Justice League /// A Movie Review

So . . . Justice League came out last month. That was a thing. Question is, was it a good thing?

Well, that's why I'm here today: to give my opinion on the movie so you can decide whether you want to watch it or not. I saw it in theaters with a few friends of mine, and with my help, you can decide if you should too. Disclaimer: this review may not be a very organized or neat and tidy. I'm going to be talking about things as they come to mind.

Second disclaimer: in reviewing this movie, I'm going to spoiling a LOT of stuff. Possibly the entire plot. Read at your own . . . risk?

Third disclaimer: this is not a review of the movie's content. I'm not trying to tell you whether it's appropriate or not. You can check a site liked Plugged In for that.

Fourth disclaimer: I'm a more of a Marvel than a DC fanboy. Comparisons WILL be made.

Fifth disclaimer: this post contains a lot of disclaimers. Let's stop right now and get to the review.

source (Not gonna lie, this is a sick movie poster.)

Before I begin examining Justice League, I'm going to first talk a little bit about my relationship with DC movies. My first superhero movie ever was Batman Begins, and I loved it so much. Actually, the whole Dark Knight trilogy is amazing. In my mind, it's going to be tough for anyone to beat Christian Bale's Batman.

I also watched some of the older Batman and Superman movies, which weren't spectacular, to say the least. However, Danny Elfman's score for the 1989 Batman is still a classic in my mind, and John Williams's theme for Superman is very iconic.

Not long after The Dark Knight Rises (whose soundtrack got me hooked on movie music in the first place) was released, Man of Steel came along, which I also loved. A lot of people didn't like the ending, because Superman isn't supposed to kill. The fact that he did, and that he hated his decision, made him a much more interesting and human character.

This is where DC and I experienced some bumps in the road. Because they made Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And I actually didn't hate the film; I just didn't . . . love it. (It's going to take them a while to live down the whole "our moms share the same name, we're great friends now" logic.) It also felt like the first time DC was trying to outdo Marvel, because they released their move the same year that Captain America: Civil War came out.

Suicide Squad didn't even interest me in the slightest. It was a cheap attempt at a movie similar to Guardians of the Galaxy, only it didn't work for DC. I've seen a few videos on YouTube mocking the movie's logic, which makes me even less eager to see it.

Then they created Wonder Woman, which was actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be! At times, yes, it did feel like Captain America: The First Avenger, but it was still pretty good! DC decided to make the first superhero movie with a female lead role, and it worked.

So when I sat in the theater to watch Justice League, I had a mixture of emotions. DC had a lot of ups and downs with their movies, so what would this one be? I decided not to expect much of it, and . . . well, I'll sum up at the end.

Plot/Story-Related Stuff

Superman is dead, even though he technically doesn't have to be. (Couldn't either have Batman or Wonder Woman used the kryptonite spear to kill Doomsday? I mean, Batman was being of almost no help in that fight. I know, I know, Superman dies in the comics when he fights Doomsday, but still!)

Ahem. Back to the movie in question. The world, in its typical fashion, now mourns the loss of Superman, even though in Dawn of Justice it hated him with a passion and loved him in Man of Steel . . . kinda? Batman and Wonder Woman are doing all they can to protect people.

Then one night, a Parademon shows up. (You know, those flying creatures from the desert apocalypse nightmare sequence in Dawn of Justice? You don't remember? How utterly surprising.) When Batman tries to take it down, it explodes. Wanting a woman's opinion on this phenomenon, he talks to Diana about it.

She tells him of Steppenwolf, a servant of Darkseid who nearly conquered Earth thousands of years ago using the three Mother Boxes. Only when gods and heroes united did the planet have a standing chance. Once the fiend was defeated, the Mother Boxes were divided. (Hey, Lord of the Rings called. They want their idea back.)

Now, with the death of Superman, the boxes are waking up, and Steppenwolf's out for blood this time. He conquers the Amazons and steals their box with ease, but not before they give a signal for Diana. Batman and Wonder Woman must hunt down the people in Lex's files (Aquaman, Cyborg, and the Flash) to take down Steppenwolf once and for all. But without Superman, do they have any real chance of succeeding?

Guys, I can already see a fatal flaw in this movie. I watched this movie two weeks ago . . . and I had to refer to Wikipedia to remember the plot. Seriously! I'm usually pretty good at recalling what a movie was about. In fact, I could sooner tell you the plot of The LEGO Ninjago Movie, which I saw around the end of September. That definitely doesn't put Justice League in my highest regard.

source (How is it that this is more epic than anything I saw in Justice League?)

