IT’S nice to have something surpass my expectations. Even if they were low from the start, it’s still a good feeling.
I walked into Zack Snyder’s Justice League expecting to hate it as much as I hated his previous movie, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. But to my amazement I enjoyed the movie, a lot.
It seemed like Snyder and his team listened to all the criticism the previous movie received, and worked hard to overcome them for this film.
In case you haven’t been swept up in the massive hype of this movie, allow me to fill you in. Superman is dead, and the world has come under threat from a being called Steppenwolf (voiced by Ciarán Hinds) who seeks to destroy the earth.
Batman (Ben Affleck) has to work with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to put together a team of superheroes to combat this great threat.
Simple, and more than a little formulaic yes, but it works because the person who came up with the formula, Avengers director Joss Whedon, was also involved in writing the movie’s screenplay.
Gone is the dark and dreary atmosphere and the overall attitude of taking itself too seriously, and in its place is a fun-filled, yet formulaic, superhero movie.
The lighter tone allows the movie to be funny while still being serious enough to get people invested in the stakes.
It’s full of great action to keep people on the edge of their seats, and plenty of nods and winks to some of the other characters in the DC Comics universe.
All the characters have their moments to shine through the film. Ezra Miller’s Flash provides excellent comedy and banter, especially with Ray Fisher who plays the more serious Cyborg.
You can tell how much fun Jason Momoa must have had as Aquaman every moment he’s on screen, as if he was born to play that role.
Wonder Woman really shines as the team’s heart, and conscience, while also doing a great job as one of their heavy hitters.
Then there’s Batman...
I’m starting to like Affleck’s Batman. He seems to be coming to grasps with the role but I don’t think the writers have figured out what to do with him.
He’s easily overshadowed by the brighter personalities in the team. He doesn’t carry the weight and sheer presence that comes with wearing the cape and cowl, and trying to inject humour in the character the way they do falls flat.
However, if you’re looking for something new to the genre or if you’re suffering from superhero fatigue you might not enjoy this movie.
The plot is too predictable, if you’ve seen one superhero team-up movie then you’ve seen Justice League. It doesn’t take risks which might rub people the wrong way but overall it’s a fun ride.
Justice League is being screened at City Centre Bahrain, Seef, Saar and Wadi Al Sail cinemas.
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