★★☆☆☆

IT’S hard to ignore the fact that it’s been a bumpy old road so far on the journey into the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

Man of Steel kicked things off in a bold but flawed fashion, the thrilling superhero punch-up that was Suicide Squad was a stylistic melange and Batman v Superman proved too ponderous and ultimately a silly shell of the movie it could have been. Wonder Woman, on the other hand, easily shone the brightest as an exhilarating and important entry into superhero movie canon.

Justice League ends up on the shaky middle ground of the DCEU: a dutifully action-packed, albeit overstuffed, piece of eye candy that entertains but does little that makes it linger in the memory.

It begins with things looking pretty grim after the events of Batman v Superman, which saw the Man of Steel (Henry Cavill) sacrifice himself for the greater good. The world hasn’t gotten over it, and mourn the monumental loss with flags bearing Superman’s symbol draped over landmarks. However, people are divided and crime is on the rise and before long a new otherworldly threat presents itself in the form of the devil-horned alien invader Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds, unrecognisable in motion-capture form), whose aim is to conquer the planet using three powerful “Mother Boxes” that have been separated and protected for centuries, and an army of flying “para-demons”.

Inspired by Superman’s selfless act for which he still feels partly responsible, Batman (Ben Affleck) starts assembling a team of superheroes – including Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) – to try to stop Steppenwolf.

For all its bluster and hype, it’s a bit of a drag just how chaotic is Justice League. It’s an escapist, in-your-face Frankenstein’s monster of a movie that amalgamates the good, the bad and the ugly of this most ubiquitous of multiplex genres into one frustratingly unfocused package.

Zach Snyder, the architect behind the DCEU, once again directs with everything turned up to 11, constructing a full-on, bombastic, blockbuster spectacle. Unfortunately, it’s leaden with clunky expository dialogue, too many characters vying for screen time, and action set-pieces that may work in the moment but have little lasting impact. It doesn’t help that the main culprit behind the destruction is a hammy, weakly written villain that never truly feels like the kind of threat he’s constantly touted as.

The Flash is undoubtedly the movie’s highlight – thanks to the influence of Marvel alumni Joss Whedon, which can be felt in how he interacts with the superheroes like an overexcited fanboy who geeks out at the idea of Batman inviting him to join the team before injecting welcome wisecracks into the CGI chaos and narrative bombast.

Aquaman is also a welcome addition, adding an intriguing mythological edge to the mix that, coupled with Momoa’s coolly aloof performance, bodes well for his own outing.

Cyborg feels like the sore thumb of the pack, linked to a compelling enough backstory which is not given enough time to breathe and is weighed down by the character’s CGI-led depiction.

And there’s enough goodwill left over from this year’s superior standalone Wonder Woman to keep us invested in her as she stands her ground as the only, much-needed, female element in this gruff boys’ club.

There’s fleeting fun to be had on this DC outing, but it certainly isn’t going to convince anyone not already on board the superhero hype train.