Been a while since I’ve done one of these. Let’s see if I remember how.
I think this was a step up for the DCEU. It started out weak, but got stronger. Still not a super great movie, but leagues (heh) ahead of the previous DCEU movies. Story wise, it was alright. I like that they brought in a family near the source of things so that we could have an emotional investment in what was happening. It wasn’t just a random city being destroyed, there was someone we cared about there. There wasn’t anything really special or new about the story otherwise, but it wasn’t terrible. The telling of it suffered at first. Too many characters without a backstory in place already, so they tried to force too much in in a small amount of time. It came off as awkward and expository. But, once that was out of the way it got easier to get lost in the movie. I do take issue with the ending. It was a classic alien cop-out. I hate alien cop-outs. Almost as much as “it was all a dream” cop-outs. At least this one set up for it throughout the movie.

In terms of characters, I like the new additions. Their characters felt more natural, like actually people. Their dialogue felt more real and natural. They were easier to connect to and like than Batman or Superman. Wonder Woman stands her own with the new guys in that area. I do like the new direction with Superman though. I was not a big fan of his last two movies and, even though I tend to like the darker, grittier stuff, I think this lighter, smiley-er direction is better. They could stand to make some of his (and Batman’s) dialogue less cheesy however. Still better than Suicide Squad’s Enchantress by a mile. 

I think the actors played the characters well. Again, I think the newcomers deserve the most praise. Jason Mamoa and Ezra Miller in particular. I think they were cast very well for their characters. 

The direction was alright. There was not quite as much slo-mo and the like, or it was done more tastefully at least. It wasn’t distracting and cringe-worthy like the rest of the DCEU movies. I wouldn’t say I loved it or anything.

Overall, it wasn’t an MCU movie. That is not a compliment. But it was enjoyable. One of the top two DCEU movies for sure.