Then the film gives us three new characters we hadn't seen yet, with almost no time to get to know them. This is where Marvel excelled, because they have slowly introduced new characters to us before mashing them with others. And even when they do throw some into the thick of things--like meeting Black Panther in Civil War--it's always executed really well.

Most of the plot seemed to consist of strung-together battle scenes, and the in-between stuff wasn't spectacular. I will say, though, that this movie is pretty funny. My favorite scene is when the superheroes resurrect Superman, who wakes up in a foul mood. At one point, Superman's taking on Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Cyborg. Flash decides to run in and help. As he's in the speed force charging at Superman, the Man of Steel looks at him. The expressions on Flash's and Superman's faces were just hilarious.

And then there were minor plot points that didn't make sense. There's a scene where Wonder Woman is taking on terrorists, and the leader says his bomb will blow up four city blocks. Our heroine's solution? At the last second, throw it into the air. How does that solve anything?! If it can destroy four blocks, it can still cause damage from the sky! It didn't even look like it went that high.

There was also a random family we saw in a few brief scenes, and they had no bearing on the plot, aside from Flash having to save them later. It felt totally pointless and out of place. Plus, they had an unfinished joke. There's one part when the little girl sees a whole bunch of Parademons, and she grabs a can of bug spray. In my mind, I was like, "Is this actually going to be the Parademons' weakness?" But nope, they never delivered on that punchline.

Something else they didn't deliver on? The Flash's cryptic message in Dawn of Justice. The fact that it didn't get any payoff in this movie bugged me. I wanted to know what he meant, but apparently the filmmakers didn't have that same thought.

However, I will say that I really liked the two credit scenes (you know, like Marvel does). I won't spoil them, just because I don't want to spoil everything about the movie. But suffice it to say that if they're setting up two more movies, I'd be interested in watching them.

I'm not going to keep ranting about the so-called plot. I think you guys got a good idea about what I thought. Let's talk about . . .

Characters

Let's start off with Superman, because he's the one the movie opens with. (The beginning scene feels like a rip-off of Homecoming, since it starts with cell phone footage.) When it started, I was like, "Man, Henry Cavill's face looks off." The reason was because he had to grow a mustache for Mission Impossible 6, and when Zach Synder left the project, Joss Whedon had to do some reshoots. And for some reason, they didn't have a good makeup artist, because Superman's face is horrifying. Not to mention that he is EXTREMELY overpowered when they resurrect him, because he takes down Steppenwolf like nobody's business.

You know how Batman was all brutal killer in the previous DCEU installment, even though he's not supposed to be like that? Superman's death has changed him, which I liked. He just seemed far too dark in Dawn of Justice. Christian Bale is still a better Dark Knight than Ben Affleck, though.

Wonder Woman was just as good as she was in Wonder Woman. As for the other three, they were pretty decent. Okay, actually, Flash was one of the best parts about the movie. Maybe that's because I know his backstory since I've seen the TV show. I just wish all three had been given more time to be developed, because they were kinda flat.

What about Steppenwolf? One word: awful. (Aside from the fact that he sometimes sounded like Liam Neeson. I find it funny because the real actor, Ciaran Hinds, got advice from Neeson for the role.) One of my friends summed it up well by saying that he had no reason to be afraid of Steppenwolf. He was just there for the sake of having a villain. And on top of that, his CGI was terrible. How is it even possible that three hundred million dollars were put into this movie? It's literally one of the most expensive movies ever made . . . so where did that money go? Are you going to be scared of this guy?

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Or this guy?

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I won't even bother with anyone else, because they weren't in there long to be important or interesting . . . except for the Amazons. Because something happened to their outfits on the way from Wonder Woman to Justice League.

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Yep, they got skimpier. Wanna know what the sad part is? The first costumes were designed by a woman, and the second costumes by a man. Ugh. I have no others words but ugh.

Music

Before I conclude this review, I wanted to touch one of the most key elements, in my mind, of a movie: the soundtrack. Just as the movie had some turmoil with directors, it had issues with composers. Originally, Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL were set to compose the score. After things happened with the creation of the music in Dawn of Justice, Zimmer declared he was retiring from the superhero business. That left Junkie XL, and I was looking forward to hearing what he'd come up with.

But nope, he got replaced by Danny Elfman. I was disappointed, but I hoped Elfman would nail the score. When I saw the film, however, only twice that I can think of did I actually perk up and listen to the music. Now, in most movies, I notice some really good tunes, and it makes me wanna go listen to the soundtrack. The only times I paid attention to Justice League's score was when Wonder Woman's electric guitar theme appeared once, and when Batman's 1989 theme briefly showed up. Other than that . . . nothing.

