DC Comics’ bid to expand its
super hero universe and emulate rival Marvel’s stratospheric success was a huge
financial gamble coming on the heels of the satisfactory Man of Steel. With the same director who also did Watchmen,
it remained to be seen if this could be the launch of several movie franchises
particularly The Justice League. The verdict is yes, it achieves that goal but
with a mixed bag of great moments highlighted by haunting imagery and some scenes
that never quite hit their mark. The
problem lies partly in an ambitious storyline that tries to accomplish a bit
too much thematically and introduce new Metahuman heroes while trying to
connect a lot of dots despite its running time is 2 ½ hours.
Similar in plot to the upcoming
Captain America:Civil War, it picks up the previous film’s battle that caused
massive destruction (and personal loss for Bruce Wayne, extremely well played
by Ben Affleck) and leads to the government to think about Superman (Henry
Cavill) as a potential threat. As mysterious industrialist Lex Luthor (Jesse
Eisenberg is a hoot) assimilates Kryptonian technology and more, an elaborate
conspiracy threatens Superman’s loved ones and pits him in a one on one battle
with Batman (who is pretty clever and well- armed.) As the titans do a battle royale, a formidable
threat emerges, and a new hero arrives in Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot in a cool,
different take).
The film’s moody tone might be a
bit too dark for some; there is a severe lack of humor or anything to balance
the sense of pessimism. There is,
however, much to savor in some good action and visual effects including one
startling, shocking scene in Washington DC.
Nice support from Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, and Laurence Fishburne and
some nice cameos. (No, there is no post credit scene.) I would put this almost
on par with Avengers:Age of Ultron, only longer.
*** of **** stars (for comic hero fans)
