Justice League

At a screening, there was applause. Cheers at a catchphrase unveiled. Great whoops of joy at an end credits scene revealing a new character, new avenues for future franchising. I get it. I know what it’s like to whoop, at least on the inside, with the thrill of seeing beloved, formerly page-bound characters spring to life onscreen. But for those of us whose relationship to DC Comics is only glancing, there’s little joy to be had in Justice League.

Picking up where Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice left off, with the Man of Steel 6 feet deep in a pine box, Justice League depicts the human world as one without hope and thrown into chaos. In other words, a fine time then for a nefarious alien god named Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) to touch down on Earth to reclaim a set of three “mother boxes,” the joining of which will give him unrivaled power and the tools to turn the planet into a smoking hellscape. Or something. The point is, he’s a bad guy.

With Supes dead, it’s up to his frenemy Batman (Ben Affleck) to recruit a team of superheroes to fight this Steppenwolf, including Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot); speedy, socially inept teen the Flash (Ezra Miller, a treat); loner Aquaman (Jason Momoa); and the underdeveloped Cyborg (Ray Fisher), turned into a hulking human computer after a dalliance with alien matter.

The film falls in line with the grim color palette and gritted-teeth course director Zack Snyder has set for the DC Extended Universe. After a family tragedy last spring, Snyder stepped away from the film, and Joss Whedon directed additional photography in the summer. Their two sensibilities fuse together fine – the swarming hordes of villainy and slo-mo fetish are patently Snyder, and the uptick in jokes feels especially Whedon-esque, and it’s a toss-up who made the stretch for a generic political resonance. (In the DCEU, racists were emboldened because Superman died. How’s that for retconning actual history?)

None of the filmmakers bothered nearly enough with making their characters interesting, or have compelling relationships with each other; this league isn’t so much a team as a series of sneak previews for future standalone movies.

We’ve had the pleasure of two hours spent solo with Gadot in Wonder Woman, but this is a depressing reminder that Wonder Woman was an anomaly, not the new normal. Busy and boring and computer-generated, Justice League screams we’re back to business as usual.

JUSTICE LEAGUE ( * ) • Directed by Zack Snyder • Starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot • Rated PG-13 • 121 min. • At Century Cinemas Del Monte, Century Marina, Maya Cinemas, Northridge Cinemas, Lighthouse Cinemas