I have never been able to understand the complaint that a story is ‘depressing’ because of its subject matter. What depresses me are stories that don’t seem to know these things go on, or hide them in resolute chipperness; ‘witty stories,’ in which every problem is the occasion for a joke; ‘upbeat’ stories that flog you with transcendence. Please. We’re grown ups now.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER –“Fatigue, repetition, and a laborious approach to exposition are the keynotes of this affair, which is also notable for how Ben Affleck looks like he’d rather be almost anywhere else but here. [Justice League is] a chore to sit through” 3/10
VARIETY – “The film is the definition of an adequate high-spirited studio lark: no more, no less. It’s superior to ‘Batman V Superman’ but it’s also about as close to generic as a sharp-witted high-octane comic-book movie can get. There’s hardly a trope in it you haven’t seen before”
VANITY FAIR –”Justice League is a big ugly mess. The lighting is not good, the script is not interesting, the costumes are not fun. The film is, plainly stated, terrible, and I’m sorry that everyone wasted their time and money making it—and that people are being asked to waste their time and money seeing it”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY – [Justice League] is a placeholder in a franchise that’s already had too many placeholders. It feels like the film’s overarching plot was a second or third priority. Some day, hopefully soon, DC might get the recipe right but today isn’t that day, and Justice League isn’t that film” C+
EMPIRE MAGAZINE – “[Justice League]dives headlong into a scrappy, Swiss-cheese plot which clumsily slaps together its disparate elements. None of which is helped by sub-par VFX, which reach their nadir with an overblown final conflict, plus a lead baddie who’s so unnecessarily and sloppily computer-rendered he should be renamed Missteppenwolf”2/5
ROLLING STONE – “The League members together, bickering and bonding, spike the film with humor and genuine feeling, creating a rooting interest in the audience. Without it, the film would crumble. Steppenwolf is a CGI yawn, the action sequences are a digital blur, and the soundtrack defaults to loud whenever inspiration wanes” 6/10
NEW YORK TIMES – “The story is a confusion of noise, visual clutter and murderous digital gnats, [but] it’s more watchable than the last one. Mr Snyder remains regrettably committed to a dark, desaturated palette that borders on the murky, and this movie’s chaotic, unimaginative action scenes can drag on forever”
COLLIDER – [Justice League] is beyond saving. Sure it’s better than ‘Batman v Superman’, but that doesn’t make it good. It is a largely bland, forgettable affair. There’s no time or effort put towards character building, giving the team a personality, crafting themes, or challenging expectations. Justice League’s most impressive feat is that it doesn’t completely fall apart before your eyes”
IGN –“Justice League is messy and flawed but still offers entertainment value. It seldom delivers any truly “wow!” moments of finally seeing these awesome superheroes assembled together onscreen. It’s marred by a very choppy story, a run-of-the-mill villain, some shoddy visual effects, and an overall haphazard execution” 7/10
US WEEKLY – “Not even Wonder Woman can rescue this uninspiring superhero flick. The straightforward narrative and the special effects-heavy set pieces are all disappointedly derivative. [Justice league] should be an exciting event, not a mildly fun, noticeably flawed vehicle that leaves the consciousness as soon as the closing credits roll”
TOTAL FILM – “Justice League’s most significant shortcoming is how forgettable it all is. There’s barely a moment that sticks, not a single sequence to rival the stand-out superhero set-pieces of recent years” 4/10
SCREENCRUSH –“Another DC disappointment, Justice League is a collection of missed opportunities and flubbed ideas. Steppenwolf is maybe the worst villain in a superhero movie since that yellow cloud of evil in ‘Green Lantern’ and overall the film looks unusually bad for a movie of it’s size and budget” 4/10
INDIEWIRE – “Justice League hums along as a pure assault of archetypes and sprawling set pieces. The resulting 119-minute pileup of showdowns and one-liners is a tired, conventional attempt to play by the rules, with “hold for laughs” moments shoehorned between rapid-fire action that’s nothing we haven’t seen before” 2/5
UPROXX – “Justice League is a drag and a big step backwards for DC. The plot is barely comprehensible. Justice League is a bit better than Batman v Superman, in that it at least moves along at an okay pace, but somehow it’s not as interesting”
THE VERGE – Justice League has something for everyone and no way to fit it all together. It often feels fractured and sometimes the reshoots are painfully obvious. There are also a disconcerting number of Wonder Woman upskirt shots for the disrespectful horndogs in the audience”
TELEGRAPH – DC’s superhero embarrassment is beyond saving. It’s consistently embarrassing to watch, and features plot holes so yawningly vast they have a kind of Grand Canyon-like splendour. Justice League is a mess in ways cheaper productions could only dream about” 1/5
Hmmm. It’s horrible but better than “Batman v Superman”? Oh, okay. Well, I love “BvS” so… *shrugs* I’m no professional critic, but I am a DC fan who reads the comics, as well as a fan of movies in general. And I’ve been happy with the DCEU since “Man of Steel”. But that’s just me. So, yeah. Still excited to watch “Justice League”. I don’t think I’ll need to overanalyze or nitpick, too, because I just want to see my superheroes get together.
