines, they managed to deliver it amazingly with a perfect amount of pause, delivery and the hidden messages in the script. Barry Allen, the Flash, as usual, the funny one in the group managed to hold his own with his funny lines that suit his characteristics so well.

As for others, they all have their own moments but the applause will go to the Wonder Woman, herself. Before they embark to Russia to fight Steppenwolf, Diana managed to trick Arthur to speak the truth and it is pure hilarious and comedy. As all comic book fans know, Arthur Curry or Aquaman was never the comedic one as he is the silent type, yet on that particular scene, he did shock everyone with what he is feeling on the inside with the help of Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth.

Other than that, any comedic timing is hilarious and funny for the fans that have knowledge regarding DC Comics and the DCEU as it has some hidden jab from the previous movies and the comics. Alfred, Clark and even Arthur have some iconic funny lines in the movie. By having these comedic timings in the movie, it does help to set the tone of the movie in between Batman V Superman and Wonder Woman.

  • The relationship between Justice League’s members

Justice League is a team of superheroes and it is more than just six superheroes. The most fundamental and essential regarding Justice League is that they all understand each other despite personal struggles. Luckily, this movie shows that as the team is gathered by in a short amount of time, yet they all got along with funny and sarcastic jab throw in every here and there.

The team understands that the only one that can ground Superman is Lois Lane. The team understands that Wonder Woman is strong and hopeful for peace despite her personal struggles with humanity. The team understands that Batman is putting the burdens in this world on his shoulders. The team understands for some people who got their power by accidents such as The Flash and Cyborg would have some problems adapting to their superpower so they helped them to realize their full potentials within themselves. The team understands that Aquaman is a closed off person with a big heart ready to unravel.

Most important, they all understand the sacrifices that they need to make the world to be a better place, by forming Justice League.

  • Superman as a beacon of hope

Superman is an integral part of the DC Comic universe in any parallel universe. In this particular universe, Superman is a beacon of hope for the world as for Batman and Wonder Woman are not as Batman is usually in the dark, and causing fear while Wonder Woman hides in the humanity.

Superman grew up as a human. He learns about humanity, falls in love, and understands the struggles of a human while being a superhero. Wherever he goes, he gives hope and strength to the world as he saves it. With all of these in mind, the movie managed to deliver it in a way that all of the superheroes realise the significance of Superman yet does not allow it to be overwhelming for them.

  • All of the easter eggs

Some may not know it, but the easter egg in storytelling term is a whole different meaning. It means an unexpected or undocumented feature in a piece of computer software or DVD. It is usually included as a bonus or as a joke. In Justice League movie, they dropped many Easter eggs laying around which makes it exciting. They have everything from the Lanterns, hints of Justice League forming, the Hall of Justice, Death stroke and even a hint of League of Assassin. I mean, I am not sure about the last one but it is one of the possibilities.

This particular movie could develop many franchises and spin-offs in the future and the possibilities are all endless. With all of the movies that are waiting to come out such as Aquaman and the ones still in development will be such an exciting ride for many fans all around the world.

30 seconds into the movie, I was already crying when I watched the opening scene of Superman talking to the kids after saving people. As amazing the movie really is, it is saddening to know that some of the scenes shown in the trailer are nowhere in the movie. Not to mention that there are a few scenes that seem sexist and unfunny due to it.

With all of the imperfections in the movie, the fans will keep waiting for the Director’s Cut as it would include many deleted scenes. Therefore, it is a long waiting game for the Director’s Cut to come out in a few months and the many upcoming instalments of the universe in the new future. However, it is a waiting game that I would not mind waiting for. ***

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