I'm obviously not going to completely write off the soundtrack because of that. I'll still listen to it by itself. I just have my doubts as to whether it will be good.

The Verdict

I wanted to like this movie. Really, I did. I hoped it would take some cues from Wonder Woman and be just as good, if not better. And I enjoyed it . . . but I also saw it was caught between being great and terrible, an issue that's plagued DC for a little while now.

Justice League aspires to be awesome, but it ends up flopping like a dying fish, becoming a "summer flick," if you will. You know, those movies you watch for just a bit of entertainment with no expectations for anything great. It's riddled with problems, from no plot to (mostly) bland characters to an OP Superman to revealing Amazon costume design to an unmemorable score. So there's not much going for it.

Here's what I think DC should do with their extended universe. Restarting now would be too soon, so if you can't go back, forge a new path forward. They need to stop focusing on imitating or getting the jump on Marvel, because it's never worked. They need to concentrate on doing their own thing, however they feel like doing it. If they would do that, I honestly think their films would start looking up. But until then, prepare for more mediocrity.

That's the end of it! How'd I do on my first movie review? Was it as messy as I predicted? Have you seen Justice League, and if so, what did you think? Don't forget to ask me your questions for January's special post. Just use #KnowJoe for any and all queries you have for the upcoming interview.

One of the Best Themes Ever /// Music Monday #12

Yes, it is once again Music Monday, and the track I have for you is an epic one. So hold on to your hats--if you're wearing one, that is--because your mind is about to be blown . . . again! Because you've probably heard this song before. And if your mind is going to be blown, you may want to hold on to your head instead. Ah, forget this noise!

Cringey intro aside, the song for today is . . .

"The Avengers" from The Avengers

Composed by Alan Silvestri

In case you haven't been on the internet lately, the trailer for Infinity War dropped on November 29th, hitting #1 on YouTube's trending page . . .  and it's currently sitting at #5, which is unheard of, as far as I'm concerned. I'm pretty this trailer is the most viewed one to date, with over 82 million views.

Just because I can, I'm going to add the trailer here, because if you haven't seen it, you need to. Like, RIGHT now. And if you have watched it already, watch it again. I saw it five times the day it was released.

Man, I've never been prouder to be a Marvel fanboy. You may have noticed that Infinity War is going to be released on May 4th of next year. That's precisely six years since The Avengers came out. To me, it feels like just yesterday (not quite, but close enough) that I couldn't stop raving about how good the first movie was.

But you know what's even cooler? Iron Man, the film that launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it, was released on May 2nd, 2008. Which means that Infinity War is coming out two days more than ten years since the beginning of the MCU. Isn't that crazy? How does a decade of films seem so short?

One of the things the trailer does best is reuse Silvestri's theme for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. I remember listening the soundtrack way back when and thinking it was kinda lackluster. If I listened to it now, my opinion would most likely be different. But the Avengers' theme has got to be one of the best, most memorable themes--right up there with classics like the Star Wars or Indiana Jones themes.

Contrary to popular opinion, I've found Marvel to have consistently made great scores. A lot of people would disagree and say they aren't memorable, to which I reply, "You wouldn't know a good song if it walked up to ya and slapped ya square in the face! You're probably one of those folks who thinks that mainstream pop is swell, yeah? Well, it ISN'T. It SUCKS. So don't ya dare insult my Marvel music ever again, because your taste is more than just severely lacking--IT'S NONEXISTENT!"

. . .  I may have just offended a lot of people right there, so let's keep moving.

The Avengers' theme is used brilliantly in the trailer, at all the right moments. I know Silvestri is going be utilizing it in Infinity War (and maybe if someone dies, we'll get a sad version of it!). What I hope he also does is create continuity by reusing other themes from the MCU, such as the themes for Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Thor, Cap, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, et cetera. I'm also really anticipating hearing Thanos's theme. The closest thing we got was one track from the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, and it had some nice deep brass in it. Maybe his new theme will have some of that too.

Anyway, I've been rambling. This post has been all over the map, and I've been talking more about Infinity War than I have the song. But that's okay! I'm still getting my mind wrapped around the epicness. Just enjoy the music and look forward to the new movie even more.

What's your opinion on the Avengers' theme, or even Marvel music in general? Have you seen the Infinity War trailer yet? Are you hyped? Do you think Silvestri will succeed at creating a great score for the movie? Or are you just not interested in Marvel/superhero movies at all? Share your excitement, or lack thereof, in the comments!