I’m already tired of everybody shitting all over this movie just to try and outdo each other on how hard they can shit on a movie. I enjoyed BvS and I’m sure I”ll enjoy this too. I don’t give a shit what critics say because more than 90% of the time I disagree with them. I also don’t give a rat’s ass what Rotten Tomatoes gives it because those are the same turds that gave Sharknado an 82%.
^^^^^^ thank you both @a-wayne-at-heart and @batfam-blacksheep ‘cause that criticism made me kind of sad and I was already upset to go and see it. Really thank you for remind me that there ARE fans like me, like us, who really enjoy seeing his heros together no matter what the others say
Same to you, @sophiartstart! Members of the cast have said it best themselves. These movies are made for the fans, not for the critics. Clearly, as with ANYTHING in fandom, “Justice League” can’t possibly please every fan – doesn’t mean it’s not good or worth watching.
Just because a story (or a film, for that matter) is “dark”, it doesn’t mean it’s not centered on or building up hope.
When else is light more appreciated than in the darkest of times? When is hope more needed than in the most desperate of circumstances?
“Man of Steel”, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”… Bruce and Clark…
I don’t know about anyone else, but not once while I was watching their films did I think, “Please smile more! I need it to feel positive! Heroes are always strong and reselient and make the best choices!”.
I’m glad that we’re shown how much Bruce and Clark (and even Diana) battle with their inner demons and that sometimes those come out and become their downfall.
It’s… relatable.
When we watch superhero movies, we tend to think, “Oh, this is just fantasy. I don’t have their dilemmas. I don’t have to worry about such far-fetched decisions.”
But if there’s anything that the DC Universe is good at, it’s reminding us that superheroes are as human as any of us, or at least aspire to live out the best parts of humanity.
They are strongly driven by their relationships, not just their personal goals. (Ever notice that a lot of DC characters become who they are – for better or worse – because of something that’s happened to someone they care about?)
They reflect the human condition in extraordinary circumstances. They are us in what-if scenarios.
There are numerous ways to paint hope on a canvas. And this kind of relatability is what gives me hope when I read the comics or watch the movies.
As far as I can see, the DCEU’s making a “progression of hope” through an intertwining of stories. A spark in “MoS” that ignited a flame in “BvS” and “WW”, that may be a roaring fire by the time “Justice League” comes along. (Hey, how could I leave out “Suicide Squad” in all this? Redemption story, anyone?) It’s not “Wham! Bam! World saved, heroes rock.” There’s a realistic progression that I find attainable, enduring, and endearing.
I do think that the DCEU (Hi, Mr. Snyder and company!) is doing an incredible job translating what we’ve been reading in the comics to the big screen thus far.
Like I’ve said, the DCEU’s not for everyone, DC fan or not. That’s okay. All I’m saying is that it works for me.
And, if the DCEU plans to continue in the direction that it’s on now, that makes me hopeful.
I wonder what it must be like to be able to look at a scene like that and find a negative spin on it. To be THAT bitter and petty and that much of a fanboy purist who refuses to see anything good in something.
As far as I’m concerned, saving people out of obligation is the definition of heroism.
I don’t think I want to know Hector Navarro’s opinions on people who do heroic shit in real-life.
Brings into mind the scene where Martha Kent tells Clark “You don’t owe this world a thing” and the one where Hyppolyta tella Diana “They don’t deserve you”, but they still decide to serve – and not conquer – mankind.
