JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Ciaran Hinds, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, Joe Morton, Billy Crudup, Amber Heard
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, based on a story by Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio

JUSTICE LEAGUE is a much better film than expected. I was expecting another CGI laden mindless carnage outing (which to be fair, it still has plenty of it) but surprisingly, it has heart. Well, it's much better than Avengers: Age of Ultron and even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

What I really appreciated about this movie is the balance of action and the quieter moments between our superheroes. For those who are unaware, Justice League actually has two directors. Zack Snyder had to step aside due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon stepped in to do some re-shoots. It almost seems that the grand action pieces and the signature visual flair was helmed by Snyder while the light-hearted moments were done by Whedon.

Hey, I'm not complaining because it somehow worked for me. And thankfully, there is flow and hardly any inconsistencies. As mentioned, it's the "slower" scenes that actually made the camaraderie between our heroes believable. And there are many of these and most of these moments have smart dialogue and is quite funny. And speaking of funny, I'm glad the filmmakers didn't do a course correction and amped-up the comedy because I actually do like the "dark" and seriousness of the DC movies, but all of it just lacked soul (except for Wonder Woman).

The "new" characters to the team namely Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg could definitely have benefited if they had solo movies to explain their origins before this outing. One the film's best moment is when Wonder Woman reacted roughly to Batman when he mentioned her "dead boyfriend". That scene wouldn't have played out so powerfully if Wonder Woman didn't have a solo outing earlier this year.

Also, this movie has a very weak villain. Steppenwolf (a motion captured Ciaran Hinds) is not scary at all and is just another forgettable Big Bad Guy who wants to conquer the world. It seems the only reason he exists is to provide a catalyst to bring the Justice League together.

Lastly, I'm glad they brought back Danny Elfman to score the movie (replacing Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL). It's less bombastic and it goes back to basics drawing heavily from his own Batman (1989) theme as well as inserting hints of previous work of other composers. And I do very much dig Blues-rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr cover of the Beatles' Come Together. 

Overall, this film worked for me as I do like the characters. It's definitely a step in the right direction for the DC folks because I'm looking forward to see these superheroes on the big screen again, whether in their own films or as a team.

RATING: 7/10

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)

Genre: Action/Adventure
Running Length: 2:21
Cast:  Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, James Spader, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Director: Joss Whedon
Screenplay: Joss Whedon

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON plays it safe. Most summer tent pole sequels tend to up their offering ie. more of the same but bigger explosions, more body counts or more over-the-top action sequences (think the Transformers franchise) but Age of Ultron is just...more of the same. Granted that there are some interesting camera work but the action scenes are more frantic than exciting. Although the big battle CGI laden final scene is loud and energetic (which echoes Zack Snyder's Man of Steel wanton city carnage), it's just way too long and boring. I was actually fidgeting in my seat waiting for the movie to be over. Thankfully, the quieter moments paid off especially scenes involving the characters who don't have their own franchise. And they are given more screen time and back story. Although the love affair between Black Widow and Bruce Banner/Hulk feels forced, it's still pretty sweet. And Hawkeye's "secret" do lead to an emotional payoff at the end of the film. However, the "A-list" superheroes do not fare as well; Robert Downey Jr's Ironman seems to have lost his panache, Chris Evan's Cap Am is wooden and Chris Hemsworth's Thor just stands around looking handsome and spewing out funny one-liners. Although Ultron is somewhat an interesting villain because of his "daddy issues", his big bad evil plan is lame and overly convoluted. Overall, if the film makers could have just taken some risk to challenge its predecessor, this movie could have turned out to be less lazy.

Rating: 6/10