Justice League Review

Three years ago, a team of superheroes united on the big screen. The Justice League, DC Comics iconic team, made their debut in the 2017 blockbuster that continued the events of Man of Steel and Batman v.Superman: Dawn of Justice. It should have been a triumphant moment for the filmmakers and fans alike, but the final product ended up being nothing more than a beautiful lie. After director Zack Snyder left the project due to a personal tragedy, the studio tried to make its release date by hiring Joss Whedon (director of Marvel’s Avengers) to finish the project. What transpired was an altered version of the movie that was met with both criticism and controversy. Now, thanks to the efforts of Release the Snyder Cut movement, Justice League has been restored as Zack Snyder returned to the director’s chair to finish what he started. Though this director’s cut did not debut in theaters, it did however find its way to viewers thanks to WB’s streaming service HBO Max. Trying to watch the film was an adventure in of itself for me, but after several delays I was able to see this massive blockbuster. While I am not a major detractor of the theatrical cut (though it has not aged well for me) I will definitively state that not only is Zack Snyder’s Justice League the superior version, it is one of the best superhero movies ever made.

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Justice League Review: Justice is Served as a Superpowered Blockbuster!

In 2013 a new era began for Warner Bros and DC Comics. It started with the unique Superman reboot-Man of Steel. Three years later two icons clashed in the polarizing (and very much underrated) blockbuster Batman v.Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now a year,and two additional releases, later DC's shared universe continues with the long awaited team up film: Justice League. Directed by Zack Snyder Justice League marks the first time that DC's famed superhero team unites on the silver screen. Now to say that Justice League did not have an uphill battle to contend with would in fact be an injustice. Not only did the movie have to deal with changes in production but it seemed that every critic, journalist, blogger, YouTuber and moviegoer was gung ho on dissecting this blockbuster with the precision of a disgruntled surgeon. Regardless of what others may think it is in this Film Adventurer's opinion that Justice League is,without a doubt, a superhero movie through and through.

Taking place after the events Batman v.Superman the plot to Justice League deals with Batman (Ben Affleck) bringing together Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher) and Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) in order to face an alien threat that is bent on destroying the world. You know how it goes: a great evil threatens the world and a group of unlikely heroes come together to save together from certain doom. When putting like that it seemed that Justice League followed a very simple concept, and truthfully this statement is quite true. Was this a poor choice on the story's part? The answer to this question may vary but I do not believe the film's straightforward narrative was a bad thing. It may have been broad but the story was exciting and it turned to be an adventure with a decent pace. Yet this not to say that the plot had no dimensions to it. One of the most intriguing aspects to the movie was how it was able to expand on the cinematic world of DC Comics. Seeing the likes of Atlantis or the start of Flash's journey gave the plot a captivating element that made me eager to see more. The only issue I had with the plot was that its direction at times was a little too straightforward. Although the movie did its best to clarify on plot points the broad narrative did hold the story back and took the impact away from certain moments and twists. Despite its merits and shortcomings I felt that the most compelling thing about Justice League's plot was that it was as much of an ending as it was a beginning. The story brought the plots of Man of Steel and Batman v.Superman to a full circle while also being the start of a new adventure for this franchise; and that certainly gave this tale of heroes a defining trait.

Wonder Woman Review: A Wonderful Adventure and A Glorious Blockbuster

For years moviegoers have been accustom to both Batman and Superman gracing the silver screen. The two icons of DC Comics have had many movies to their names and both have pioneered the foundation of the superhero genre. Yet if you are familiar with DC Comics then you know that along with Batman and Superman another hero forms DC's superpowered Trinity and that character is none other than Wonder Woman. The famed superheroine has been beneficial for DC Comics and has played a pivotal part in pop culture. Yet despite the character's fame Wonder Woman has never had her own movie, but that has finally changed. The character made her cinematic debut in last year's​ Batman v.Superman: Dawn of Justice and now the Amazon Princess her own solo film simply titled Wonder Woman. Directed by Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman is the fourth film in the DC Extended Universe and centers on the character's time during World War One. To say that there is much riding on this movie maybe an understatement as it not only has to bring Wonder Woman's story to the silver screen, but create momentum for the DCEU. So does Wonder Woman do justice for the character, the DCEU and the summer?

The story to Wonder Woman centers on Diana (Gal Gadot): an Amazon Princess eager to find her place on Themyscira bot to mention the world. Things change for Diana when US spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) crash lands on the island and tells the Amazons about the "War to end all Wars". Once hearing about a lethal poison created by Doctor Maru (Elena Anaya) and utilized by General Elrich Ludendorf (Danny Huston), Diana believes that the conflict is being created by Ares, the God of War, and decides to travel with Steve to fight in the war-despite her mother's objection.  Along with Steve and his companions Diana travels to the frontlines to bring an end to the conflict and become the hero that she was meant to be.