On November 17th, six of DC’s most iconic heroes united on the big screen for the film ‘Justice League’. DC has been building a cinematic universe since 2013’s ‘Man of Steel’, and this movie is the culmination of many different characters and storylines. Despite mixed reviews on the majority of these movies, I have greatly enjoyed all of them. Part of this is due to my love of DC comic books, but I also enjoy the style of these movies tremendously. I find them to be intricate, emotional, powerful, and compelling. ‘Justice League’ is essentially the third movie in a trilogy of DC films directed by Zack Snyder, beginning with ‘Man of Steel’, followed by ‘Batman v Superman’. Those two films are some of my all-time favorite movies, so I had high hopes for ‘Justice League’. Also, being a DC fan, I had high hopes for the beloved characters that were being brought to life in this movie.

Be warned, there are major spoilers ahead.

‘Justice League’ was a terrific movie in my eyes. Some will argue otherwise, but this is simply my belief. It had a much lighter tone that previous DC films. I greatly enjoyed the gritty tone that existed prior to this movie, but this tone was enjoyable as well. Due to a family tragedy during production, Zack Snyder had to step away from the project and let Joss Whedon take the wheel and finish the movie. Whedon has a notably lighter style than Snyder, so some of the tone differences may be due to the director change. But multiple cast members have also stated that it was Snyder’s vision all along for the DC movies to experience a tonal shift as the heroes came together, showing how they are better and brighter when united.

In terms of the plot, I felt it was easy to follow. ‘Batman V Superman’ and ‘Man of Steel’ were slightly more complex, but ‘Justice League’ had a straightforward and engaging plot. Steppenwolf was a C-list super villain before this movie, but he proved to be a great antagonist. His introductory scene shows him stealing a powerful item from the Amazon warriors. This scene immediately shows that he is not to be underestimated, and makes viewers understand how dangerous he is.

Batman and Wonder Woman did not change much from their previous films, aside from the fact that their dynamic with one another was further developed as they assembled the team. They continued to be awesome, and effectively lead the team into battle.

Superman, who died in ‘Batman v Superman’, was resurrected. It was widely speculated that he would return in his iconic black suit, with long hair and a beard, as he did in the ‘Death of Superman’ comic book arc. Superman returned in an original way that turned out to be quite epic, but a black suit would have added another level of cool to that scene, and the movie as a whole. But it may have overcomplicated things a bit, and slowed down Superman’s excellent character development in the film. By the end of the movie, he was fully himself again. In fact, he was more Superman than he was in ‘Man of Steel’ and ‘Batman v Superman’. He felt much more like the real character from the comics. Many people are complaining that Superman’s face was extremely distracting because Henry Cavill had a mustache at the time because of another movie, and it had to be removed with CGI. I personally did not notice any issues. After all, it was only on his upper lip, so it’s hard to imagine that being a legitimate distraction. I thought Superman was done perfectly.

Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash were at the beginning of their character arcs in the movie. Aquaman was not the responsible king that he is in the comics; he was still in the rebellious phase of his life. But this gives him room to grow in his solo film next year. The Flash was just a kid who was still figuring out the full extent of his gifts, but he matured as a hero in the movie. Cyborg had the greatest development in the movie; in the beginning he was struggling to be comfortable in his cybernetic body, but by the end he was able to laugh and be himself, even saying his famous comic book catchphrase “Boo ya.”

Darskeid, the Justice League’s most famous villain, was predicted to make an appearance in the movie, but never did. However, he was mentioned by name. And I was much more satisfied with the tease of the Legion of Doom, which was provided in an epic post credits scene.

Lastly, as an enormous Green Lantern fan, I was saddened that he did not make a surprise appearance and join the League. He is a founding member of the team in the comics, so it was a bit upsetting that he was discluded. But a certain Green Lantern did appear in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo during a flashback sequence, and Bruce Wayne’s remarks at the end of the film indicated that the Justice League will soon be expanding, so hopefully Green Lantern will be joining their ranks in the potential sequel.

All in all, the movie was great. It should be a fun ride for non-comic-lovers, and an amazing experience for fans of DC Comics.