Justice League (SPOILERS)

It all came down to this! The DCEU, as we all know, has been a very polarizing business. It certainly hasn't proved to be as successful as we, and probably Warner Bros, thought it was going to be, and this film was the ultimate factor in deciding whether or not it would ever be as successful as its counterpart, the MCU. Ultimately, I have had a feeling of tolerance towards the DCEU as a whole: I thought Man of Steel was great, found Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice to be decent despite its many, many flaws, and Wonder Woman was, simply put, a breath of fresh air. So far, the only dud of this franchise, to me at least, was Suicide Squad (the less said about that one the better.) Overall, the DCEU has been alright to me, and I had hopes that Justice League would finally put all the doubts of its success to rest. The question is, did it? Well, the answer is yes and no. And here is why:

UPS

1. The League is great, as they should be. Ben Affleck continues to excel as the Caped Crusader, and despite the glaring (and possibly true, sadly) rumors of him leaving proves to be the best live-action interpretation of the character. Gal Gadot continues to wow the world as Wonder Woman, and the new three members are great as well: the Flash isn't the scene stealer everyone makes him out to be (more on why in a sec,) but Ezra Miller's endearing likability manages to make him a joy to watch regardless. Meanwhile, Jason Momoa is a hilariously entertaining presence as Aquaman, and Ray Fisher's Cyborg may be the most surprising of the three, as he actually plays an integral part to the plot and has an intriguing backstory to boot, which makes him the most compelling newcomer of the three. Now as for the Son of Krypton, we're gonna hold off on him for right now ;)
2. The supporting cast is great, even if they do not get much to do. Not only do we get excellent returnees like Jeremy Irons' Alfred, Diane Lane's Martha Kent, and Connie Nielsen's Hippolyta, we get terrific newcomers as well, with the standouts being Bill Crudup as Henry Allen, J. K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, and Amber Heard as Mera. All in all, these actors and actresses made the most of what they got, which wasn't much unfortunately...
3. The lighter tone. This was a trend that started with Wonder Woman and continues here. This movie may have its faults, but it cannot be denied that it is an incredibly fun experience. I enjoyed most of the humor, especially Batman's line, "Yep, something's definitely bleeding," and Aquaman's confession ala Lasso of Truth, and if all else failed (which it didn't, thankfully,) at least I had a blast being entertained.
4. The two post-credits scenes were fantastic. The first one was great in that it's an incredibly lighthearted, funny, and sweet moment between two beloved characters, but the real meat comes in the second one, which sets up the upcoming movies in a big way. And despite that awful hair-dye job, I think Joe Manginello has nailed the look of Deathstroke.
5. Finally, I think it's time to address the one character that everyone was talking about when it came to this movie: Superman. Now considering the fact that I am not the hugest fan of this character, I never thought I'd hear myself say (or see myself write) that Superman was the best part of the whole damn movie! Yes, even better than Batman! After two movies of him being portrayed as a man who had immense self-doubt and feelings of his lack of worth in the world, it was incredibly refreshing to see the Man of Steel portrayed the way that made everyone fall in love with the character in the first place. If anything could signal the DCEU taking a step in the right direction, then it's certainly the return of the Superman. 

DOWNS

1. The whole movie was incredibly rushed. It's only a mere two hours, yet it's obvious that more room was needed. Everything happens so fast that there is barely any time to digest what's happening. All in all, a little breather every now and then couldn't hurt, even if...
2. The plot was incredibly generic, simple, and cliché. It essentially boils down to a big bad villain coming down to take over the world, and it's up to our heroes to save the day before it's too late. Nothing more, nothing less. The glaring similarities to Lord of the Rings don't really help matters, and ultimately...
3. Steppenwolf is a painfully mediocre villain. He's not as bad as everyone says he is, but he's not too good either. Ciaran Hinds really tries his hardest to make him seem cool and imposing, but he barely does anything to make him stand out as a true menace, his CGI design looks pretty terrible, and he ultimately proves to be completely inept once Superman arrives on the scene. It really says something when your henchmen are way cooler than you. 
4. Some of the humor didn't stick, and the prime suspect of most of that is, unfortunately, the Flash. As I mentioned before, Ezra Miller was great, but most of his scenes designated him to the comic relief and it felt very forced as a result.
5. Poor Lois Lane. With each passing movie, it feels as though the writers have just given up on this character, and boy does it show here. Considering that this is Superman's, well, love interest and a very important character to his story, it is immensely disappointing to see what's become of her here and it really is a waste of Amy Adams' talents. 

OVERALL

Justice League had one huge job, and I think it succeeded in most regards while also, unfortunately, maintaining the status quo it should desperately try to avoid. It certainly isn't better than Wonder Woman or even Man of Steel, but it is a step in the right direction and at least casts the spark for a bright light moving forward.

And that's it for this review, guys. Tune in for more coming up :)