‘Blu-ray or Bust’ - JUSTICE LEAGUE

‘Blu-ray or Bust’

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017, PG-13, 120 minutes, WARNER BROS./DC ENTERTAINMENT)

My Evil Editor is under the impression that I have it out for DC films, so I’d like to do things a wee bit differently this week.

To start, a quick synopsis of the film: Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) recruits Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), the Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) to help him stop Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds’s voice) from destroying the earth.

Now, the facts: I enjoyed the film more than the final grade shows.  However, there was way too much for me to overlook.  I would like to point out that I have a soft-spot in my heart for Zack Snyder.  The man brilliantly brought THE BEST comic book interpretation to the screen with 2009’s WATCHMEN; the director’s cut was a gloriously rendered and beautiful tragedy of a story, one that reflected not only the comic’s message of hope, fear, love, and rebirth, but it’s legendary visual components as well. Snyder has a style of storytelling which is characteristically grim, dark, and darkly humorous.  He is also a rather intelligent filmmaker. 

His other greatest story was the director’s cut of BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE.  This final edit made much more sense than the original theatrical release, with more fleshed out characters and subtle nuances that made the action more relatable, and the events more believable, even if I thought it was a bit early to be jumping into team-up mode.  The director’s cut worked quite nicely.

But I had issues with its predecessor, MAN OF STEEL.  There was no director’s cut of that film, and the result was a story that felt rushed, especially when it came to Superman’s issues with killing.  Of course, the result of that death at the hands of the Man of Steel have reverberated in the subsequent storylines—not that it has appeared to affect the hero all that much, but I’m willing to forgive any needless existential character building where Superman is concerned.

My biggest problem with the DC universe lies with JUSTICE LEAGUE, however.  With the rousing success of last year’s brilliant WONDER WOMAN, Warner Bros. must have thought this film would automatically be good.  That the special effects would work with no tinkering, that the villain would be evil enough just because of the idea of him, that the strengths of its characters would carry the film and none would be the wiser.  In other words, they threw a bunch of crap at some good actors and figured everyone would buy it as awesome.  It probably didn’t help that Snyder had to bow out of directorial duties due to a family tragedy, and that Joss Whedon stepped in to finish the film.  Snyder is still credited with the duty, but there is Joss all over this movie.

And kids, you can’t switch directorial styles halfway through filming.  You can switch storytelling styles as a means to tell different points of view, but when you bring in another director to finish something already begun, the styles are obviously going to clash.  Whedon, as you’ll recall, is the man behind THE AVENGERS films—superhero ensemble films that worked because everything else worked.  And because Marvel Studios took the time to give you back story on several characters first.  With LEAGUE, you get three new heroes you didn’t have before.  Don’t get me wrong, each of those characters deserve their own films—all three actors do great with their roles, bringing distinctive voices to each one—but those films should have been approached prior to mushing them all together here.

And the effects…  Sweet Baby Hey-Zeus, the effects.  The film starts with one of the worst effect shots in the movie: the CGI removal of Henry Cavill’s beard.  It gives him swollen cheeks.  Seriously, like he has cotton stuffed in his face.  And Steppenwolf… honestly, I’d like to know which part of the film used up all of the funds set aside for the effects shots, because it wasn’t when it came to animating the villain.  And the other shot that well and truly pissed me off was of Alfred (Jeremy Irons) watching the Justice League depart; he is a tiny figure on the screen, but if you are looking at him and not the jet as it departs, the rendition is truly terrible.  Right down to the whites of HIS GLASSES.

I truly do not want to spoil this film for anyone, but I’m not even listing half of the issues I have with the film.  I do not hate DC films—but fans deserve better than this.  If anything, the studio should have given Snyder time to deal with his family issues before hiring another director to take over.  I love Joss Whedon to the moon and back, but his voice, after listening to Snyder’s thus far, was not the right one for the DC universe.

It is possible that purchasing this on regular DVD and not Blu-ray will make it a better viewing experience, as the flawed effects may not stand out as much.  But guys, Snyder and his team worked wonders with the effects of WATCHMEN—how was it so difficult to pull off here?  

Grade: C-     

Special Features: B

Blu-ray Necessary: No. No, no, NO.

-- T.S. Kummelman