just an ad hoc and probably not too informative kind of film review, look you see. and an instance, i suppose, of me kind of watching something "again", only here is it a moment of me watching a very different version of a film that i can barely recall in the first instance. so, yes, then, it is the much vaunted or even celebrated "Zack Snyder" return to re-imagining the motion picture Justice League. making the movie as it was intended originally, but for a family tragedy, i believe, rather than a conventional or standard "director's" or "extended" cut, as marketing types favour.
in truth, or if you will as confession, i really had little interest in watching this. what i recalled of the original incarnation was not much, except maybe it was. the thoughts were it proved (for me alone, i speak here) that all things Batman and Superman had been exhausted as fresh and new on screen, that the new variation of Wonder Woman was good but also not touching fond memories of the 70s series, and the extra characters were pretty much as "background" as the poster presented them. putting myself through somewhere around four hours of a new version of this to compound the confirmation of this was not an event i was screaming yes, let me do that at. but, i had bought the disc (or discs it turns out) for the boys anyway, and they were keen for me to have a gander, and so i did.
rather pointlessly spoiler-free (is there ever really much a surprise to who might triumph in a super hero film, i wonder), a brief, overview look is that this is not bad at all, just rather long (obviously), drawn out and is frequently more soap opera in quality rather than super hero. also, despite my observation that it is drawn out, everything gets quite busy, frequently.
plot? i am not so sure, or i am uncertain, such is even of relevance any more to these "event" movies, as i believe one calls them. quite formula friendly, they all are, be it these "DC" heroes, the Marvel ones and, most disappointingly, the recent Star Wars ones (at least the films, not the tele stuff). effectively they all take the Seven Samurai, or Magnificent Seven (or, even better Battle Beyond The Stars) plot of some threat or invasion being thwarted by by a band of heroes, one of them a reluctant troubled leader, one having no wish to be in it, one redeeming themselves, etc. yeah, that's on the go here.
for four f*****g hours of it, mind. i understand we live in a time, or era, of people "binge watching" stuff, mostly series, where one sits and watches an entire tv series or sequence of films in one sitting, only presumably with comfort breaks. don't really get this myself, although i have done it once or twice. mostly that was at the behest of my (now formerly) (considerably) better half, and pertained to stuff such as Doctor Who and Dragon Games Throne or whatever. but i don't think that i would do so of my own choice, but one never knows what the future may bring.
with mercy and delight it was that i discovered in this instance "binge" watching was not particularly necessary or required. as well as breaking it all up into "episodes" or "chapters", i forget which title they used, they have also gone done split the film across two (2) discs, providing a natural and convenient break between bits. this i took, and watched it over two nights. which brought back some fond memories of when they first screened Superman on the tele in Australia; as it was a ludicrously long version of the film they had put together they also broadcast that over two nights. yes, that one, the one with Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Larry Hagman and him out of Deliverance, was a better film than this one is, but here we are.
not sure, or unsure, if it was just my player, but it appears some shoddy work was done in producing or mastering (if that is the right term) these discs. disc two sort of splutters a bit when you put it in, so to speak, and just starts playing that bit of the film some 2 or 3 minutes in. just whacking the stop button and twatting the menu one lets it all start again, at least.
earlier, rather than later on, i mentioned this was all a bit more soap opera than super hero. well, for a super hero film, there is surprisingly little in the way of actual super hero action. one very rarely sees Batman as Batman doing Batman stuff, and of course it is only after some 50% of the film that anyone thinks it is a good idea to resurrect Superman.
as for the cast, her what does Wonder Woman is brilliant, him what does Batman / Bruce Wayne is excellent but you rarely see him, him what does Superman is fantastic but you rarely see him, Jeremy Irons is surprisingly sh!t as Alfred, him what does Aquaman is basically just his "Dave Grohl of acting", which is all muscles, tattoos, pouting, apparently a really nice guy and the ladies like him but ultimately dull, he cast as Cyborg does the best with a character no one writing appears to know what to do with or cares for in any discernible way, and him what does Flash does quite well in the "geeky, nerdy, awkward sort of poor, second rate sh!t version of Spiderman" role they have for some reason defined this character as.
my understanding, going on what the boys told me, is that they are not going to do any (or no) more of these Justice League films, which makes the last 30 minutes, leaving the door open to Joker and Martian Man Hunter (or what he is called) to appear in future installments, quite strange. but oddly not disappointing, for i feel no wish to watch any more of the exploits of these characters as they have been presented here. leaving an audience not wanting more is an unusual approach, especially in this brave new world of trying to create everything as an "expanded universe".
yes, no, maybe, perhaps i am not the target market, or demographic audience, for this film. but then i am one of them types they have identified as being of an age and having money at virtually anything which touches childhood memory in any ambivalent or vague way. as this film is not as shiny, vibrant or fun as the Marvel ones, or as serious and "realistic" as all of that Dark Knight stuff, actually it is a bit tricky to work out who, exactly, the hoped for market is for this one. well, anyone who has read what i have written here and is quite cross that i have not praised it is probably that unknown market.
well, there you go. as i think i mentioned earlier, i really don't recall too much of the originally released version of Justice League, and i fully expect to have forgotten most of this version of it before long. no stand out, interesting or iconic moments from a film of this kind is a very sad state of affairs, but we all opted to stand around and watch as we made our world all so disposable.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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