SPOILERS ABOUND:
Very schizophrenic film, part Zack Snyder, part Joss Whedon.
It's impossible to know which parts are whose, but it's a fair bet that the most serious moments, as well as the most visually iconic shots, are Snyder's, whereas the moments of unfunny, self-aware, try-hard humor are Whedon's. The former are good, the latter are bad; pity is, there's a lot of the latter.
The best scenes are the introductory Batman sequence, which is note perfect in look and in Batman's truly fearsome demeanor, and the battle between the revived Kal-El and the Justice League, in which Superman himself is powerful and pitiless. Grim, iconic moments. Awesome.
The inverted Council of Elrond scene, with Batman making Boromir's case, is quite strong as well.
While the Marvel-like, intended-to-be-funny, self-aware moments fail, some of the dry humor (often courtesy of Batman) works rather well. A few big-ticket moments later on ("This isn’t the plan" / "No, Master Wayne, this the team.") have a real emotional punch.
It's a pleasure to see Wonder Woman -- whose one shortcoming so far has been the Rey-like tendency by the Warner Bros. movies to make her too powerful -- soundly beaten by both Superman and, individually, by Steppenwolf.
She and Batman are the best elements of the film, and their rapport is real and engaging, both in conflict and in reconciliation. The movie picks up significantly any time they share a scene together. Indeed, it's fair to say that Affleck and Gadot carry this picture.
And I still believe that the Snyder/Affleck Batman is the best cinematic take on the character. This version has both the most fury and, deep down, the most self-loathing; a palpable sadness, and loneliness, and melancholy; all of which makes this portrayal the most heroic, IMO.
Likewise, I've always been a fan of Snyder's take on Superman, and this depiction continues that portrayal faithfully. Cavill and and Amy Adams remain very fine in their roles.
Even Cyborg is done surprisingly well, especially given that I expected him to be the weakest link of the team and a poor fit.
As it turns out, the worst characters are, not coincidentally, the ones who are furthest removed from their Bronze Age comic-book traditions: Aquaman and the Flash. These have Whedon's fingerprints all over them, I'd say.
This Aquaman is a patchwork character, at times a working-class tough, then a slang-speaking hip urban sort, then an unconvincing king of the seas -- really a composite of wildly different visions that don't mesh at all. Perhaps a different actor could have fused them together; this one can't. (By contrast, in her one scene, Amber Heard is excellent as Mera, both beautiful and aristocratic.)
And the Flash, while written to be funny, is simply annoying, a mixture of a poorly conceived character and a completely miscast actor. What a fall from the easygoing heroism of the Barry Allen of the comic books. Even the Grant Gustin version on television is better written and better acted than this Ezra Miller take. The actor's unconvincing delivery makes already unfunny lines unbearable. Presumably the movie tried to use him to throw a Cisco Ramon element into the team, and failed utterly. He ruins every scene in which he appears. Even the suit is a dreadful design.
I always go into DC films with a charitable outlook, because I grew up with these characters. But for me, this one is only so-so at best. I'd still easily take it over any Marvel crapfest, but it's my least favourite of any of Snyder's superhero work (however much is still his and not Whedon's). It's definitely the one that's most obviously targeted for a younger audience.
I had a feeling that the misguided "Too dark! Too serious!" criticisms of BvS would negatively impact this movie, and I was right. Despite its own shortcomings, the Bruce Timm Justice League animated series from 2001-2004 remains the best portrayal of this team.
YMMV
Very schizophrenic film, part Zack Snyder, part Joss Whedon.
It's impossible to know which parts are whose, but it's a fair bet that the most serious moments, as well as the most visually iconic shots, are Snyder's, whereas the moments of unfunny, self-aware, try-hard humor are Whedon's. The former are good, the latter are bad; pity is, there's a lot of the latter.
The best scenes are the introductory Batman sequence, which is note perfect in look and in Batman's truly fearsome demeanor, and the battle between the revived Kal-El and the Justice League, in which Superman himself is powerful and pitiless. Grim, iconic moments. Awesome.
The inverted Council of Elrond scene, with Batman making Boromir's case, is quite strong as well.
While the Marvel-like, intended-to-be-funny, self-aware moments fail, some of the dry humor (often courtesy of Batman) works rather well. A few big-ticket moments later on ("This isn’t the plan" / "No, Master Wayne, this the team.") have a real emotional punch.
It's a pleasure to see Wonder Woman -- whose one shortcoming so far has been the Rey-like tendency by the Warner Bros. movies to make her too powerful -- soundly beaten by both Superman and, individually, by Steppenwolf.
She and Batman are the best elements of the film, and their rapport is real and engaging, both in conflict and in reconciliation. The movie picks up significantly any time they share a scene together. Indeed, it's fair to say that Affleck and Gadot carry this picture.
And I still believe that the Snyder/Affleck Batman is the best cinematic take on the character. This version has both the most fury and, deep down, the most self-loathing; a palpable sadness, and loneliness, and melancholy; all of which makes this portrayal the most heroic, IMO.
Likewise, I've always been a fan of Snyder's take on Superman, and this depiction continues that portrayal faithfully. Cavill and and Amy Adams remain very fine in their roles.
Even Cyborg is done surprisingly well, especially given that I expected him to be the weakest link of the team and a poor fit.
As it turns out, the worst characters are, not coincidentally, the ones who are furthest removed from their Bronze Age comic-book traditions: Aquaman and the Flash. These have Whedon's fingerprints all over them, I'd say.
This Aquaman is a patchwork character, at times a working-class tough, then a slang-speaking hip urban sort, then an unconvincing king of the seas -- really a composite of wildly different visions that don't mesh at all. Perhaps a different actor could have fused them together; this one can't. (By contrast, in her one scene, Amber Heard is excellent as Mera, both beautiful and aristocratic.)
And the Flash, while written to be funny, is simply annoying, a mixture of a poorly conceived character and a completely miscast actor. What a fall from the easygoing heroism of the Barry Allen of the comic books. Even the Grant Gustin version on television is better written and better acted than this Ezra Miller take. The actor's unconvincing delivery makes already unfunny lines unbearable. Presumably the movie tried to use him to throw a Cisco Ramon element into the team, and failed utterly. He ruins every scene in which he appears. Even the suit is a dreadful design.
I always go into DC films with a charitable outlook, because I grew up with these characters. But for me, this one is only so-so at best. I'd still easily take it over any Marvel crapfest, but it's my least favourite of any of Snyder's superhero work (however much is still his and not Whedon's). It's definitely the one that's most obviously targeted for a younger audience.
I had a feeling that the misguided "Too dark! Too serious!" criticisms of BvS would negatively impact this movie, and I was right. Despite its own shortcomings, the Bruce Timm Justice League animated series from 2001-2004 remains the best portrayal of this team.
YMMV
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