Revisited - Justice League (2017)

For this week, I wanted to go back to a film that has been given new life as of late due to the Release The Snyder Cut Movement which of course I'm talking about is the one and only Justice League. I remembered when the film came out and remembered loving it for the most part. I also remembered watching it with vivid memory because It so happen that i took a girl that met at college with me to go see it which kind of made the day memorable no matter what I saw on the big screen. However, we are not here to talk about a girl that I let slip away but the film, yes the film. I liked the film and the actor's portrayal of the characters. I thought it was a fun story but because of the director change, it got derailed at times and the villain was rather boring to say the least especially compared to what villains they could have done instead.

The film got mediocre reception but was a success overall. However, since the release there were murmurs of a Snyder Cut to which fans went crazy over to which turned into one big movement in which forced Warner Brother's hand to actually release it to much acclaim from fans all around the world including me. I felt what brought down the Justice League film was it's sense of direction or lack there of. It felt all over the place in tone and just off as a DC film at times. However, the core was there. The acting was great, the characters well established, and the story was there. It felt like it just needed a little bit more to really put it over the top and hopefully, god I hope, this Snyder Cut really pushes the film to a whole new level.

Justice League is a 2017 American superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name. It is the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe and a follow-up to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,[5][6][7] and was directed by Zack Snyder and written by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon who served as co-director, based on a story by Terrio and Snyder. It features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, and J. K. Simmons. In the film, Batman and Wonder Woman recruit The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg after Superman's death to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.

Plans for the film were announced in October 2014, with Snyder on board to direct and Terrio attached to write the script. The film was initially titled Justice League Part One, with a second film (under the name Justice League Part Two) intended to follow in 2019. However, the sequel was indefinitely delayed to accommodate the production of a standalone Batman film starring Affleck. Principal photography took place from April to October 2016. After Snyder stepped down from the film following the death of his daughter, Whedon was hired to oversee the remainder of post-production, including writing and directing additional scenes. With an estimated production budget of $300 million, Justice League is one of the most expensive films ever made.

Justice League premiered in Beijing on October 26, 2017, and was released in the United States in 4DX, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D on November 17, 2017. The film grossed over $657 million worldwide against a break-even point of $750 million, becoming a box office disappointment and losing Warner Bros. Pictures an estimated $60 million. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who praised the action sequences and performances (particularly of Gadot and Miller) but criticized the plot, writing, score, pacing, villain, and computer-generated imagery. Its tone was also met with a polarized reception, with some appreciating the lighter tone compared to previous DCEU films and others finding it inconsistent. In the wake of its release, fans began to push for the release of Snyder's original version of the film, and in May 2020, Snyder announced that his cut would release on HBO Max as Zack Snyder's Justice League in 2021.

Thousands of years previously, Steppenwolf and his legions of Parademons had attempted to take over the Earth using the combined energies of the three Mother Boxes. The attempt was foiled by a unified alliance including the Olympian Gods, Amazons, Atlanteans, mankind, and extraterrestrial beings from other worlds.[N 3] After Steppenwolf's army was repelled, the Mother Boxes were separated and hidden in different locations. In the present, mankind is still in mourning two years after Superman's death, which has triggered the Mother Boxes' reactivation and Steppenwolf's return to Earth. Steppenwolf aims to regain favor with his master Darkseid by gathering the boxes to form "The Unity", which will destroy Earth's ecology and terraform it in the image of Steppenwolf's homeworld.

Steppenwolf retrieves one Mother Box from Themyscira, prompting Queen Hippolyta to warn her daughter Diana of Steppenwolf's return. Diana joins Bruce Wayne in an attempt to unite other metahumans to their cause: Wayne goes after Arthur Curry and Barry Allen, while Diana locates Victor Stone. Wayne fails to persuade Curry but finds Allen enthusiastic to join the team. Although Diana fails to persuade Stone to join, he agrees to help them locate the threat. Stone later joins after his father Silas and several other S.T.A.R. Labs employees are kidnapped by Steppenwolf, who is seeking the Mother Box protected by mankind.

Steppenwolf attacks an Atlantean outpost to retrieve the next Mother Box, forcing Curry into action. The team receives intel from Commissioner James Gordon, leading them to Steppenwolf's army, based in an abandoned facility under Gotham Harbor. Although the group manages to rescue the kidnapped employees, the facility is flooded during combat, which traps the team until Curry helps delay the flood so they can escape. Stone retrieves the last Mother Box, which he had hidden, for the group to analyze. Stone reveals that his father used the Mother Box to rebuild Stone's body after an accident almost cost him his life. Wayne decides to use the Mother Box to resurrect Superman, not only to help them fight off Steppenwolf's invasion but also to restore hope to mankind. Diana and Curry are hesitant about the idea, but Wayne forms a secret contingency plan in case Superman returns as hostile.

Clark Kent's body is exhumed and placed in the amniotic fluid of the genesis chamber of the Kryptonian scout ship alongside the Mother Box, which in turn activates after Flash uses his powers to charge it up and successfully resurrects Superman. However, Superman's memories have not returned, and he attacks the group after Stone accidentally launches a projectile at him. On the verge of being killed by Superman, Batman enacts his contingency plan: Lois Lane. Superman calms down and leaves with Lane to his family home in Smallville, where he reflects, and his memories slowly come back. In the turmoil, the last Mother Box is left unguarded allowing Steppenwolf to retrieve it with ease. Without Superman to aid them, the five heroes travel to a village in Russia where Steppenwolf aims to unite the Mother Boxes once again to remake Earth. The team fights their way through the Parademons to reach Steppenwolf, although they are unable to distract him enough for Stone to separate the Mother Boxes. Superman arrives and assists Allen in evacuating the city, as well as Stone, in separating the Mother Boxes. The team defeats Steppenwolf, who, overcome with fear, is attacked by his own Parademons before they all teleport away.

After the battle, Bruce and Diana agree to set up a base of operations for the team, with room for more members. As the team is now established, Diana steps back into the public spotlight as a heroine; Barry acquires a job in Central City's police department, impressing his father; Victor continues to explore and enhance his abilities with his father in S.T.A.R. Labs; Arthur embraces his Atlantean heritage and continues protecting people on the seas, and Superman resumes his life as reporter Clark Kent and as protector of Earth as well while Bruce gets his house back from the bank. In a mid-credits scene, Superman and Barry have a friendly race to see which of them is faster. In a post-credits scene, Lex Luthor has escaped from Arkham Asylum and then recruits Slade Wilson to form their own league.

In conclusion, I feel this film was a good foundation for what was to come of in DC Films. Look at them now and how great there films have been of late and my goodness The Batman, The Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman all look great and I can't wait for DC to reach it's peak just like Marvel did with Endgame. Justice League was good but not great as it had the potential to be. The characters are there, the acting as well as the screenplay at times but the tone and the villain is what brought this film down which sadly halted DC at the time but now, especially with the Snyder Cut, it seems to be back on track. Go watch the film again and appreciate for it is and than go see the Snyder Cut and appreciate it for what it has become and that is reaching it's full potential. This has been Revisited, thanks for reading. Ricardo Singing Off