6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Earth's greatest heroes are assembled to form the Justice League, to combat a threat beyond each member's capabilities.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra MillerAction | 100% |
Adventure | 90% |
Comic book | 79% |
Fantasy | 71% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English DD=narrative descriptive
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Have you ever experienced a form of cinematic déjà vu in which you're watching a brand new
movie but you're certain you've already seen it? That's what I felt watching Justice League, the
latest effort by Warner Brothers to revitalize their DC Comics franchise on the big screen. (With
TV series, they're doing just fine, thank you.) After months of relentless promotion and
numerous trailers showcasing many of the film's biggest moments and quippiest exchanges, I sat
waiting for something new and surprising—and the wait continues. When a superhero
extravaganza's biggest claim to novelty is a musical shout-out to a thirty-year-old
predecessor—I'm referring, of course, to Danny Elfman's sampling of his score for Tim Burton's
1989 Batman—the project is in
trouble, especially given its
reported production cost of $300
million. As of the most recent account, JL has yet to recoup its investment, despite a
worldwide box office of $658 million.
By now, most fans know that JL was reshaped from director and co-writer
Zack Snyder's original conception, with two months of reshoots overseen by Avengers director Joss Whedon. One can only guess what the film would have been if Snyder
hadn't left the project
after principal photography because of a family tragedy. Whedon, who receives a writing credit
on JL, clearly made major changes, not the least of which was bringing in Elfman to replace
Batman v.
Superman's Junkie XL. The film's cinematographer, Fabian Wagner, has confirmed
that substantial scenes he shot with Snyder were left on the cutting room floor, including one
prominently featured in a widely seen trailer where Batman's loyal butler, Alfred, greets an off-screen presence who can only
be—spoiler alert!—a
revivified Superman. (Seriously: Is there
anyone who doesn't know that Superman is reborn in JL?) The scene was clearly designed as a
grand entrance for the Man of Steel, but if you're one of the millions who saw it in the trailer,
don't watch JL waiting for it. The annunciation promised in the trailer, with its crescendo of
vibrations and a look of wondrous relief on Alfred's face, has been replaced by something quick
and jokey.
The new version of Superman's return works just fine, but it's only one of the many obvious examples of two
storytelling styles fighting for dominance throughout JL, as the trademark grandiosity that Snyder
brought to the DC franchise with Man of Steel
and Batman v.
Superman is repeatedly tamped
down by a kind of disciplined narrative craftsmanship that Snyder has never cared about. It's an
odd mix, resulting in a generic blandness that all the CG wizardry in the world can't spice up. (Some of the continuity problems created by the
reshoots have been catalogued by my colleague Josh Katz, to whose weekly column I
refer the curious reader.)
Some incident will bring all of the members together, they'll be apprehensive about working with one another, some of them will dislike one another, they'll have a big baddy that they'll initially fail against, they'll be discouraged, they'll learn how to fight as a team, they'll win, and everyone lives happily ever after.
Principal photography on Justice League was shot by Fabian Wagner, who replaced director
Zack Snyder's usual collaborator, Larry Fong, due to scheduling conflicts. (Second unit
photographer Jean-Philippe Gossart oversaw the reshoots.) Wagner is best known for his digital
photography on TV shows like Game of
Thrones and Sherlock, but
JL was shot on traditional
35mm film in a deliberate effort to change the DC Universe to a brighter and more
hopeful look after the stylized gloom of Man of Steel
and Batman v.
Superman. Wagner has said
that he relished the opportunity to return to shooting on film:
[T]he joy of seeing your dailies is very special. It might be the unexpected level of detail—like the highlights in an actor's eyes or something in the deep black of a set—or the way the colors blend and transition in the same frame, that you just don't get with digital.
I was a little concerned as to how we would get half a dozen superheroes on screen in the same frame, but having scrutinized the storyboarded scenes with Zack, 1.85:1 was a perfect fit with the way the characters are visualized.
Warner continues to offer Blu-ray purchasers a choice between a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and a
redundant DTS-HD MA 5.1 option, wasting space that could otherwise be devoted to increasing
the video bitrate. Of the Dolby Atmos mixes I've heard on Blu-ray, Justice League's is
among the least remarkable. Yes, it has all the dynamic range and deep bass extension that one
would expect from proceedings of this magnitude, but the mix routinely eschews the kind of off-screen effects at which Atmos
excels. Some
filmmakers prefer not to direct attention away from
the screen, and that appears to have been the philosophy guiding JL's soundtrack. One would
have expected, for example, that the Flash's blink-of-an-eye relocations (say, when he
takes a whirlwind tour of the Batcave) would generate more off-camera audio than is heard here.
The most consistently immersive surround effects are the winged attacks of the Parademon swarms, e.g., when
they are aggressively buzzing around the house of the unnamed Russian family who have the
misfortune to live at Ground Zero for Steppenwolf's master plan. In general, the track effectively
supports the often frenetic action and aptly distinguishes among the various superpowers being
exercised. The dialogue is appropriately prioritized amidst the destruction, and the film's rare
quiet moments are effectively quiet.
As noted in the introduction, Danny Elfman composed JL's score, taking the opportunity to reach
back thirty years to reintroduce the theme he composed for Tim Burton's Batman and its sequel.
Elfman's lighter touch is a welcome addition to JL, as is the ironic cover of the Beatles' "Come
Together" that plays over the end credits and was featured prominently in the trailers. (I call it
"ironic", because, despite the title, the song was written about a band that was coming apart.)
Sigrid's lovely cover of "Everybody Knows", which opens the film, should bring that Leonard
Cohen classic a whole new audience.
JL's extras are dominated by producers, DC representatives and technical crew, with somewhat
more limited participation by the principal cast. Snyder is seen in on-set footage. If there is
appearance by, or reference to, Whedon—despite his writer's credit—I missed it. (In fairness,
though, original screenwriter Chris Terrio is also absent from the party.)
The extras lean heavily toward promotion of DC brands and their history, although items like the
extended interview with costume designer Michael Wilkinson are informative for anyone
interested in the nitty-gritty technical details of a production of JL's scope.
In one of his many rueful pronouncements, Alfred says to Bruce Wayne that "one misses the days
when one's biggest concerns were exploding wind-up penguins". The line is a reference to Tim
Burton's 1992 Batman Returns,
and I happen to agree
with Alfred, though for far different
reasons. Burton's Batman films created a Dark Knight who was both threatening and fun and a
Gotham that felt both dangerous and perversely inviting. Warner and DC have been trying to
recapture some of that magic ever since, but they keep cutting back on the fun while
accentuating the bleakest elements of the DCU's mythology. Christopher Nolan managed to
make something memorable out of this turn to the dark side, but Zack Snyder's trilogy has
reduced darkness to empty posturing. Justice League, thanks to its extensive post-production
tweaking, at least has the virtue of being intelligibly plotted and efficiently paced, which makes it
the best of Snyder's trilogy—but that isn't saying much. It's time for something new. As a film,
JL is disposable, but the Blu-ray is recommended on its technical merits.
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
Includes Collectible Trading Cards
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2017
2020
Cinematic Universe Edition
2019
Cinematic Universe Edition
2018
2013
2018
plus Theatrical Cut on standard Blu-ray
2016
2016
Cinematic Universe Edition
2019
Extended and Theatrical versions
2011
Cinematic Universe Edition
2017
Cinematic Universe Edition
2015
2018
2017
2021
Cinematic Universe Edition
2012
Cinematic Universe Edition
2016
2019
2014
1978