Oh no, not ANOTHER superhero origins movie! That, it seems, has been a large part of the critical reaction to the release of Justice League which has, as a result, suffered just a tad in the ratings. A shame, because while Justice League may not be the greatest superhero movie of all time (as far as I am concerned, that honour sits somewhere between Wonder Woman and Guardians of the Galaxy), it’s not bad.
For those not intimately acquainted with such stuff, there are two superhero ‘verses: the Marvel one, which has given us the likes of X-Men and the Avengers, as well as their various components parts, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America; and there is the DC one, best known for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and, when they get together collectively, the Justice League.
Minor complication: for some years, different Marvel characters were sub-licensed to different movie studios, which is why, until this year, Spiderman in an Avengers film was a no-no. Nowt to do with plot. Everything to do with big business.
From its arrival in 1961, the Marvel brand was always the slightly edgier, cooler of the two. Under pressure from Marvel, DC went some way to re-branding its own characters. Batman and Superman converted from clean-cut all-American guys to something much darker. In the case of Batman, the clue is in the sub-title: the Dark Knight. Batman, aka Bruce Wayne, re-invented as a deeply troubled character, plagued by memories of parental assassination and just a smidge below many of those he did battle with on the psychotic scale.
Over the last few years, Marvel has gone from strength to strength cinematically. DC has limped behind – although its strategy of launching some of its better loved heroes, such as the Flash onto the small screen has helped redress the balance.
And so it came to pass. Finally, critical mass. Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill) and WonderWoman (Gal Gadot) all have independent cinematic existence. To this trio, add now the Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). Sprinkle in Superman’s girlfriend, Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Bruce Wayne’s ever-loyal butler Alfred (Jeremy Irons) and you have the beginnings of a team.
Not just differently powered: clearly defined attitudes, characters, motivations too, from Flash’s boyish enthusiasm, to Aquaman’s growling grumpiness. Yes. Something is happening here. Introduce CGI villain Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), promising apocalypse now – or at least as soon as he has assembled the three bits of the key to the ultimate weapon – and you have an easy unchallenging plot to act as backdrop to this launch movie.
Weaknesses? As any origins story, too much time must be given over to explanation: so little space for twists and subtleties. Markers are put down for future reference: clearly Batman fancies WonderWoman; but can both/either overcome past trauma to synchronise their growing feelings for one another?
Back on Themyscira, WonderWoman’s mum, Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) turns up just in time to lose another best friend/lover/guards captain heroically to the bad guys. This is getting to be a habit, almost as irritating as the constant turnover of red shirts on the star trek crew. Sort yourself out, Hippolyta – else you’ll start to run out of devoted Amazons prepared to don the fancy breastplate and join your palace guard!
Loads of special effects. Some very touching moments, as when Superman, restored from the dead, gets back together with Lois and his own mum, Martha (Diane Lane).
The real problem? Is there room for more than one superhero universe touring our cinemas. Because before Marvel got as far as the Avengers, we had massive character development and back story and interlinking themes across the best part of a dozen movies. Some time soon, it will all come together in the hunt for the infinity stones: and by the time you get there, you’ll have watched 20 to 30 hours of establishing material.
DC, it feels, are trying to get there too fast: though maybe that is only because Marvel have shown us already what CAN be done with a superhero universe. If Marvel did not exist, DC would be doing just fine. But they do, and as result, we cannot help but draw comparisons.
A shame, because in the end, Justice League is more than adequate. It ticks the boxes, and delivers competently on a darker mood that, one suspects, is intended to reflect a new dystopian reality. An interesting soundtrack: Sigrid’s version of the Leonard Cohen staple, “Everybody Knows” is a genuine stand-out performance.
Three and a half stars.
