Starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Jeremy Irons and Henry Cavill

Directed by Zack Snyder (and Joss Whedon – uncredited)

Out now on Digital Download and 4K ULTRA HD Blu-ray™, Blu-ray™ 3D, Blu-ray™ and DVD. A Steelbook is also available exclusively with HMV. 

With the Earth under threat by uber-villain Steppenwolf and his legion of parademons, and no Superman to save mankind, it’s up to Batman to form a team of superheroes to take a stand.

Following the critical mauling of Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, it looked like subsequent DC superhero films were in trouble. Suicide Squad equally failed to impress, but then Wonder Woman burst onto the screen and proved that a DC movie can be both box office gold and great entertainment.
It’s from this shadow that Justice League emerges, having suffered its own trauma when  original director Zack Snyder left during the production for family reasons, and replaced by Joss Whedon. Sources suggest that Whedon replaced around 15-20% of the Snyder version (we’ll probably never definitively know), so could this be anything but a muddled mess? Sadly, what we get is a compromised movie that lacks the singularity of one director and very clearly feels like it’s been subject to late changes.
Say what you like about Batman Vs Superman, but at least it had some scale and vision. Justice League is so straightforward and keen to keep its running time to two hours that it ejects any emotions, character development or plot. It’s a hub movie that is fed into by other films, while also teasing other spokes that will create their outcomes. We meet (barely) Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash, knowing that their stories will continue in greater depth. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman benefit from having already been in their own movies, but this time round they are smaller cogs in a huge machine.
Steppenwolf is another of those anonymous CGI villains who wields an axe, sports a horned helmet and threatens mankind. Ciaran Hinds does what he can with the thin material but frankly the Parademon minions are far more menacing.
But even with all these negatives, I did actually enjoy myself. It is cool to see these superheroes finally together, even if it’s for little more than a tag team smackdown. Ezra Miller’s The Flash/Barry Allen has some great lines, Jason Momoa is the ultimate surfing dude – Aquaman – and even Cyborg has his turn in the spotlight with his cool special powers. I definitely want to see more of J K Simmons’ Jim Gordon, Jeremy Irons’ Alfred is a joy, and there’s a lot of set-up for future development. Oh, and Danny Elfman is back on scoring duties, resurrecting his 1989 Batman theme!
The film looks very good in the Home Entertainment release and the extras are fun but not essential additions. The Road to Justice and Heart of Justice look at the legacy of the characters, with input from some of the comics creators, and there’s an intro to the new heroes as well as the villain. The much-vaunted deleted scenes showing Superman’s black suit are short and sweet.

 

Verdict: It’s not Wonder Woman good, and its Avengers influences are not totally successful, but it just about gets away with being an OK film if you’re in the mood for some basic superhero action. Deep down, we know it could be so much better – DC have not cracked it yet. 6/10

Nick Joy with extra material by Paul Simpson