Justice League reviews rundown: Critics slam 'embarrassing' sequel
The League have reached a verdict: The latest D.C. Comics action-gasm is declared guilty of not living up to the success of summer’s breakout smash Wonder Woman … yet the superhero mashup avoided many of felony-level creative crimes that critics leveled at its studio predecessors Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.
While Rotten Tomatoes is refusing to release the film’s aggregate score until Thursday (and doesn’t even feature critics reviews for the film on its site at present time), rival site Metacritic isn’t so shy (and also isn’t partly owned by Justice League studio Warner Bros.): So far Justice League is scoring 51 out of 100 on the site, though many of the actual reviews read a bit harsher than that score might suggest. Critics particularly slammed Ben Affleck for another dour turn as Batman, a CGI mess of a villain in Steppenwolf, and the film feeling like a disjointed Marvel wannabe. Yet positive nods were given to Gal Gadot’s return as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa’s introduction as Aquaman, and a handful of playful moments.
Here’s the rundown of reviews from top critics, the embargo for which was lifted early Wednesday morning:
McCarthy (THR): “The increasingly turgid tales of Batman and Superman — joined, unfortunately for her, by Wonder Woman — trudge along to ever-diminishing returns in Justice League. Garishly unattractive to look at and lacking the spirit that made Wonder Woman, which came out five months ago, the most engaging of Warner Bros.’ DC Comics-derived extravaganzas to date, this hodgepodge throws a bunch of superheroes into a mix that neither congeals nor particularly makes you want to see more of them in future. Plainly put, it’s simply not fun … Snyder and Whedon guide it all with the usual heavy hand and with a visual style that’s both gloomy and garish. Many shots are elaborated upon with effects-powered pools of disco-era lighting, zig-zaggy electrical charges and visualized power currents that fill in the compositions in unattractive ways. One only has to recall for a moment the rich images that Christopher Nolan and Wally Pfister consistently created for the Dark Knight trilogy to realize how far these Superman films are from any kind of pictorial distinction.”
While Rotten Tomatoes is refusing to release the film’s aggregate score until Thursday (and doesn’t even feature critics reviews for the film on its site at present time), rival site Metacritic isn’t so shy (and also isn’t partly owned by Justice League studio Warner Bros.): So far Justice League is scoring 51 out of 100 on the site, though many of the actual reviews read a bit harsher than that score might suggest. Critics particularly slammed Ben Affleck for another dour turn as Batman, a CGI mess of a villain in Steppenwolf, and the film feeling like a disjointed Marvel wannabe. Yet positive nods were given to Gal Gadot’s return as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa’s introduction as Aquaman, and a handful of playful moments.
Here’s the rundown of reviews from top critics, the embargo for which was lifted early Wednesday morning:
McCarthy (THR): “The increasingly turgid tales of Batman and Superman — joined, unfortunately for her, by Wonder Woman — trudge along to ever-diminishing returns in Justice League. Garishly unattractive to look at and lacking the spirit that made Wonder Woman, which came out five months ago, the most engaging of Warner Bros.’ DC Comics-derived extravaganzas to date, this hodgepodge throws a bunch of superheroes into a mix that neither congeals nor particularly makes you want to see more of them in future. Plainly put, it’s simply not fun … Snyder and Whedon guide it all with the usual heavy hand and with a visual style that’s both gloomy and garish. Many shots are elaborated upon with effects-powered pools of disco-era lighting, zig-zaggy electrical charges and visualized power currents that fill in the compositions in unattractive ways. One only has to recall for a moment the rich images that Christopher Nolan and Wally Pfister consistently created for the Dark Knight trilogy to realize how far these Superman films are from any kind of pictorial distinction.”
Owen Gleiberman (Variety): “The film is the definition of an adequate high-spirited studio lark: no more, no less. If fans get excited about it, that may mostly be because they’re excited about getting excited. Yet the movie is no cheat. It’s a tasty franchise delivery system that kicks a certain series back into gear. Every moment feels like it’s been test-driven for our pleasure. As a piece of product, “Justice League” is “superior” to “Batman v Superman,” but it’s also about as close to generic as a sharp-wittedh high-octane comic-book movie can get. There’s hardly a trope in it you haven’t seen before.”
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