Jamaica Gleaner

All-star superhero cast in minor league flick

- Damian Levy Contributo­r Rating: Half-Price

CHANCES ARE there’s not a soul alive who didn’t grow up in some shape or form with the Justice League. Though the characters are American inventions, they’re regarded the world over as iconic. Therefore, despite all evidence to the contrary, I couldn’t help but have a twinge of excitement over the movie. Sure,

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a cinematic travesty, but Wonder Woman was a breath of fresh air. So where then does that leave Justice

League? Well, sadly, leaning more towards the former.

While the film never quite reaches the lows of its 2016 predecesso­r, it does have some elements that serve as chilling reminders of how bad these films can be. The first act of the film is an incoherent mess. Batman, coming off of his win in his title fight with Superman, is travelling the world to assemble a team of super friends to face off against an incoming invasion.

INTERGALAC­TIC CONQUEROR

You have Cyborg, The Flash, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Batman, all facing off against the evil Steppenwol­f. an intergalac­tic conqueror with a vengeance and rotten dialogue. Perhaps Justice

League is a film best seen on mute, as, too often, I would be hit with the urge to smack one of the characters for saying the absolute cheesiest lines.

Where Justice League fails is in its rushed execution, as it feels as though the first hour is a collection of disconnect­ed scenes with no natural progressio­n.

Yet, when that second act struck, there was a vast improvemen­t. Suddenly, after moving past leagues of set up, the latter half of the film does the film’s title justice. Yes, the characters still say ridiculous things, but they inherently feel like the characters, personalit­ies that have the familiarit­y of their source material and the novelty of a few cinematic difference­s.

Justice League is a live action four-part episode of the animated series bearing the same name – except not as good and not nearly as beautiful. Ugly and obvious computer graphics sully a film that is best seen in 2D.

Still, despite its problems, I must say I enjoyed my experience with Justice

League. If not for the sheer epic event of seeing these characters interact, I’d say it would be a film you can catch on cable. Instead, I’ll say see it in the cinema only, at a discount.

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? Academy Award winner Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), Henry Cavill (Superman), Raymond Fisher (Cyborg), an Jason Momoa (Aquaman) in the DC Comics movie ‘Justice League’.
CONTRIBUTE­D Academy Award winner Ben Affleck (Batman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), Henry Cavill (Superman), Raymond Fisher (Cyborg), an Jason Momoa (Aquaman) in the DC Comics movie ‘Justice League’.

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