That's the basic 101. The color commentary?
I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I have no fear of committing myself unambiguously to my sheer delight in this film. So let me just say this: if your reaction to the preceding sentence features scorn, sneering, or disbelief in any way, take your depressing attitude elsewhere. You have no power here. Begone, before somebody drops a house on you, too.
I'll get into why I loved Justice League as much as I did, but let me get some of the critiques out of the way. First and foremost, the tone of the movie is inconsistent. It clearly has a thematic goal from the opening frame of the movie, but rather than gradually building to its climax, it meanders in getting there - not so much in peaks and troughs, but more like tonal zigzags. It's clear a lot of thought went into the movie, so I suspect the uneven result is due to two factors: first, the switch in directors - we may never know which elements were specifically Snyder and which Whedon, but changing horses eighty percent of the way through production could account for some of it. The second issue, which may simply be a corollary to the first, is that it feels like scenes were missing, and that the film may have been trimmed down prior to release leaving transitions on the cutting room floor. I suspect we'll find out on the DVD - but even if there's footage added back in, there are still parts of the film that could mesh better.
The movie also has a lot going on, which wasn't so much of a problem for me as a long-time fan of these characters, but could be an issue for new or casual viewers. Half of the first two acts of the movie are a direct sequel to (and, honestly, something of an apology for) last year's Batman v. Superman. The other half is used to establish the 'new' characters (all of whom appeared as cameos in Bvs). Because WB jumped more or less feet first into the team without establishing all of the team members in separate projects, The Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg and Steppenwolf have to be given motivation and backstory, which contributes to the uneven feeling. That may also be a contributing factor if it turns out scenes were cut out, since there's quite a number of moving parts to keep up with. Once everything comes together (ahem) for the third act, it's fine - in fact, there's a very definite moment in the film where it feels like all of the pieces have just snapped together, but it's a bit bumpy getting there.
Another issue is the film's villain: Steppenwolf. Those who are not longtime DC fans could be forgiven for asking "Who??" (And no, it's not the band.) Steppenwolf in the film is a big (literally) alien warlord whose motivations are cursory and whose character is essentially bloviating and threatening, without much in the way of personality, even considering Ciaran Hinds' mellifluent purring. He's fine as a physical threat, but is not a particularly compelling or memorable character. To be fair, though, this is pretty much in keeping with Steppenwolf in the comics - he's only ever been Darkseid's general, and has never been a major character in his own right - I defy anyone to name a major Steppenwolf story in the comics...ever. He's a fourth-tier villain, who the film is using (I presume) as a set-up to introduce the coming big bad, and as such is fairly disposable. So while I can understand complaints about an underdeveloped villain, it's not as though they took a well-established multi-faceted villain with decades of rich history and made him a 1-D antagonist. He's pretty much a 1-D antagonist to begin with, so in that sense he'd fit in quite well alongside your average MCU villain.
Where the movie truly shines, though, is with the heroes, as six (yes, six - minor spoiler if you have been paying no attention whatsoever) classic characters come together (sorry, I can't help it!). The movie just nails all of them. The characters feel true and right - no deconstruction or awkward shying away from the source material here. Justice League embraces its heroes, and the cast is superb. It is wonderful to see a Batman who is not a self-loathing, snarling force of violence; he's still the Dark Knight, but the movie brings him back to being the Caped Crusader again. Affleck, Cavill and Gadot now have an easy chemistry and its wonderful to interact, but the rookies are just as much fun. Ezra Miller's Barry Allen is the source of much of the comedy, but he's earnest and sincere without being snarky or self-congratulatory. Momoa's Arthur Curry is something of a mash-up of previous incarnations of the Sea King - part 'Iron Age' exile, part bombastic "Brave & the Bold", but clearly having a blast. Ray Fisher's Cyborg owes more to his original Bronze Age stories than he does to his more familiar image from the Teen Titans cartoon, but that works well with this take. Amy Adams has a few good, key moments (and it's weird to see J.K. Simmons with a full head of hair), but the movie belongs to the League.
What was crucially important for this film to get right, in light of the dour BvS and Suicide Squad, was the right attitude. It was the element I was most concerned with going in; DC's characters have always been icons, but while Batman alone may work in the grim-n-gritty, that's not the right tone for the universe. I've had more than enough relentless brooding and cynical anti-heroes to last a lifetime, thank you very much. BvS may have been a worthwhile experiment, drawing as it did on The Dark Knight Returns, one of the most famous DC stories ever written, but that cannot be sustained, nor, frankly, should it. Justice League opens with 'found footage' of Superman, and from that moment on, the movie reminds us as it does its characters that it's okay to believe in bigger things. It's okay to want heroes, it's okay to accept a world of gods and monsters, and it's okay to believe a man can fly.
It's also nice to have fun, incidentally, and Justice League is. The script is on point, with well-written heroes with clear voices, and humor that fits the characters. It's enjoyable without being silly, and never descends into the hyuk-hyuk territory that seems to have become prevalent. Even Batman has some good bits, many of which stem from his awkwardness at interacting with friends. These characters learn to embrace their identities, and the movie profits from it.
Speaking of fun, the score of the film, courtesy of longtime WB composer Danny Elfman helps the movie along considerably. It provides energy and mood - though I'm not embarrassed to admit that the musical callbacks to previous DC movies were pure fanjoy. Wonder Woman's theme from BvS appears, as does John Williams' legendary Superman theme at a key point in the movie, with a bit of a twist. But I never thought I'd hear a certain iconic melody on the big screen again, and when I did, I felt like an eleven-year old again, hearing it for the first time.
Say what you will about Zack Snyder, but the man knows how to make superheroes look good on camera. There are plenty of frames that look like comic book panels - some slow-motion, some dramatic poses, and a few money shots, but the action sequences zip along as well. The cinematography is clear and the movement of these super-powered beings is amazing...though I admit that for all of the speed-force and super-strength, I am more in awe of how Batman moves when he's grappling from point to point than anything else. It just looks perfect. The army of Parademons are beautifully realized...another one of those comic book elements I never thought I'd see on the big screen. And while the movie does start out in funereal tones, replete with blacks, grays, and washed out environments (even Themyscira seems gloomy at the beginning), color - blessed color - starts coming into the movie and everything comes to life.
This is an enormous step in the right direction for DC. They've got the tone, they've got the characters, they've got the heart and the humor. This movie fixes pretty much all of the missteps of BvS and then some, though there's still some room to improve. Overall, this has been a good year for DC, not only with JL but also Wonder Woman and the Lego Batman Movie, several excellent live-action TV shows, cheerful animated series, and a much healthier, more enjoyable adjustment to the comics, appropriately called "Rebirth". After the last several years of feeling like I practically didn't recognize these characters, it's intensely gratifying to see this team come together (sorry, sorry, I'll stop!).
Justice League features a mid-credits and a post-credits scene, so stay until the end.
FINAL RATING: 9 PAWS (OUT OF 10):
