zack snyder's justice league review
Only two of the six members of the titular league in Zack Snyder’s Justice League have anything that can be described as a traditional character arc. If a lack of narrative stakes for the majority of the cast outside of “save the world and don’t die trying” doesn’t bother you (and I’m not here to tell you it should), than the film represents a perfectly fine piece of popcorn entertainment. Just don’t go in expecting a genre-breaking film or much nuance. This isn’t Logan and it isn’t trying to be. It plays like a Saturday morning cartoon with broad strokes and sequences designed specifically for maximum impact. Problems are solved by punching them - often in slow motion - while moody music plays in the background. It’s a traditional superhero action romp with great appeal for genre wonks (like myself) and little else for more casual fans. The difference between it and a snooze-fest like Wonder Woman 84 is the unmistakable Snyder direction. His hyper-stylized approach to visual storytelling is adept and unique but also an acquired taste. Much of the proceedings feel like a music video. If you take a step back I think it’s clear that Snyder is a curious choice for adapting the most iconic characters DC has to offer. Curiouser still when you consider that Zack Snyder’s Justice League is tasked with balancing and creating cohesion across the differing tones of 6+ larger than life DC properties that quite literally must stand on their own. The film feels a bit homogenized in terms of characterization. One can’t help but think that DC is making it up as they go (relative to Marvel at least) in leaning so heavily onto a director known for clinging to one specific tone and style at the cost of substantive storytelling. The DC heroes in the film take a backseat to Snyder being Snyder. It’s not a criticism as much as an observation. I still enjoyed the film. That being said I would like to see the DCEU making strides towards matching the consistency of the MCU. I’m not sure that Zack Snyder is the way (and I watch Sucker Punch every year).
Zack Snyder’s Justice League receives a score of 7/10 for general audiences and a 7.5/10 for superhero genre fans. Batman’s costume is sublime.