Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

242 minutes. Not a typo, that’s the runtime. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is basically a whole TV season wearing a cape, and a big chunk of it is in slow motion. Aquaman wades into the sea while villagers sing to him. The Flash’s rescue scene stretches one split second into what feels like a lunch break. Somebody needed to say no, and nobody did. Here’s the twist though: Cyborg finally gets a real story, and Ray Fisher turns him into the heart of the team instead of a guy who beeps. Steppenwolf’s armor ripples like it’s nervous, which is a vibe. The fights in the last chapter hit way harder than they have any right to. Critics gave it a 71% on Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb voters pushed it to a 7.9, and the movie.guru score sits at 7.5. A 6.4 because there’s a great superhero movie in here, it just never learned when to leave. $848 says you watch it over two nights and tell everyone you did it in one sitting.

What works: Ray Fisher’s Cyborg finally gets a real arc, and the final battle has a weight the earlier version of this story never found.

What doesn’t: Way too much slow motion and way too many detours, so a story that should be tight gets stretched across 242 minutes and an epilogue that sets up sequels.

Who it’s for: DC fans with a free afternoon, a big couch and zero plans until dinner.