Film: Justice League

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours

STARRING: Ben Affleck (Gone Girl, Batman v Superman)

Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (Perks of Being a Wallflower)

DIRECTOR: Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Man of Steel)

WRITERS: Chris Terrrio (Argo) & Joss Whedon (Avengers, Buffy)

PLOT: Bruce Wayne gathers a group of superheroes together to take on some big enemy.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Am pretty skeptical of these DC films.

STORY STUFF: Why are DC films such disjointed messes? Could it be that the studio has too much control, they throw a bunch of stuff at a wall and see what sticks? There are some good lines here and there (probably courtesy of Whedon who stepped in for reshoots). The bad guy was way too Avenger Thanos-like and I didn’t find his endgame that clear. There’s a scene when they throw in some random civilians just so that one of the superheroes has some incentive to help. Also, the film seemed very concerned with setting up Flash’s own movie. The studio should take a meeting Kevin Fiege from Marvel and figure out how to do these films properly.

ACTING STUFF: I thought the chemistry of the heroes worked quite well. Gadot still rocks as Wonder Woman. Affleck is tolerable as Batman. Miller looks like he is having fun, which helps the audience root for him. Unfortunatley, Aquaman is trying too hard to be cool. Momoa (Game of Thrones) tries his best but it just didn’t work for me. Also, JK Simmons looks completely out of place as Commissioner Gordon, what a waste. He was far better as J Jonah Jameson in the Tobey Maguire Spiderman flicks.

ARTISTIC STUFF: There are some nicely done action sequences despite villains I don’t really care about. I was actually annoyed with The Flash’s suit; too much armor plating, it should be a lot sleeker. The soundtrack was pretty decent at times.   

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You want more Wonder Woman, less story

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Darkest Hour, Coco

Film: Thor Ragnarok

GENRE: Action

RATING: PG-13 for violence
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 10 minutes

STARRING: Chris Hemsworth (Avengers, Rush, Ghostbusters)

Tom Hiddleston (Night Manager), Cate Balnchett (Elizabeth, LOTR)

DIRECTOR: Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Eagle vs Shark)

WRITERS: Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost (Avengers cartoons)

Eric Pearson (Agent Carter)

PLOT: Thor is captured and reunited with the Hulk while trying to save his home of Asgard from the Goddess of Death.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Liked the first Thor, hated the second film.

STORY STUFF: That was mighty entertaining. Definitely one of the best Marvel films. The ads made me worried, as I didn’t care much about the fate of Asgard, but everything really clicked (even though it’s a bit on the long side). One of the best elements is the humour that has been infused into the film. Lots of laughs. The second Thor was dull and serious; this one was a treat.

ACTING STUFF: You can tell that Hemsworth is having a blast. He’s done comedy before and he gets to shine even more this time around. Everyone has great material to work with; well, maybe not Idris Elba. One of the funniest new characters was Korg, a rock monster. I spent awhile trying to place his voice but it turned out to be the director. There are also a few cameos that I hope no one spoils for you.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Lots of great action sequences, per usual. The colour palette of the film was a little too much for my taste but definitely made it look different from the usual Marvel offerings. The film also made good use of Led Zepplin’s ‘Immigrant Song’. The goofy synth score music got a little much at times though. But these are minor quibbles.  

VERDICT: Four and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You don’t take your Marvel movies too seriously

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Murder on the Orient Express