Man of Steel changed the way I look at movies, not just superhero movies, but movies in general. It gave me the Superman I’d wanted to see since choldhood. A Superman that I not only related to, but could really look up to. He wasn’t just a grinning boy scout with little character depth, he was a Superman.
In a movie that had heart and soul. A movie with pain and love, dark and light. A villain that really felt scary and I couldn’t predict how it was going to end.
And it gave me hope. Not just in my personal life, as I’ve discussed before, but it gave me hope in art. Movies as art. Superhero movies didn’t need to be high-saturated, popcorn movies with nice, neat, closed plots. They could be big, epic, meaningful artistic narratives! Something that reflected how important the mythology of superheroes is to the fans.
And then Batman V Superman came out and enriched everything that Man of Steel established. It built on the foundations and not only gave us a universe where Batman and Wonder Woman can fight alongside Superman, but it gave us some understanding of WHY these heroes do what they do and why they are teaming up. We saw Wonder Woman get slowly dragged back into heroism, and we knew why. She didn’t just suddenly, inexplicably drop out of nowhere onto the roof of a jet and start beating up another hero with absolutely no explanation. She hesitated, she fought her instincts and tried to be impartial, but the hero in her wouldn’t let her. And let’s not get into the extraordinary depth of character and development of Batman in this movie. Because that’s an essay into itself.
And then we saw the sacrifice of the hero who started all this. Whose sacrifice inspired these weathered, wary heroes into action again.
What a beautiful way to end a movie but start another! The dovetailing of this writing is genius.
After this we got Suicide Squad. A bit of a frantic, hectic, off-kilter movie about villains. It did a lot for world building, but most importantly it showed us what kind of people our heroes have faced before, and will face again. It showed us how strong and capable the villains can be, and this added so much to this universe that it is an invaluable movie.
Now, we have Wonder Woman! Adding more exposition to Diana’s motives in the modern day, this beautifully layered movie provided us with the first Wonder Woman movie, and yet but another incredible chapter to the DCEU. Never losing track of the themes and ideals of the shared universe, but maintaining its own unique voice, this movie delivered the finest superhero origin movie to date. While I still personally feel that it shares the stage with Man of Steel in terms of quality, it stands out on its own merits, because it is the first Wonder Woman movie, the first Wonder Woman origin story on the big screen and the first time a superhero movie has had such widespread, universal appeal.
It still considered the sense of realism established in the previous movies, showing the reality of war, a hero that will put the needs of others above her own and it kept a sense of doubt and confusion in the face of responsibility.
These movies have all been amazing in their own ways, and stand out as their own entities whilst keeping the universe cohesive. No other franchise has done this yet.
And it’s far from over.
This November, we get to see another huge milestone as Justice League hits the big screen. And I for one can not wait to see how this builds on what we’ve seen so far, and what will be built upon it.
It is a phenomenal time to be a DC fan, but it’s also a great time to be a movie fan and a superhero fan, too.
So, I just watched “Wonder Woman”. And as a fan (and reader) of DC comics, I wasn’t surprised by how the story unfolded, but still incredibly grateful to the Tumblr users who took care not to spoil it for me and other audiences anyway. 🙂
While it isn’t my favorite (“BvS” still holds that special place in my geeky heart), it made me appreciate the DCEU’s storytelling strategy more.
For one, the introduction of the most well-known “Trinity” in the DC universe before everybody else. It’s a risk. A bold move. Not for everyone. Fine. But it works for little ol’ me (and, I’m pretty sure, many, many others like me… queue: “Help me find the others like you.” I digress.) It’s not like these risks and bold moves don’t make sense, after all. Or, okay. They at least make sense to one fan – me.
I won’t give a detailed commentary now (since I’ve got to get up for work in a few hours), but I love how story-driven the films have been so far. The films are so clearly intertwined (even when there’s a focus on a specific character) that watching one kind of gives nostalgia for the other… If that makes sense?
Each of the “Trinity” has been shown to be faced with moral dilemmas that are as significant when these characters were first created as they are in these times.
I guess I’ve always just been more drawn to stories and meaningful dialogue rather than visual effects, fight scenes, or attempts at shock value (although, those can definitely help). And that’s what I found in DC comics (especially with the Bat Family) and that’s what I’m getting from the DCEU right now.
Anyway. I just wanted to put it out there. DCEU, I’m proud of the stories you’re weaving/re-weaving. Thank you.
incorrect-batfamily-quotes 