The Sunday Mail
AT some point, the Warner Brothers are going to have to take a good look at themselves in the mirror and say “enough is enough”, pack their bags and just abandon ship.
Despite Warner Brothers having a very rich source material in DC Comics, they have failed to compete with Disney-owned Marvel Comics. Aside from the surprisingly successful “Wonder Woman”, every single film they have churned out has flopped both critically and commercially and they have no one to blame but themselves.
The stable lacks in creativity, star power and the huge bank accounts of their counterparts Marvel Comics. But having no money should never be an excuse. Their latest offering “Justice League”, may go down as the worst of them.
Look, I really had high hopes for the movie, after all, I grew up on the comics and have fallen in love with their television department, especially CW’s “The Flash” and the crossover concept they have been doing for the last couple of years.
When I read how “Justice League” tanked on the box office and looks likely to lose somewhere in the region of US$50 million, I figured “hey it’s a new Zimbabwe, why not throw the little guy a bone or two?” The plan was to write a glowing review and try to embellish the film’s strengths, no matter how small or insignificant, but no matter what shade of lipstick you put on a frog it is still going to be a frog.
“Justice League” is a superhero ensemble movie in which some of DC Comics’ more iconic figures band together whenever the fate of the planet comes under threat.
The film picks up almost exactly where “Batman vs Superman” left off as the world mourns the passing of Superman (Henry Cavill). Unfortunately, a new threat in the form of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds), an alien military officer hell bent on uniting three energy boxes that will literary destroy earth and rebuild it in the image of his home planet Apokolips, has been born.
This new threat forces Batman (Ben Aflleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to recruit fellow super-powered individuals and bring the fight back to the evil invader. These include The Flash (Ezra Miller), Cybrog (Ray Fisher) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa) who each have their own reason for wanting to fight Steppenwolf.
Now for all the numerous faults and few merits, I think I have pinned down the problem with the film to just one thing or should I say man. Joss Whedon! For a little back story, Zack Snyder was supposedly the one who wrote and directed the movie when the project begun.
Unfortunately, midway through filming he was forced to recuse himself due to personal reasons, after which Whedon was brought on board almost immediately, throwing his weight around rewriting the script, forcing re-shoots and most importantly, costing the studio millions of dollars.
The result is a film with an uneven tone, terrible dialogue, no wit whatsoever and terrible CGI. The whole 3D aspect, a result of Snyder’s works, is quite an eyesore too.
Steppenwolf, on top of being a one-dimensional and shallow villain, is the most affected by the CGI. The fight sequences are impressive only when an Amazonian warrior is involved, while The Flash’s speed force effects are a joke.
Much like he did in the “Avengers” movies, Whedon tries to bring his sharp wit, excellent dialogue and writing skills but none of the cast members, with the exception of Miller, have the chops to pull it off.
Fisher spends way too much time brooding and trying to look tough while Momoa looks the part but tries way too much in the speech department. If I am to be honest, only Gadot and Miller appear to have the skill set required for their superhero personas, almost carrying their co-stars throughout the movies.
There is no chemistry whatsoever amongst the film’s star-studded ensemble, which surprisingly comprises actors like Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane and the ever boring Ben Affleck and Amy Adams.
Now, I believe the less said about the whole superman debacle the better. I leave that disappointment to those brave enough to watch the film.
