The late review embargo for Justice League has caused a great deal of concern for DC fans. In one analysis, Mashable went so far as to suggest there’s a direct correlation between this kind of restrictive embargo and poor critic reception. They predicted the film would earn only 33 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Thankfully, Warner Bros. appear to have relented — after a fashion. They’re allowing critics and fans who’ve seen the movie to make their comments on social media. And the great news is, most viewers seem to have had a strong positive reaction to the film.
The general assessment is that Justice League is flawed, but still enjoyable. Jim Vejvoda, of IGN , described it as looking like a Zack Snyder film, but playing a Joss Whedon movie. According to Joblo ‘s Paul Shirley , the film’s flaws rest on pacing, lack of suspense, and — unfortunately — the villainous Steppenwolf. That said, there’s a lot of praise for the cast. As we’d expected, Ezra Miller’s Flash is a real highlight, while critics are unanimous in praising Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. By the movie’s end, IGN ‘s Terri Schwartz reported that you genuinely care about the team and the characters.
General reaction social embargo for JUSTICE LEAGUE is up. Initial thoughts: It’s THE comic movie from DC/WB that you wanted! Everyone shines. Barry Allen / The Flash is the real MVP. Comedy. Drama. Action. Surprises. Yeah, go see it!
— Jeff J. (@JeffJSays) November 10, 2017
You can almost sense the relief. The nascent DC Extended Universe has had a troubled start, with Snyder’s Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice dividing fans and critics. This year has seen the first unalloyed success, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman , which shattered the Hollywood myth that female superhero films would always be box office flops.
Unfortunately, even Wonder Woman ‘s remarkable success story hasn’t been able to allay fears over Justice League . The film started production before Warner Bros. had time to adjust their strategy after the critical failure of Batman v Superman , with Zack Snyder coming in for particularly strong criticism. Snyder ultimately left after a personal tragedy, and was replaced by none other than Joss Whedon. That makes Justice League something of a unique film, a blend of different tones and styles unlike anything any studio has attempted before. Thankfully, if these first reactions are anything to go by, it looks to have worked.
#JusticeLeague is a fun blockbuster that is entertaining enough to overcome its flaws. The team works well together to deliver more than a few spectacular superhero moments worth seeing on the big screen.
Maybe not quite what some hoped, but definitely not what many feared.
— Sean Gerber (@MrSeanGerber) November 10, 2017
Amusingly enough, Justice League appears to have embraced one Marvel tradition. Apparently the film has both a mid- and end-credits scene. Previous DC movies had avoided this, with Snyder explaining that he didn’t want to just follow Marvel’s formula . Evidently Whedon, who essentially invented a large element of that formula, is less concerned about that.
It’s clear that Justice League marks a radical change in tone and style for the DCEU. No doubt those who’ve defended the films so far will be irritated by that, but by all accounts that’s made this movie a real success with the critics. Now let’s see if it can prove Mashable wrong with that predicted score of 33 percent.
[Featured Image by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images]