Why Justice League Was a Step in the Right Direction

Justice League

Cast: Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe, Amber Heard, Amy Adams

Spoilers Ahead:

Most people who went into the theater didnâ€™t just watch Batman v Superman thirty minutes prior in order to fuel themselves up to hate this movie, but instead, saw something interesting. They saw a movie that will hopefully push the tone for the DCEU moving forward. The cast was masterfully assembled. They pushed what was a story without a strong villain into a movie about the Justice League learning to work together. Â Â

Ben Affleck is a strong Batman, emphasizing and embodying the classic Randian hero - a man who is smarter than everyone else, while looking good, and one who never gives up on doing whatever it takes to accomplish his goals (even if it means doing the exact thing Luthor did with slightly better tech). Reviving Superman was a risky move in the eyes of Wonder Woman, but to Batman the world is ending and he canâ€™t stop it; so, does it matter who ends it? If Superman comes back and he can save the world, the risk is worth it. That kind of insanity is why we love Batman. We also got brother eye and a few more contingencies (Lois Lane being the first one). This could be the best Batman ever.

Wonder Woman was gentle and beautiful while leading the team off the field, as well as, powerful and menacing on the field fighting Steppenwolf and Superman. Her story of discovering how to be a true leader should be built upon. I think she embodies this kind of insecurity that women can sometimes struggle with; she knows she is capable but she doubts herself. Characteristics like this make Wonder Woman the most relatable character, who just so happens to be a God. Â It is a truly powerful one two punch that could lead a Justice League team.

Ezra Miller was fun and honestly uplifting, showing real, understandable growth in this movie. He will most likely be the conduit in which this franchise will be reinvigorated. Not because heâ€™s the funny member, but because historically when DC needs a reboot Flash is at the helm. The rumors about his Flashpoint movie and Geoff Johns becoming more involved make this DC fan hopeful for a better future with cooler characters - like Aquaman!

Jason Momoa made Aquaman cool. Can everyone take a minute to appreciate that? Not only because he was all rock and roll jumping head first into battle with anyone, anywhere. Aesthetically, he was what Aquaman needed to be in order to move him away from being the running joke of the Justice League. In traditional Momoa fashion you canâ€™t make jokes at this terrifying manâ€™s expense. His relatable version of Aquaman is the best I have ever seen. Traditionally, Aquaman is an aloof king who refuses to put anything before Atlantis with little time for humor. Momoa is king of a beautiful country and I cannot wait for the Aquaman solo film. In a fun twist, the eye candy of this movie was Momoa. Point DC.

Henry Cavill is a good superman plagued by poor scripts and a director who is hell-bent on turning the big blue boy scout into something he isnâ€™t. Joss Whedon, hallowed be thy name, took over this movie and likely inserted an opening scene which showed a kind Superman taking time to do an interview for a kidâ€™s podcast. Inserting moments like these to educate people about his culture and who he is as a person was a huge step towards making him that beacon of hope Batman wants to him to be. Hopefully this will be the norm moving forward. I am excited now that Superman is back, looking refreshed. He wants to make good jokes and take bad guys to town with his overwhelming power. Steppenwolf was too scared to attempt an invasion while Superman was still alive. Now we have the Trinity back in action on the big screen played by three amazing actors who will propel this universe forward. Â

Ray Fisherâ€™s performance as Cyborg was amazing. We need more before we can call him a good character. For now, his character has some bad CGI and is an underdeveloped mess. Still, somehow Ray pulled off a strong enough performance to be a favorite even if only in a scattered few moments.

I have highlighted the strengths of the movie not because it was perfect, it most certainly isnâ€™t, but because there are a lot of strong points that DC can build off of. So, I am going to ask a favor of DC. Take everything good about these characters; everything that has worked in the comics and reboot. That is why DC has the Flash and why source material like Flashpoint would be perfect. You can let Zack Snyder go noir with the Flashpoint Universe it seems like a storyline like that would be in his wheelhouse. But, when you start over, just understand three things. Wonder Woman. Batman. Superman.