Movie was fine. Not great, not bad, just fine.
I was worried after the initial two scenes -- Superman flashback (which was just full of corny dialogue and a off camera "kid" who sounded like an adult trying to play the part) seemed really unnecessary, especially given the cut to a newspaper highlighting his death basically said it all. The Batman sequence that followed felt more like a throwback to the Burton Batman movies, and the dialogue in it gave me Suicide Squad flashbacks. The "3 boxes" appearing and then the goon Batman had used as bait said something like "An attack from space? It's because he's gone isn't it. Superman." I almost groaned out loud.
Both felt like scenes that got added because some exec's got skittish about audiences understanding the plot. Very out of place and clumsy.
Luckily, things get better from there.
The introduction of each character was handled really well. They managed to give each hero a real background and sense of character without overplaying it. Cybrog might have actually gotten the best treatment of the bunch, and it made me care a lot more about his character than I expected. Aquaman didn't get as much background, but I'm all in for his drunk, biker bro persona. The interplay of the characters in general was really strong. Biggest holes were the fact that Flash's powers were not explained at all, outside of a throw away line while digging up Supes, and there's not really an explanation about why Cyborg is on their radar at all, given they don't seem to know about his current state.
The action sequences largely worked for me, which I wasn't expecting, but I agree the "let's resurrect Superman" idea seemed to spring up way too quickly. Also, for all their desire to set the stage for newcomers at the beginning of the movie, they never explain the Lex Luther/Doomsday resurrection bit that they essentially replicate. Just make a quick reference to it when Cyborg is evaluating the system. At first I thought that was because they'd prefer to leave Lex behind, but that's obviously not the case if you sat through the credits.
Steppenwolf was fine, not an exemplary villain, but totally serviceable. His final battle and demise was better than the resolution in Wonder Woman, so that's noteworthy.
Ultimately my biggest gripe with the film was the dialogue, something I wasn't expecting to say given how involved Whedon was. Flash's character just seems like an overacted caricature of Aspergers. His jokes just did not land for most of the movie, and that was the case for most of the "quips".
There's potential moving forward, and I am all in for a standalone Aquaman film, but the DCEU needs to really get a new team of writers who understand humor and can do more than tee up set pieces.
