Pow! Bang! Machine-gun noise? Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released this past Thursday and with plenty of villainy afoot, the six members of what would become known as the Justice League had plenty of enemies to get their passive-aggressiveness out. Warning: spoilers ahead.

The plot of Justice League is one that would disappoint many. Batman knows something is coming, he recruits Diana Prince, or Wonder Woman, to help him build a team of super human beings. The movie introduces you to The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman. As they’re preparing for an unknown imminent danger, a being known as Steppenwolf pays a visit and steals three “motherboxes” that when combined  destroy all life. And, after bringing Superman back to life pet cematary style, they face off against this new adversary. Blah, blah, blah. The plot is weak overall. This is not something that hasn’t been done before, this is simply another, “Look, bad guy, us kill, save world, yay,” kind of movie.

However, something this movie managed relatively well is the character background of the new members. The Flash, or Barry Allen, is a quirky genius who has a father in prison, and is currently trying to find legitimate occupation. Victor Stone aka Cyborg is a former high school prodigy scholar as well as football player who became the product of an accident after nearly succumbing to injuries from a car accident where his father used one of the “motherboxes” to cybernetically repair his body. And the Aquaman, well, they really only include his backstory in the legends of him. , He lives in the ocean with the Atlanteans and can communicate with fish through water currents.

I do have to recognize the flashback scene where the movie explains the first time Steppenwolf paid a visit to Earth along with the “motherboxes”. That was definitely my favorite scene other than Superman and Wonder Woman headbutting oneanother for ten seconds. The flashback shows the real danger the “motherboxes”pose in the central plotline along with the symbolism of humans, Atlanteans, and the Amazons unifying to stop evil as Batman (& The Flash & Cyborg) unites with Aquaman as well as Wonder Woman.

The final fight was wicked, I can give props to the computer-generated imagery (CGI) team on this movie because there was a lot of it but it helped the movie in the end. Science-fiction movies that focus on action are supposed to deliver that wow factor and I believe it was the CGI that did just that. The entire villain army as well as the “motherboxes’” devastation were all works of computer generated imagery and I believe that they delivered. Of course, however, beyond the clear talent the CGI showcased, the plotline practically ruined that experience when Superman showed his face. While Steppenwolf seemed a truly intimidating and dangerous enemy for most of his cinematic appearance, it only took one punch from Kal-El for the audience to realize this fight was nearly over. The team’s efforts were nearly thwarted by Steppenwolf’s raw strength and courage, but Superman swiftly laid a smackdown without even getting hit. In my experience of cinematic entertainment, it’s come across that a villain that is capable of at least inflicting some type of wound on the main protagonist is still one to behold. So they basically crumbled the vision of a good villain by making him child’s play for the man in tights.

I had one major disappointment by the end of the credits of this movie: Where was a foreshadowing end scene for either Green Lantern or Darkseid? Green Lantern is essential for the Justice League to be the Justice League. Of course, Ryan Reynolds’s attempt a few years ago didn’t sell for a solo feature, but the guy really kicks butt in the comics and is a very valuable member to the team. I feel it was a huge opportunity missed to not include something referencing him (Although, in the flashback scene, Steppenwolf kills a former green lantern and the ring flies off into space, so I guess that’s something?). And Darkseid, considered the archenemy of the Justice League and imminent threat to the entire universe, gets a simple single mutter of his name from Steppenwolf’s crusty lips. That’s it. Everyone knows Marvel has their end scenes down for the count. But is it wrong to want DC to follow in their footsteps? The kind of pleasing ending a cliffhanger delivers for the next chapter in the storyline is one that I believe these types of movies should really showcase. It makes it feel like you just finished the last page of the most recent comic book release and you count down the days until the next booklet is delivered.

Justice League, while I had many criticisms for its key attributes, was a fun film to watch. I’d easily give is a 7/10. The plot may have been lacking, but the characters, backstory, and overall production redeemed the movie and has left me excited for what’s to come.