JUSTICE DENIED!
DC movie should have been an event — not a mistake
You can’t save the world alone — and Ultra High Definition can’t save Justice League.
The far-from-heralded DC Comics-inspired film is now available to purchase on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD (it was already available digitally).
If you decide to reach for your utility belt to drop some cash so you can watch this film at home, be prepared for two hours of “what could have been.”
A viewing of this film just makes you realize that Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment missed a gigantic opportunity to leave a definitive mark on the world of superhero cinema. Justice League doesn’t age well. It should have been an event. Instead it feels like a mistake. Repeated viewing after a home video purchase is one of the true joys in this current era of comicbook movies, but Justice League doesn’t bring out such emotions watching it again. There are visual aspects to enjoy, but all that the enhanced detail of a 4K viewing provides is the realization that WB/DC just didn’t get it right with this one.
It clearly suffered from studio interference. Witty Joss Whedon dialogue wasn’t going to save the day, and neither was Superman, who should have been a part of the advertising scheme from the beginning.
Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly:
THE GOOD
Visually, you won’t find a betterlooking superhero team on film. That’s a rare tip of the cap to WB/ DC, and Zack Snyder specifically, for doing an outstanding job of casting. The icing on the cake is the costume design of Michael Wilkinson, who might be the one true hero of Justice League. Every super-suit is a work of art and looks fantastic in 4K. There’s a special feature included that shows Wilkinson and his team constructing the look of the film, and it’s one of the most enjoyable parts of the video experience.
THE BAD
Perhaps the biggest mistake of
Justice League (well, besides not giving each hero a solo film first so that when the team finally comes together it feels like more of an event) is the absolutely beyond infuriating lack of one of the most powerful and popular DC Comics villains ever: Darkseid. Maybe he was a part of the plans when this was going to be a two-part movie, but he’s nowhere to be found and his absence is glaring. The biggest heroes coming together to take on Steppenwolf ? No one cares about Steppenwolf. If you do, you’re lying. Darkseid should have been the big bad from the beginning.
THE UGLY
The only thing worse than Henry Cavill having to film reshoots as Superman with a moustache because his Mission Impossible bosses wouldn’t let him shave, was that Justice League begins with one of those CGI-moustache removal scenes. To say that set the tone for the next two hours is an understatement.
OVERALL
Justice League wasn’t the worldchanger you thought it would be. Don’t worry. Jason Momoa’s Aquaman movie has a chance to be another Wonder Woman moment for WB/DC. A Flash(point) movie starring Ezra Miller (if it ever happens) could be used as an opportunity to play with the time stream and rewrite the DC movie universe anew. Shazam (starring Zachary Levi) could also be a game-changer. So DC on film isn’t going away. Just don’t expect these heroes to team up again for a while.