8 Things We Learned From Justice League

After decades of waiting, we've finally received Justice League. It's a cinematic experience that comic book fans have been asking for and the (New) Gods finally granted our hearts' desire. Now, this article isn't to discuss whether you enjoyed or disliked the film - that's a topic for another occasion. What we will be talking about is what we learned after its release. There are a host of topics that could take us years to chat about, so we've singled out the bigger ones. It's to be expected that this will be filled with tons of spoilers and discussions of plot points, so if you haven't seen the film yet and don't want to know all of this beforehand, please bookmark this page and come back to it later. As always, we encourage you to use the comments section down below to air your thoughts and grievances, but let's keep it classy, okay? With that said, it's time for you to join WGTC's Hall of Justice by clicking on the next page. There's A Bias Towards Zack Snyder's Films Sometimes, it's important to recognize and acknowledge the shortcomings of one's own industry. Thus, it has to be said that there's certainly a bias towards Zack Snyder from many mainstream publications. Before Justice League was even released, many were proclaiming it a dumpster fire without even viewing it. This negative narrative was painted far in advance and many were averse to approaching it without prejudice. For heaven's sake, some of the stuff said about Snyder, as a person and not a filmmaker, was downright disgusting. Now, we aren't saying that being critical about a director's work indicates a bias. In fact, a lot of the negative reviews have listed their gripes eloquently and there's merit to their arguments. The issue is when you're reading reviews from the same person who raved about Avengers: Age of Ultron but despised Justice League. That's hypocritical since the movies have the same technical issues – the only difference is that one had Snyder and the other didn't. Considering the pre-conceived notions of Snyder's involvement and influence in the franchise's direction as a whole, perhaps a reboot or a rebranding might not be a bad idea at this point. It's difficult to change people's mindsets and we don't think it's going to get any better going forward. There Were A Lot Of Rewrites And Reshoots Despite Warner Bros. saying this is a Zack Snyder film through and through, it's evident that Joss Whedon's influence was far more than the 15-20% suggested. There's a good chunk of this movie that was rewritten and reshot and you can spot it throughout. If you don't know where, here's a hint: just look for Henry Cavill's CGI upper lip and the rushed Steppenwolf scenes. Fortunately, the film didn't suffer too much from this, as the tone was relatively the same and other parts made up for the shoddy VFX. Sure, there are moments that are distinctively Whedon and others that are typical Snyder, but it isn't enough to put you off the movie altogether. There is a lesson to be learned here, though, and it's that studios need to stop meddling in filmmakers' visions because of kneejerk reactions. As a result of all these reshoots and rewrites, for example, we ended up with some dodgy CGI as a prime example of what can go wrong when time is against you. It could've been avoided had the project been allowed to continue without all these new hurdles being thrown into the mix. The Injustice League Is Coming One of the best parts about Justice League is the post-credits scene that shows Lex Luthor and Deathstroke. Part of their interaction includes Lex telling Slade about the need to create a League of their own to battle the heroes. Naturally, we all got excited by this Injustice League reference and what it could mean for the franchise. While it's possible it could just be a cool little nod to the villainous group, there's also a good chance that they might be the main antagonists for the Justice League sequel. If you look at the CGI backlash, it doesn't seem likely that Darkseid will be the next bad guy and the producers might take a more grounded approach with real-life actors and smaller stakes. At the same time, it could be really nothing and maybe just a setup for the Deathstroke solo movie. We don't know about you, but we wouldn't mind seeing the League take on some of their greatest villains in their next cinematic outing. Batfleck's Time Is Nearly Up It's time to accept the inevitable: Ben Affleck's time as the Caped Crusader is coming to an end. It's been a whirlwind year of speculation where we've suffered a rollercoaster of emotions as Affleck refuses to commit to the immediate future of the franchise. Judging by a conversation that he had with Wonder Woman in Justice League, where he admitted that he can't do the crime-fighting thing forever, it's the first sure sign that his time is limited - whether it be by passing the mantle onto someone else or dying in battle. Heck, maybe it'll just be straight recast as the latest rumor suggests. It's sad to think of it, because he's portrayed a good Batman so far, but his heart doesn't appear to be in it any longer. Just look at his recent interviews and it's obvious that he's going through the motions and purely fulfilling contractual obligations. Maybe all he needs is a long break from the franchise to rediscover his love of the character again? Whatever it is, the signs aren't good. Lex Luthor's Character Might Be More Like Canon In The Future Even though many of us thought (or feared) Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor would have a major part to play in Justice League, that wasn't the case and he was relegated to one post-credits scene. That said, in that appearance alone, he showed more in common with the classic Luthor whom we all love to hate than his previous outing as the neurotic wunderkind. It'll be intriguing to see if the DCEU continues to persist with its divisive characters, such as Eisenberg's Luthor, or actually do a clean sweep and reboot many of the roles. It'd be a damn shame to not give Eisenberg another shot, because his brief appearance in the film showed us something different and he deserves at least one more solid go - much like Jared Leto's Joker does. At the moment, though, a lot of characters' futures are up in the air at Warner Bros. But ask yourself this, would you be against a more traditional Luthor, even if he's still portrayed by Eisenberg? More Justice League Members Are Coming Initially, everyone thought there would be seven members in Justice League, with many predicting Hal Jordan/Green Lantern to be the seventh and final one. As we discovered, that didn't end up being the case and more than a few people were disappointed by it. (Although, we did get a nice Green Lanterns cameo in a flashback sequence, so it wasn't all bad.) However, there's an interesting moment at the end of the film that touches upon the topic of expanding the League. When Bruce Wayne shows Diana Prince his idea for where a table can go for the six of them, she adds, "And for more." It's not hard to see what she's implying there, and we wouldn't be surprised if the League expands by several more members. Whether we'll get a Justice League sequel, though, is a whole different story. Something tells us that the fallout from this movie will have heads rolling around the Warner Bros. parking lot - especially if the film flops at the box office. Superman Is Reborn Superman's resurrection was the worst kept secret in the history of cinema. Nonetheless, the major uncertainty was whether he'd still be the same sort of character as he had been from before. You see, one of the biggest criticisms of the DCEU has been that Henry Cavill's Superman wasn't the traditional Big Blue - and it's resulted in the "not my Superman" complaint we've heard a million times. This is why his death actually ended up being a smart move in the grand scheme of things. In a world without Superman, we got to see the power of hope that he brought to the others around him. He was spoken about fondly and even inspired Batman to stop being such a grumpy sod. Finally, Superman's influence was everywhere, while he was so sorely missed as well. Arguably, Justice League's greatest triumph is in how it handled Superman's rebirth. He's more in line with the personality we all know and love, as the smiles and friendliness flow. Also, his costume is brighter than before. The New Gods Are A Step Too Far Right Now When the news broke that Steppenwolf would be the main villain in Justice League, a lot of fans were excited because the New Gods were set to be a part of the DC cinematic universe. Unfortunately, it proved to be a step too far here, as it became one of the major bugbears of those who've seen it due to the extensive use of CGI. With the League being in its infancy, it would make sense to bring them together to battle a smaller-scale threat before introducing the whole New Gods mythos into the mix. It's not because we don't want to see it, but mostly because the comic book movie audience is experiencing CGI fatigue at the moment and craves something fresh. Not every villain needs to be a huge alien monster that wants to take over the world. There are numerous other possibilities available, which could also end up being much cheaper and practical for productions. Tell us, what did you think of Justice League? Let us know in the comments section below.