The year is 2017. DC’s Justice League is finally game and set to challenge Marvel’s thus far almighty dominance in cinematic world building. The film bombed. Few emerged unscathed. Gal Gadot shone, of course, but it was franchise newcomers Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller that stole the show. Let’s fast forward. While Gadot and Momoa saw solo outings rapidly release, it’s taken six long years for Miller to win his own run in the sun. Owing to a string of high profile indiscretions and a very public mental health crisis, it may well be his last. Perhaps that’s why Flash feels so strongly like one last DCEU hurrah. There are other reasons – a reboot looms, for one – but some must go unspoiled.
The journey to Justice League has been a gruelling one. Those who complained that Batman v Superman required bums of steal to experience from start to finish, know nothing of endurance the film has had to muster, having first entered production back in 2007. A decade of ‘development Gotham City’ plus one mixed bag of preluding offerings later, and the final product…isn’t bad. No, it’s not great – far too messy, a tad soulless – but it has got plenty of promise. There’s a start.
So, the first reviews are in and…yeah, the critics don’t like Justice League. Our review’s not due till Friday but could this be more of a blockbuster ‘for the fans’? It’s been a bumpy ride getting here so let’s weigh up the facts.
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