Justice League

    "It's about what you believe."

-Steve Trevor, Wonder Woman (2017)

      After the sacrificial death of Superman/Clark Kent in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the world is having a difficult time trying to find something to believe in. The world which was once filled with hope and possible dreams has sunk into despair and rage. However, not everyone has despaired. Bruce Wayne takes it upon himself to solve an ancient mystery concerning the same picture of three boxes spread throughout the world. Back in London, Diana Prince has begun to climb out of her shell and fights the illegal activity.

     Meanwhile in Themyscira (Diana's home), a long trapped up evil breaks through. Steppenwolf, an ancient enemy of the Amazonian has broken free from his imprisonment and begins to wreak havoc. Desperate for help, Diana's mother, Hyppolita sends her daughter a message, knowing that only she has the strength to stop him.

     A little background on Steppenwolf. As Diana explains, Steppenwolf is a god villain whose only purpose is to destroy and recreate everything in his own image. He is able to do this with the use of the Mother Boxes, three boxes that when combined unleash insurmountable power that will wipe out every living being. At one point in time, Steppenwolf almost achieved his goal of complete domination which led to the alliance of the Gods, Amazonians, Atlanteans (people of the seas) and men themselves to defeat him. After they imprisoned Steppenwolf, all three boxes were separated among the Amazonians, Atlanteans and men, to ensure that they would have no chance of coming back together.

     Now that Steppenwolf has escaped and is in search of the Mother boxes. Diana knows full well that it is going to take another alliance of gods and men to stop him. With Superman in the grave, Diana and Bruce gather a team of under-the-radar recruits; of which a couple are less than thrilled to be brought to the forefront of saving the world. 

     Barry Allan/Flash: A genuinely good and lively 20 something guy who truly wants justice. Not for the world though. Just for his dad who has been imprisoned for the murder of Barry's mother. Barry believes his dad to be innocent and is trying to work his way to get into law school so he can prove his father has been wronged. However good Barry's life goals might be, he is stuck in dead end jobs, lives on his own, has no friends and is growing increasingly desperate of where his life is leading him.

     Oh and he got hit by lightening and has super speed which he uses to full advantage to just to humiliate people. Bruce gets wind of Barry and his incredible speed and wastes no time in recruiting him for the league. Barry agrees without a second thought, hoping that this may open the doors he needs to find happiness, fulfillment and above justice for his dead.

     Arthur Curry/Aquaman: Arthur, a giant of a man who is as arrogant as the day is long and would rather swim with fish then takes orders from a guy dressed like a bat. While most of Arthur's life is vague in the story, we know that he is a loner, he has a heart for helping others and gives his opinions freely and openly. It takes a little convincing, but eventually Arthur comes around to aid the Justice League with his extraordinary abilities that extend beyond the water; as well as providing much needed laughs along the way. 

     Victor Stone/Cyborg: After a car accident that rendered him dead, Victor is brought back to life by his own father with the use of one of the hidden mother boxes. Now more machine than man, Victor's life is spent downloading, decoding, translating and a plethora of other add ons that prohibits him from ever entering normal, human socialization. Diana believes that he can reenter society, just a different sort of society. One made of gods and aliens, billionaires and geeks. Victor is the closest source they have to finding all the Mother Boxes which will inevitably lead to Steppenwolf and despite his reservations at first, she assures him that they will not let him crash again.

     Like most superhero films this was just non stop action all the way through. Yet I really did enjoy the film. I'm not by any means a die hard superhero geek or tech/special effects nerd and so whatever qualms the fans may have had, I certainly had none against the story. I really enjoyed the continuing development of Diana's character and how the writer's still managed to make an independent female hero without having to instill 3rd wave feminist rhetoric. Diana was the opposite of modern day feminism. She still maintained her warm, loving motherly character. She adored Barry from the moment she met him, nurtured Victor through his trauma and counseled Bruce when he needed it. For those reasons alone, Diana is my absolute favorite and I find no complaints in her at all.

     The new cast members were great! Jason Mamoa was an unlikely casting choice for the oftentimes joked about Aquaman. Yet, he breathed life into the boring and unsatisfactory Arthur Curry and made him effortlessly cool, charming and dreamy. At first Ezra Miller's Barry Allen annoyed me, but as time went on, I grew to find him very enduring and lovable; just a guy who needed someone to believe in him. Ray Fisher's Victor Stone was solid and he brought a quiet strength to the boisterous group of misfits.

     A really good film, with solid undertones of mercy, justice, moving on from grief and of course hope. Something the world could always need.