[yasr_overall_rating]
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.
Growing up in Dublin, Ireland in the ’70s and ’80s, I was never into comic books, they just never appealed to me. Fast forward to 2017 and going into movies like “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Justice League,” I had no earthly idea on what to expect, other than what came in the movies prior to them. I know that DC and Marvel each have their own cinematic universe and that there is no shortage of superheroes in either one but to date, Marvel has most certainly had the upper hand. I’ve become a big fan of superhero movies over the years and as far as DC goes, both “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” did little to entice me to their side. It wasn’t until earlier this year when “Wonder Woman” was released that I immediately stood up and gave them kudos for such an amazing film. With “Justice League,” DC has done it again and produced one of the year’s most enjoyable and entertaining thrill rides that will most certainly give Marvel a run for their money.
After the events of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and the death of Superman, the world has been plunged into chaos. With crime rising all around the globe, Batman (Ben Affleck) continues the crusade to fight inhumanity, lawlessness, and injustice but he is beginning to feel the strain as he is only one man. When he unearths proof that an alien invasion is coming and could completely destroy the earth, he assembles some of the world’s best superheroes, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). Wonder Woman informs the team that the leader of the alien invasion is Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), a tremendously dangerous immortal with superhuman strength, speed, and stamina and is a force to be reckoned with. He arrives on earth from his home planet of Apokolips to obtain three Mother Boxes, sentient supercomputers that possess extraordinary powers and abilities. Once they are collectively combined, they will give the user unlimited power and the capacity to destroy planets.
One box is hidden in Atlantis, which is ruled by Aquaman, another is in Themyscria, Wonder Woman’s home, and the last one is somewhere within Gotham. As our superheroes team up and fight Steppenwolf, they realize early on that they are outnumbered and overpowered. When Batman comes up with the idea of trying to bring Superman back from the dead, utilizing the power from one of the boxes, the group is divided. Wonder Woman is dead set against the idea, stating that IF the plan were to work, they have no idea what state Superman would be in and that he could end up doing more damage than good. With time running out, the choice is made to try and revive him but when things don’t go according to plan, and Steppenwolf manages to steal the last box, they track him down to a remote location in Northern Russia and must fight him with everything they have, or die trying.
“Justice League” is good old-fashioned good-guys-vs-bad-guys entertainment and is filled with some tremendous heroic moments. You find yourself rooting for the heroes and booing the villain and it’s been a long time since I’ve witnessed a movie have that effect on its audience. Naturally, the ending is left wide open so that DC can continue their saga and because of the sheer enjoyment I had with this film, I am now genuinely excited to see the next “Justice League” adventure. For all the critics out there who have been lambasting this movie, all I have to say is, “Learn to love movies again and leave your cynical, fault-finding ass at home, and remember what it felt like as a kid to be wowed, awed, and entertained by the sheer magic of moviemaking.”
In theaters Friday, November 17th