A Surprise at the End! /// Monthly HapPENings: November

How is it that we are now in the last month of 2017? I feel like it should still be summertime or something. But nope, we now have 31 days left in the year. What a thought . . .

Anyway, I don't have an official picture for this post. What else is new, am I right? I did look into making a watermark, but I don't where to make one. I would've used PicMonkey, except for the fact that it now requires a paid membership to utilize the site. If you know where I can make one, please refer me to that site!

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You may recall I mentioned that I got laid off in October. Well, halfway through November, I got hired! I now work at a store that sells calendars, toys, and games. I'm enjoying the new job. One of the things I don't care for as much is working by myself, because at my previous two workplaces, I always had at least one coworker to talk to. The plus side of working alone is that I got to work on outlining Digital Pulse during my shift last Wednesday. (More on this later.)

Also, today is actually kind of a special day . . . it's my birthday! To celebrate the occasion, three of my friends and I hung out on Sunday. We ate good food, watched Justice League, did some shopping, and laughed a lot. All in all, it was a really fun celebration.

Aside from those two things and two sibling birthdays (one for Tracey and one for Kaitlyn), nothing super spectacular happened during November, which is fine. Not every month has to be filled with extraordinary events. (And that's not to say what I mentioned was extraordinary . . . you know what I mean! Right?)

Bookish HapPENings

Remember how I said last time that if I didn't finish a book by the time December rolled around, you could all mock me as much as you want?

Well, go ahead. I haven't completed a book.

I will say that I did have a legitimate excuse this time. I was focusing on getting Digital Pulse written, and therefore put reading away for the time being. I hope--like, really, really hope--that this month I can actually burn through at least a few novels.

HapPENings on the Screen

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SPOILER ALERT! So my sisters and I are reaching the halfway point in the third season, and things are looking bad for the heroes. But I've got one gripe right now: Henry does not play a good Peter Pan! Like, at all! He tries so hard to come off as a legit threat, but all I can do is laugh at the ridiculous way he talks and acts. I thought, and still think, that Peter Pan is the most powerful villain in the show thus far, and probably my favorite. I just can't stand Henry's version of him

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I desperately want to talk about this show, but there's far too many spoilers! Lemme talk about it vague terms: IT'S EPIC AND AMAZING GO WATCH IT WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR YOU HAVE NOT LIVED UNTIL YOU SEE THIS SHOW!

*gasps for breath* No, seriously, quit procrastinating and watch The Flash. I have not regretted starting this show and getting each season on DVD. It's simply phenomenal. And while all three seasons have dealt with timey-wimey stuff, this one takes it to a "whole 'nutha level," as a friend of mine would say.

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As I mentioned, I watched this movie in theaters with a few of my buddies. Normally, I don't see a whole lot of movies in theaters. I wait until they come out on DVD. For my birthday celebration, I was debating between Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League. I knew the former would be fantastic; I had my doubts about the latter. However, one of my friends had already seen Ragnarok twice, so I took him into consideration and chose Justice League, hoping it would be just as good--if not better--than Wonder Woman.

Yeah . . . about that? My thoughts on this movie are too much to be summed up here, so next week's post is going to be my full review of it.

Gaming HapPENings

Yep, I added another heading to this post! I asked about this last time around, and I got no response, so I was like, "What the hey?" I'll just be talking about a few of my favorite/most-played games in the month.

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Ever wanted to play a shooter but found that they're always too messy? Well, sorry to disappoint ya, but this one's no different . . . except it's messy with ink!

Shooter games are no new concept to North America, but apparently in Japan, they're a little more rare. That's why Nintendo decided to turn the genre on its head by creating Splatoon, a game where you play as a human who transforms into a Squidling (or a Squidling who transforms into a human, depending on how you look at it). You and your three teammates use ink to cover as much ground as possible and prevent the opposing team from advancing.

So not only does this appeal to Japanese audiences because they lack shooter games, but it also appeals to North Americans because it's a twist on a genre we're familiar with. It's a good business strategy, one that they repeated, in a sense, with Breath of the Wild.

I'm not stellar at this game, but I'm getting better. I actually don't prefer guns, but rather the roller, an up-close-and-personal weapon perfect for inking a lot of turf at once. Whenever my team wins, almost all of the time I've got the roller equipped.

