The DC cinematic universe needed a major course correction after the poor reception of its first three films. Wonder Woman, their most recent offering, was a step in the right direction.

The newest offering, Justice League, attempted to continue this trend, but ended up falling flat on its face. Even with a strong cast that has noticeable chemistry, the film couldn’t overcome a lackluster story, terrible villain, and distractingly poor special effects.

Justice League follows Batman (Ben Affleck) as he assembles a group of heroes to stop the evil Steppenwolf from collecting the ‘motherboxes’ and destroying the world. The story is convoluted and rushed, due to extensive reshoots and a compact (for an action blockbuster) two-hour runtime. Attempts to introduce even more characters contribute further to the film’s lack of focus.

Ben Affleck continues his surprisingly successful run as Batman, although, at times, he looks bored with the material. Gal Gadot is a delight as Wonder Woman, once again, and is the strongest character in the movie.

The newly-introduced members are a mixed bag. Jason Moma’s (Game of Thrones) Aquaman is a nice addition. Flash, played by Ezra Miller (Perks of Being a Wallflower) is a mediocre comedic relief character and many of his jokes fall flat. Henry Cavill turns in a workman-like performance.

In spite of a substantial budget of 3oo million dollars, the special effects are unbelievably bad. The main antagonist, Steppenwolf, is a computer-generated character that belongs in a video game. The green screen used throughout the film is baffling and inexcusably bad. Because of reshoots, Henry Cavill’s mustache needed to be digitally removed and it is very noticeable and very funny.

The action sequences are probably the film’s greatest attribute, but the rest of the film is a mess.

With its multiple directors, rewrites and reshoots, Justice League falls short of expectations. It is worth watching only if you’re dedicated to the characters and the DC cinematic universe.

Score 5/10