Justice League

THE GIST: Superman's death has left a huge hole in Earth's defenses, leading to the Parademons and the evil Steppenwolf's return. He plans to retrieve the three Mother Boxes and create The Unity, which will allow him to lay waste and reshape the planet to his liking. In his way stands the newly assembled Justice League, Earth's only hope.

DC Comics has been trying for years to emulate their archenemy Marvel Studios' endless winning streak at the box office with uneven results. They have some of the coolest superheros, but somehow their movies are overall less successful.

I've actually enjoyed their movies of late. It seems to me that their major faux pas was committed back in the mid-'90s when, after the two quirky but good Tim Burton directed Batman movies, Joel Schumacher was given the reins and he drove it off a cliff.

The property has come a long way since then, thanks to Christopher Nolan's wonderful Batman trilogy, but then the fans rejected the selection of Ben Affleck as the new caped crusader, and so the trolls were out for blood again. I don't mind Affleck's Batman, though of course Christian Bale's is probably the best one to date.

Anyway, I think Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ezra Miller as The Flash are perfectly cast. Ray Fisher is fine as Cyborg, but that's a character I'm not familiar with at all.

This movie also offers up Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, and Amber Heard, so there's plenty to like for everyone, especially since the script is not too shabby.

THE BOTTOM LINE: If you want to spend a couple hours in the company of some hardworking and cool superheroes, sit back and enjoy what Justice League has in store.

Grade: 7.5