The game isn't perfect. There are campers (who pop up in pretty much every shooter game you can find). Sometimes the teams are unbalanced, the system having put all of the high level players on one team. And getting cornered around your spawn point is only frustrating, though I have no qualms with getting close to my opponents' base myself.

Funny story, and then I'll move on from this game: the other day, I had rolled close to the enemy turf. I was wearing my shirt that makes me invisible when I'm submerged in my team's ink. So I hid myself, and soon enough, three players left the spawn point to join the battle. As soon as they passed, I quickly got up and gave chase, my roller ready to mow them down.

As they crested an incline, I caught up to them and splatted one person. The second guy noticed and started to turn, shooting as he did. It was a good effort, but a wasted one. I splatted him as well. The third person hadn't even noticed me, and thus, I rolled over him swiftly. Three kills in one go is no easy feat, so my youngest two sisters and I got a good laugh out of this.

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I've playing through the HD version of Twilight Princess, and . . . well, again, I'll save my full thoughts for a review in the future. I want to finish the storyline, because I feel like only then can I give my thoughts properly.

Anyways, what I wanted to talk about Lakebed Temple. Because I absolutely hated this temple. I normally love temples in Zelda games. You've got to really use your head to solve the puzzles sometimes, one of my favorite aspects of the series. Now, many people complain about the water temples, or just water levels in general. I loved the water temples in games like Spirit Tracks and A Link Between Worlds. While it didn't have a full-on water temple, Skyward Sword's underwater sections were pretty good. Even Ocarina of Time's water temple was all right, though to be honest, I never finished it because I couldn't figure it out and I was borrowing a friend's copy.

Lakebed Temple, on the other hand, is a completely different story. First off, the controls for underwater movement are extremely janky. When Link swims up, you can't change the camera angle, which is sometimes necessary. One area of the temple is an underwater maze that took forever for me to get out of.

Secondly, the whole temple was just not my favorite. The concept of getting the water flowing was cool, but I found the whole setting was just sort of . . . bland. And it was absolutely massive, which usually isn't a problem. But when it's a temple I don't like, I just wanna get out of there ASAP.

As I did more and more stuff in the water, I began hoping the boss battle would not take place while submerged in that life-giving liquid. I should've known better. The worst part was Morpheel's first phase. Essentially, he's got an eye floating from tentacle to another. I have to use my clawshot to pull the eyeball out, but in order for me to attack him with my sword, I have to put on my metal boots. No big deal, right? The problem came when I had to escape his counterattack. He puts a tentacle down, and I gotta take off the boots to swim away. But if I so much as to dared to even touch the tentacle, I became his meal--one that he regurgitates, anyway. It was just . . . frustrating.

This temple's one saving grace wasn't even an intentional one. There was a specific room that gave me, Chloe, and Kaitlyn some merriment, and I showed it in the above picture. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the water looked very . . . yellow. And as immature as it may have been, we began calling it the pee room. We were all laughing so hard and acting goofy, it was hilarious. Even during the mini-boss battle with the Deku Toad, we were making the best comments and getting a kick out of the whole thing.

Aside from that moment of joy, the rest of the temple was garbage, and I hope I never have to play it again. (Okay, that may be a bit extreme, but I've got strong feelings about Lakebed Temple.) I shall also move on from video games, because I didn't think I would talk this much about only two games.

Writerly HapPENings

So after I did my Beautiful Books post, my inspiration for Digital Pulse has gone through the roof. I hadn't written anything in November prior to this post, but I certainly did afterward. I wrote about 3,600 words, whereas in the months leading up to November I had only written approximately 600. Tragic, I know, but things are looking up!

I mentioned that I outlined my story events while at work the other day. When I had gone to work, I had no idea how I was going to get from where I was to the ending that I had in mind. When I left, pretty much everything was planned out. I'm going to have to do this more often in the future, because it really helps.

My goal was to finish the story by the end of this week, but that's not going to happen. I'm going to have to shift the deadline over to the end of next week. Wish me luck!

Before I go, I have one surprise for you all. During the month of December, on any of my posts, feel free to ask whatever questions you want me to answer--within reason, of course. If there's something you've always wanted to know about me, now's your chance. Come January, I'll pick my favorites (or do them all, depending on how many I get) and answer them in what is sure to be an insightful and humorous post. There is no limit to how many questions you can ask. Just make sure you specify so I don't answer when I respond to you. Use #KnowJoe when you're asking a question for the special post.

And there you have it! That was my November. What was yours like? For all you NaNo participators out there, feel free to give my a glimpse of your journey through the month. Or if you have talked about it on your own blog, let me know so I can check it out!