JUSTICE LEAGUE
A hopeful superhero team unites against demonic darkness.
Should You Watch It?
This is one of the better and more uplifting recent DC superhero movies, according to the source review. It is better structured than recent DC films, has a lighter and more enjoyable tone, and gives Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman stronger development. The story also celebrates hope, truth, justice, family, teamwork and light overcoming darkness.
The content keeps it from being an unqualified family recommendation. There is strong, intense action violence involving frightening creatures, plus some foul language, a brief environmentalist comment, and two confusing moments that appear to mock Christian ideas. The movie’s Christian and redemptive allusions are substantial, but the concerns call for parental discernment.
If you are watching with teenagers or adults, this is worth the trip; for younger children, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESWith Superman gone after sacrificing himself for the world, Batman and Wonder Woman face a new threat: flying, demon-looking creatures attacking people.
They begin gathering a team of reluctant superheroes, including Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash. Their enemy, the alien supervillain Steppenwolf, is searching for three ancient boxes whose combined power could remake the world in his own image. The heroes must unite before that power falls completely into his hands.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a highly entertaining superhero film with meaningful flaws. It is better structured than recent DC movies and benefits from a lighter touch that makes it more fun, heroic and less ponderous, dark and edgy.
Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill are better as Batman and Superman here. Gal Gadot makes Wonder Woman and Diana Prince come alive, while Ezra Miller brings a lot of fun to The Flash. The dialogue for Cyborg and Aquaman is weaker than The Flash’s, and the music, though improved, still falls short of recent Marvel scores. Even so, the movie’s quality and entertainment value are strong.
The Worldview
JUSTICE LEAGUE presents a strong moral worldview with Christian, redemptive themes and motifs. It extols good overcoming demonic evil, light overcoming darkness, family, faith, truth, justice and teamwork. The demonic evil feeds on and destroys itself, while the heroes fight a satanic villain and his demonic underlings. The story also speaks positively about saving the world and rejects doubt that goodness can overcome darkness.
The film includes some worldview problems. A hero makes an environmentalist comment about human beings destroying the planet and global warming. There are references to ancient “gods,” and two villains express ambiguous anti-Christian ideas: one mocks Christian history with talk of “holy fear,” while another refers to three powerful boxes as “three in one.” The latter may be understood as a demonic mockery of the Christian Trinity, though the idea remains confusing. The source review also notes Police Commissioner Gordon as a positive figure and Bruce Wayne’s wealth as an asset in fighting evil.
The film’s central hope is that light can overcome darkness. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Very strong moral worldview with strong allegorical and metaphorical Christian, redemptive elements extols good overcoming demonic evil and family, major Christ-like character has died and is resurrected in a sequence involving symbolic water baptism and lightning, same character says “I believe in Truth; and, I’m a big fan of Justice,” light overcoming darkness is a motif, faith is extolled over humanist mockery, the demonic evil feeds on and destroys itself, good guys are battling a satanic villain who has demonic underlings serving his bidding, people talk about “saving” the world, etc., but there are some minor problems such as a hero makes an environmentalist comment in one scene about human beings destroying the planet and global warming, there are a couple pagan references to ancient “gods” who were destroyed, and there are two apparent Anti-Christian but ambiguous and confusing sentiments expressed by two villains (one villain about to blow up four city blocks in Gotham or Metropolis opens up the bomb briefcase and says, “Down with the modern world. Back to the Dark Ages and the safety of holy fear” but heroine says she’s a “believer” when villain asks her what she is, and the major demonic villain refers to three boxes with the metaphysical power to create and destroy as “three in one,” but this also could be seen as a demonic mockery of the Divine Christian Trinity and the power of the Triune God), plus Police Commissioner Gordon is a positive figure, and Bruce Wayne’s wealth is seen as an asset in the fight against evil.
Foul Language
11 obscenities (a few “s” words and an SOB), one profane use of Jesus, one light profanity, and TV news report bleeps out “f” words used by a female eyewitness.
Violence
Lots of strong, intense action violence involving scary creatures includes flying creatures have sharp-looking fangs as they attack people, villains and superheroes are knocked about and punched, characters knocked into many walls, Wonder Women uses sword against satanic villain and his demonic minions, satanic villain uses a large fiery ax, women on horseback are wounded, explosions, The Flash can knock people large distances with the flick of his hand or a kick, flying machines crash, hand to hand combat, heroes are put in perilous situations, Superman knocks Batman into the side of a police car, Aquaman holds off a wall of water, villain slams a female character against a wall, villain tries to choke a couple characters, etc.
Sex
No sex scenes but Lois Lane looks over at an empty pillow where it’s implied the late Clark Kent used to sleep with her (she has an engagement ring from Clark/Superman, but apparently they didn’t get married yet).
Nudity
Upper male nudity.
Alcohol Use
Alcohol use includes Aquaman downing a bottle of whiskey.
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs.
Miscellaneous Immorality
Nothing else really objectionable.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The heroes must overcome fear and doubt to work together. When has God used a group of imperfect people to accomplish something good?
1 Corinthians 12:12–27 · Ecclesiastes 4:9–10The movie presents light overcoming darkness. Where do you see that hope in Scripture, and how can you bring light into a difficult situation?
John 1:5 · Matthew 5:14–16The story praises truth and justice. Why must justice be joined with truth, mercy and love?
Micah 6:8 · Zechariah 7:9The film uses resurrection and baptism imagery. What does Christian resurrection hope actually rest on?
1 Corinthians 15:3–4, 20–22The Final Word
JUSTICE LEAGUE is a high-quality, entertaining superhero adventure with a lighter touch and strong redemptive themes. Intense violence, foul language and confusing anti-Christian moments call for discernment, especially with younger children. For teenagers and adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — AGES 13 AND UP.
