Tasty, yet testy!

Johnson Thomas

DC’s Avengers like effort, ‘Justice League’ has the charisma and volatility to mark up several sequels in the making but it lacks defining heft, in this third salvo of superhero bonding( after Suicide Squad, Batman Vs Superman). 

This movie starts in morose fashion- a dark, sombre color palette enhancing the dejection experienced by Superman’s death. But threats continue to loom large. Bruce Wayne/Batman(Ben Affleck) has now to enlist newfound ally Diana Prince/Wonder Woman to recruit a new-fangled formation of unheard(in DC’s cinematic universe) of heroes - Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash, to face an even greater threat. 

The slap-dash screenplay introduces each new entrant with individualistic flare but the narrative gets beleaguered because of it. The aesthetic here is not as clear cut or purposeful as Marvel’s ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ was. Marvel’s cinematic Universe had the luxury of Individualised franchise entries before the Avengers assemblage, DC’s isn’t that well-prepared or organised enough to make it matter.

Most of the runtime here is concerned with preparing ground for future projects , as a result there’s very little time left for an expressive and satisfactory clash of good versus evil. Even the evil here is limiting because of a poorly defined characterisation-  Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds), the leader of the Parademons, who wants to destroy the world. The action set-pieces are noisy spectacles, the humour is piece-meal and far between and it’s not all congenial enough to matter. 

While Batman and Wonder Woman hog the maximum screen time, the other members of this extra-ordinary league also get defined moments in the sun but it doesn’t help much with the overall engagement. The action is familiar and not that enticing either. Danny Elfman’s score which chooses to incorporate Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" as it’s opening theme, makes a strong impression.

Affleck and Gadot make an impressive team and Clark Kent’s realignment with Lois Lane is also one for the memories, but beyond that there’s really nothing impressive about this superhero outing. ‘Justice League’ may not sink to the depths of ‘Suicide Squad’ but neither will it have the momentum and thrust of a ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and that’s a pity!