Director: Zack Snyder, Joss Whedon.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons.
So, it’s the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe, immediately following on from Wonder Woman and Dawn of Justice; and could it be their answer to the MCU’s Avengers? I do try to forget the MCU when watching the DCEU but it’s impossible to not draw comparisons, especially when you can see the influence and direct competition. It does make me wonder if I would like these more if the MCU’s success wasn’t apparent.
Batfleck is haunted by a recurring threat coupled with his guilt of contributing to the death of Superman. He’s also got wind of a few other special individuals that might be able to aid his cause in defending the Earth, so he embarks on a mission to recruit Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg and of course, the possible new favourite, Wonder Woman. Now, even with all these strong characters; the story and common enemy that brings them together is somewhat, underwhelming and pathetic. The script is totally cliched and is only forgiven because it’s essentially a comic book movie.
It’s quite cheesy, especially in comparison to the previous movies, and there’s a clear influence from the MCU with the comedy elements that actually works. It had me laughing out loud. The CGI was quite weak, looking cheap but it did make the overall film more comical with over-the-top action that’s certainly up to par. I understand there was some required reshoots which must have put strain on the production, not to mention the sad and tragic change of director with Whedon stepping in to allow Snyder to grieve.
I didn’t know of the moustache story which the new Deadpool trailer obviously snipes that. I was watching Cavill’s scenes with something bugging me about his face, especially his upper lip. It wasn’t until after the film that it transpired that Cavill was requested for reshoots but had already commenced filming for Mission: Impossible, whose studio refused to have Cavill remove his facial hair, so his tash and face fur was CGI erased. It’s not wholly terrible, but it’s certainly noticeable.
I’m still not entirely sure of Batfleck, but I certainly don’t dislike him as much as I was expecting. Gadot is well and truly suited to her role though Momoa doesn’t quite suit Aquaman, even though he is a cool addition. There wasn't enough Cyborg for me and he ended up feeling more like a filler as oppose to a key member of the team. The scenes he does have just reminded me of Battlestar Galattica! Flash’s parts were some of my favourites, especially towards the end of the film; and again, there must be a part of the DCEU that hates on Marvel for having Quicksilver do the best action sequences before them. Miller is perfect though I can’t help but think he’s the lovechild of Justin Long and Nathan Fillion!
Now, one major criticism I have is the score, which doesn’t match, and even though Elfman recycles his own Batman theme from Tim Burton’s visualisation and uses noticeable snippets from John William’s Superman Theme; it sadly doesn’t suit the past films of DCEU. Elfman’s no stranger to superhero scores with Hellboy, Raimi’s Spider-Man and of course Burton’s Batman under his utility belt; but this was too dreamy and fantasy themed as opposed to Zimmer’s darker superhero style who’s currently retired from doing superhero scores. Junkie XL was first to fill the void but was then reported to being fired by Joss Whedon and replaced by Elfman; and whilst the sound mixing is brilliant, with the old themes echoing perfectly at the right times, it just doesn’t gel with the rest of the films at all, pushing this to be very different from the rest of the franchise.
Overall, it’s a better edited film than Suicide Squad and a stronger continuation than Dawn of Justice; it’s actually a lot of fun but it doesn’t beat Wonder Woman and is actually quite a different film for the previous segments. Still not MCU calibre and it appears this franchise will forever be in their shadow; and sadly this hasn’t restored any of my faith in the DCEU.
Running Time: 8
The Cast: 7
Performance: 7
Direction: 7
Story: 6
Script: 6
Creativity: 6
Soundtrack: 4
Job Description: 6
The Extra Bonus Point: 0
57% 6/10
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