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Justice League Review

Warner Bros. and DC Comics have once again managed to produce a film that fans love and critics love to hate. Justice League has finally come after the success of its predecessor, Wonder Woman, and it delivers a punch, but not as powerful. Some saw the debut of the amazon as the turning point for their cinematic universe, but I’m afraid the league still has a few kinks to work out. This film was not as good as Wonder Woman, but I will say this film was a vast improvement from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Justice League is a fun, action packed film that fans of DC comics will enjoy and seems to be a step in the right direction.

The movie is mostly centered around Batman, but the focus of the film was on Superman and how the world fell into chaos after his death. So, instead of an invincible alien, Batman and Wonder Woman decide to recruit Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman to fight an incoming threat. A threat with unmatched power that convinces Batman to take an unexpected risk to bring back Superman and solidify the league. It’s a mission that brings everyone together and creates a powerful, but chaotic bond which happens rather quickly. In the end, there was laughter and applause at the end of the film.

Justice League is probably the most comedic film DC has produced, but still manages to keep its dark tone in certain scenes. The best comedy came in the form of Ezra Miller, who plays the Flash, and arguably steals the show. Seeing Flash run and go through the speed force is one of the coolest moments in the film. Ezra brings a witty and almost nerdish feel to the team that entertains the audience every time he’s on screen. Another debut is Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.

I loved the warrior look of Jason Momoa and he his performance was great, but Ray Fisher’s performance is blocked by bad CGI that could’ve been done better in my opinion. The other victim of bad CGI was the main villain, Steppenwolf. He was an ok choice to be the main antagonist, but I’m sure DC fans would’ve rather it had been Darkseid, a popular DC villain hellbent on destroying Superman and Earth. My guess is that DC is saving him for hopefully another film. It’s a good action movie that all about what’s happening, but lacks the support beams that explains why it’s happening.

The story overall was decent, but it could’ve been way better if it was longer. For a story that involves so many iconic heroes, you don’t see much of their lives outside of their uniforms. There’s little time to know the characters or see their homes like Atlantis or Central City. I’m guessing that DC will probably come out with an extended cut on Blu-ray like they did with Suicide Squad and Dawn of Justice. This has always been the handicap with films from DC and why they are trailing behind their competition, Marvel Studios.

DC and Warner Bros. make films with the expectation of the audience to already know the characters and their backgrounds. That’s an alright tactic for the fans, but that creates problems for the general audience who may not have in depth knowledge of each character. If they don’t start giving characters proper time to connect with the audience, then critics will keep bashing their movies every time.

Warner Bros. and DC have had a bad run as of late with their films when Zack Snyder was chosen to direct Superman in Man of Steel. That started this issue of dividing fans and critics as the films kept rolling out. Things hit their lowest when the sequel, Dawn of Justice, came out and began to cast doubt on whether to pull the plug or not. Then there was another bomb with Suicide Squad, but then the princess of the amazons came and the rest is history. Luckily DC’s cinematic universe survived long enough to get to this point, but it’s not for lack of unfortunate events that began to worry DC Comics and its fans.

Rumors started to speculate on whether Ben Affleck was leaving Batman behind due to internal struggles with DC. So far, he’s still onboard with the upcoming solo film The Batman, but things could change. The biggest hit was the announcement that Zack Snyder was leaving production early due to a death in the family. Joss Whedon would take over the rest of way; this lead to various reshoots and cuts that began to raise eyebrows. The change in directors midway turned out to be a blessing because Whedon mixed Snyder’s direction with a bit of what Whedon did with Marvel to bring lighter tones to the film.

My heart wants to give this film a perfect ten as a fan of superheroes, but it gets a seven from a neutral point of view. Justice League could be a step in the right direction if it becomes a success financially, but fans are skeptical with good reason. It’s worth your time if you like superheroes, a fan of action movies and know a little about each character. If you only know who the characters are and not their backgrounds, then you’re going to be lost quick. Hoping for the best; because judging from the two post credits, there’s good things on the horizon if Justice League is successful. 

Thor: God of Thunder

When it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor is probably my least favorable character. The past two films have been visually appealing, but lacking in some areas that keeps this hero dragging next to Iron Man and Captain America. That isn’t the case with the third film in this franchise, Thor: Ragnarok. This film took a more drastic turn in order to keep up with other Marvel characters with director Taika Waititi making this a more comedic action film. All of Thor’s previous movies have been action mixed with drama, and some believe that’s what’s been dragging the god of thunder down.

Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, has always seemed like a lost character who was always outshined his arch nemesis, Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. Now things have come full circle as the legendary tale of Ragnarok has arrived. In Norse mythology, Ragnarok is basically the Vikings vision of Armageddon that includes a Midgard serpent that devours the world. Then a fire giant named Surtur will destroy Asgard, the home of the Viking gods. In the film, Ragnarok mostly focuses on the fall of Asgard and the death of the gods.

As the Ragnarok on the rise, Thor must realize his place amongst his people and lead them before the Asgard burns to the ground. Things don’t get any easier for Thor when he realizes a terrible family secret that brings the goddess of death, Hela, at his door. After proving to be no match for her, Thor is exiled to another world and must find his way back before it’s too late. Cate Blanchett, who plays Hela, did an excellent job portraying one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel Universe. Taika Waititi did her justice by portraying the dark character, but showing a decent backstory to explain her motives.

The film was funny in some areas and the action made the two hours fly, but that’s where one problem reveals itself. Events were happening so fast that it was hard to digest what had just happened with certain characters. The other problem I had with the film was Grandmaster, leader of Sakaar and played by Jeff Goldblum. Sakaar is a savage planet that has significance to Hulk, but that’s a story for another time. The Grandmaster is more annoying than comedic, and could’ve done better if he appeared more serious instead of acting like the creepy uncle.

Thor has more character development in this film than any film before and it’s appropriate considering the stakes. The only problem is some fans of the god of thunder may have a problem with how this series concludes. I was shocked by certain events that took place and I had to wait till after the movie was done to finally digest what happened. Overall, I’m happy with the direction that the film took with the character and this is probably my favorite Thor film out of the three.

I can’t guarantee that some fans of Thor will feel the same because I can guarantee that Thor will never be the same after this film. Making this a film a comedy was probably the best thing that Taika Waititi could’ve done for the franchise and the audience I was with were entertained. This film would’ve been perfect if it was just a little bit longer to give the audience time to digest the events and Grandmaster was redesigned to look more like a world conqueror. This film gets an eight out of ten and there is a mid-credit scene and a post credit scene after the film. Thor will return for the highly anticipated Avengers: Infinity Wars and it’ll be interesting to see how everyone reacts to the god of thunder.