Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
Much more successful is Gadot, who isn’t given nearly as much room to operate as she did in this summer’s funny, stirring 「Wonder Woman.」 Almost alone in the DC cinematic universe, she manages to bring a sense of gravitas without losing her lightness — her Wonder Woman is a formidable warrior but also a pleasure to be around. Wonder Woman and Batman had a flirtatious rapport in 「Batman v Superman,」 and 「Justice League」 further hints at the possibility of romance between them, but Affleck’s grizzled, older Wayne fails to come to life around her, making the prospect of a future love story not exactly enticing.
The film also suffers because of its singularly tedious antagonist. By this point, it’s a cliché that almost all superhero movies involve the fate of the planet hanging in the balance, but in 「Justice League,」 Steppenwolf is so forgettable a foe with his generic menace that he creates a gaping hole at the film’s center. Presumably, this sidelining was intentional, so that more screen time could be devoted to our heroes getting to know one another. But by the time Snyder reaches the predictably protracted finale, character dynamics take a backseat to frenetic carnage.
The movie is now being screened in Shenzhen.