The (other) superhero party has finally arrived...but is it 5 years too late to the party? Justice League unfortunately doesn't wipe the DC reputation slate clean, but it isn't a complete waste of time. I'm still hopeful! 

2012's The Avengers grossed over 1.5 BILLION dollars. It was the superhero team-up extravaganza everybody had been hoping and waiting for, stemming from a careful concoction of standalone origins like Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Thor - all slightly different but credible in their own right...and buzz building. We got to know them and all wanted to see these loveable mighty misfits get together and save the world. Flash forward half a decade and it's difficult not to make those Marvel/DC comparisons, try as I might. With Justice League, what we get is something that feels rushed, something for the sake of doing something, more an afterthought than thought out. It's a real shame, too. All the ingredients are there - these are kick-ass superheroes we're talking about. But it just feels like it's lacking *something*. And it probably doesn't help that we now see about 500 films of that genre per year either.

Ok, let's go back a bit and start with some basics. Who's in it? What happens? Who's the bad guy? Why do they need to team up? What actually happened before?

Who's in it? The posters have been heroing Wonder Woman, Batman, Cyborg, The Flash and Aquaman. Three of these are brand new characters, so their backstories have to be squeezed in too, though you can be assured you'll get solo outings at some point. Cyborg/Victor Stone is the result of an accident/experiment, and he thinks he's a soulless robot but his emotions are still in tact it seems. Aquaman is from Atlantis, and can talk to fish and stuff. He gets his own film next year, and is one to watch - a) because Jason Momoa has been perfectly cast and embodies the wild creature of the sea to a t, and b) because an underwater kingdom/king is pretty cool, something we've actually not seen before. The Flash (a delightful Ezra Miller) actually looks excited to be there, and his superfast electric action sequences are still fun and fresh, even if we've kinda seen them before in the form of X-Men's Quicksilver. Ben Affleck's Batman is back too, this time playing the superteam co-ordinator which is far less fun but I guess makes sense considering he's stupid rich.. And of course, there's our beloved Wonder Woman, fresh from her praised solo just a few months ago. But wait - you're probably thinking there's someone big missing, and that's because he's *spoiler alert* dead. You're probably also thinking that was never going to last, and you're probably right. It's a catalyst, and things make sense in the context presented, but it's all a little bit underwhelming.

What happens? Well, Batman sets about forming a team because a global threat is imminent and the most Super of the lot isn't there to save them. He has to convince them and then bad things happen and it's up to the good guys to fight the bad guys. Sound familiar?

Who's the bad guy? Introducing the formidable global threat...Steppenwolf! Who? Yeah, I don't know either. He's supposed to be bad and scary I think? Here's where Justice League falls down majorly. If the threat level is so high you need goddesses and underwater royalty involved, it needs to be threatening. Aka, there needs to be a damn decent villain. Steppenwolf has the personality of a brick, and quite frankly I don't quite remember what he even looks like. The storyline visits Lord of the Rings territory, where Steppenwolf and his army wanted to conquer Earth through the energies of these Mother Boxes. He was defeated by an allegiance of armies (humans, Amazons, gods etc.) who separate and hide the boxes around the world.

And so the questions go on. It isn't a particularly hard plot to grasp, but it's not exactly a genius or deep one, given that people have been willing DC to dig deep to redeem their less than sparkly track record. In terms of vibe, it follows the Zack Snyder dark, mysterious and CGI road so nothing new there. They don't do "small scale". At least it makes it distinctive, and the doom and gloom is appropriate. What was surprisingly nice were the lighter script, one-liners and opportunities to laugh, though these are limited and you can get the gist of it from the trailer alone.

I feel like I've been focusing on the negatives, and I don't believe it's all bad. In fact, I saw a Facebook status review saying it was "far from being anywhere near good", and originally commented with "Agreed!" but I've changed my mind since. It isn't great, it isn't that good, but it isn't far from anywhere near good...it's close. The action sequences! They're good. They hone in on several key sequences, and even if Steppenwolf is a shoddy opponent, there are still moments of "good" things. Wonder Woman! She was great in her own film, and good in Justice League. You can see Gal Gadot really owning the role and whilst you shouldn't rely on her too much, she does add an unbeatable kapowww to the series (sorry, Black Widow and Scarlet Witch don't even come close.) The group power-walking scenes! They're...good. You might get goosebumps watching them stand together? I also don't think the film particularly drags - it's engaging enough and there are some nice moments plus directions for future installments.

Going back to an earlier point on context, there are a few things I accept are inhibiting the full potential of this film. Firstly, it's not been helped by the predecessors - this universe's Batman is still overshadowed by the amazingness that belonged to Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale, and we're not really that invested in the rest of them (yet). Another fact is that Snyder dropped out of directing due to a family bereavement and Joss Whedon (the very same Joss Whedon, director of The Avengers!!) had to step in. This explains some of the inconsistencies in tone, and apparently people have been calling for Snyder's directors cut to be released. I'm not sure it would have saved all the film's faults, but all things considered I did have fun watching the world being saved (again). I think there's a light at the DC tunnel - there has to be - and I'll probably keep watching them all anyway until I see it.

PS. Stay for the post-credits and end credits scene!

Justice League is in cinemas now.