Justice League: the short of it

[tielan]

I enjoyed it. It's a generally team-y superhero movie of how the band gets together - like Avengers, only for the DCCU.

The things that people have been fuming about were marginal in my view. There are holes, but there are always holes in movies, it just depends whether you're going to pick at them or not.

Diana is the powerhouse she should be, Bruce is very much The Human One (and this is an extremely unpopular opinion, but I really like Batfleck's portrayal of an aging, struggling Bruce Wayne). Those are the characters I most care about, but from my admittedly marginal comics knowledge there seemed to be no untimely or uncharacteristic notes for me from the others. (At least, no more than I would argue is the difference between Tony Stark in IM3 vs. AoU vs. CW given which branch of the story the character is in and his usefulness in driving the plot.) Even [redacted]'s [redacted] was what I'd expect from a [redacted] who'd [redacted] and found [redacted] [redacted] [redacted]. :)

I have a feeling it would have been a very different movie without Whedon. It's very possible that the echoey Avengers sense I'm getting is largely due to his hand in JL. However, 'the band gets together' is a trope that Whedon does well (he then gets squicky in the everyday drama stakes) and which I enjoy, so I don't have complaints.

Obviously mileage will vary, but I strongly recommend seeing it and judging for yourself. There was nothing that I felt I needed to spork my eyes out; and I came out with the desire to see it a second time to let it all sink in.

Bonus: the ticket was $8.50. In the cineplexes, they're easily $22+.

Finally, there are two trailer teasers, so stay all the way to the end. (You should know this from Marvel.)

Comments

[james]

My problem is that I know Whedon does ensembles very well, but I hate how he treats women characters so I don't want to give him my money. But I'll probably get the movie from the library and see it for free and enjoy it for what it is.

[tielan]

You don't want to pay money for it, don't pay money for it. It's not something I think Everyone Must See (there are no movies I think Everyone Must See), I just think that the people who are all "the critics said it was bad bad BAD and they must be right" are one opinion and I'm giving an alternative.

It's an enjoyable movie; if you want to pay money to see it, pay money to see it and just go with the flow.

[anoyo]

I actually super enjoyed Batfleck. Way more than in BvS, honestly. He was not my issue with the movie. I thought they undermined Diana a bit (which apparently no one else agrees with, so apparently this is just My Own Issue), but my biggest issues were with Superman. (There's a little blurb about it on my own journal.)

I'm definitely going to watch it again, but not until it's on Bluray. Until then, there are plenty of movies coming out over the winter for me to watch. :/

[tielan]

I think that the difference between a character in their own feature film vs. in a group film are always going to be enough that some fans of the character are going to be disgruntled.

The reasoning in my head also goes: "Is a movie made by two guys going to portray a female superhero in a team situation with the same clarity and beauty that a movie made by a woman portrays the female superhero in her own feature film? Nope." And I can live with that in the first viewing. I may change my opinion in a later viewing, but right now I'm just trying to enjoy the movie and find others who enjoyed it too.

[anoyo]

Yeah, definitely fair. It'll be one that I rewatch, when it's out, to see if I think differently without any expectations and / or prejudices to lean me one way or the other.

[monanotlisa]

Hmm...how's Wonder Woman treated?

[tielan]

I thought she was treated perfectly fine as a character, as a woman, as a warrior.

Diana's personality seemed well within the parameters of character set by her own movie, in most of the battle scenes she's in the thick of the fighting, and there are some good character moments in her interactions with the other JL members.

It's a movie about a team, fulfilling the creative vision of two guys. It's not going to be the same as in her own feature film, produced and creatively visioned by a woman. And I'm okay with that, but others aren't going to be.

[monanotlisa]

Good to know! Thank you.

[geckoholic]

Pretty much my opinion. Yes there are holes and dips in the mood of the movie and I could have done with the more obvious Whedon reshots, but it was fun and it was a team building movie that gave everyone their due, the latter of which is more important to me than a perfectly executed plot anyway.

(Your redacted sentence has me curious. XD)

[tielan]

Clark and the fight at the memorial. :)

I haven't actually bothered to read the people who think it's a trash fire, so I'm kind of curious what's being said about it that's so bad.