Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews

Director Zack Snyder
Screenplay Chris Terrio
Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons

Reasons to love Zack Snyder’s Justice League:

1. The first line of the credits says “For Autumn.”
2. The story is more carefully and completely fleshed out.
3. It has the definite feel, like most of Snyder’s work, of a true comic book layout.
4. Ray Fisher’s Cyborg, as humorless and uncharismatic as he is, at least has reasons for being so now.
5. Wonder Woman is brought back into the fold without losing any importance or charisma.
6. Affleck does more acting outside of the suit.
7. Cavill’s face looks real.
8. Not as much “King of the Mountain” plotline.
9. Hinds’ Steppenwolf is merely unrealistic CGI. Not the unfinished affront to the eyes that the previous version presents.
10. All of the cool superheroes and villain cameos that ties to the greater D.C.U. including a Green Lantern and Deathstroke.

Things not necessarily improved in ZSJL.

1. The bugs are still disposable thumbs (like some believe this reviewer might be).
2. Superman is still boring after the brief bout with amnesia, especially the whole farmhouse scene. Could have been cut down 2/3 and no one would have cared.
3. Affleck looks like he’s very uncomfortable in the Batman set up. There are maybe two fight scenes where he doesn’t look like he’s in traction.
4. The bad guys still have no depth or resonance. They look like CGI with no weight behind them.
5. Flash is less funny, and so is Aquaman.
6. The decision to come up with a Justice League movie is still a bit premature.
7. We know Whedon is a douche, but it was not his decision to push forward after tragedy. DC put profits in front of people and forever damaged the vision.
8. 4 hours is a slog. If this was his vision, it’s hard to see how it could have originally been released.

Things made worse in ZSJL.

1. The ending is not an ending. Rather it’s an attempt, awkwardly, to set up a multi-dimensional existence where anyone can die or be brought back.
2. Even more MacGuffins than in the first version.
3. More Jared Leto’s Joker is not necessarily better.
4. Too many slow motion scenes set to somber music. I know that’s a Snyder thing, but it’s too often to be effective.
5. We’ve lost many of this cast that could have been good for a few more films at least. Where do we go from here when this film makes us want to go back?

(***1/2 out of *****)