“Justice League” is half directed by Zack Snyder (“Sucker Punch”), and the other is directed by Joss Whedon (“The Avengers”). It marks the perennial coming together of heroes that DC and Warner Bros. have been trying to get together in the five years since the release of “The Avengers.” In the film, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck, “Live by Night”) and Diana Prince (Gal Gadot, “Wonder Woman”), in the wake of  Superman’s (Henry Cavill, “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice”) death, must band together with Barry Allen (Ezra Miller, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”), Victor Stone (Ray Fisher, “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice”)  and Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa, “The Bad Batch”) to save the world from the invasion of Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds, “Silence”) and his Parademon hordes, who seek to conquer the earth.

Now, it has been no secret that in the five years it has been since the release of “The Avengers,” Warner Bros. has been trying desperately to put together a cinematic universe to compete with Marvel. They have achieved very limited success, however, as the mixed reviews for 2013’s “Man of Steel” caused them to wait three more years before releasing the double whammy that was the critically despised duo of “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Suicide Squad.” However, a much-needed house change at Warner Bros., plus the added bonus of “Wonder Woman” being universally praised across the board, saw a very different outlook going into this movie, one which spelled a much more positive future for the universe. Perhaps it was because they brought on Joss Whedon or because of the new executive team in charge finally decided to take three steps back and actually trust the creators they bring on board. Either way, they finally decided to stop trying so hard to be Marvel, and the movie, despite all its flaws, is a legitimately good, well-made film that is well written, well acted and surprisingly enjoyable.

The one thing viewers have to give Warner Bros. credit for above all else is their casting, as in addition to Gadot and Affleck (who is light years better in this than he is in “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice”), all three of the new additions do a great job with their parts. Miller, Fisher and Momoa are all thoroughly enjoyable to watch. Each one of them gets the perfect amount of screen time to make them have arcs, and they are all so fully fleshed out. The scenes where it is the five of them together make for some of the best scenes in the film, as Whedon proves once again that he knows how to write superteams bouncing off one another.

In terms of standouts, cast wise, it is easily the last one audiences ever would have pegged going in, and that is Superman, of all people. This is not a spoiler; everyone who saw “Batman vs. Superman” knew he was coming back to life. He steals every single scene he is in for the simple fact that within a few scenes in one movie, Whedon is able to accomplish what Snyder could not accomplish in two movies: giving him some personality. It truly is amazing how far a few well-written lines, some actual emoting and not constantly brooding goes.

Of course, story wise, this movie is nothing new. Anyone who saw the trailers for this movie can figure out that the plot here is literally the same as “The Avengers.” The heroes have to get the thing before it opens a portal and lets another CG army take over the world. The movie is so enjoyable, though, that the bland plot and lousy visuals are not really as much a bother as one would think. At the very least, it is consistent.

Easily the worst part about this movie is the villain, and at this point, that is to be expected when it comes to these movies. Aside from the fact that he looks like a character straight out of a “Mortal Kombat” game, this guy is just another bland, forgettable villain who is just the next in a long line of villains who want to take over the world.

Despite the movie’s flaws, “Justice League” is an enjoyable movie that does not feel like a product. It spells a bright future ahead of the DC universe that may, in fact, keep them around longer than Marvel, simply for the fact that they are choosing to make their movies autonomous and not focus on the interconnected universe, which, at this point, is what they need to do. Really good acting and well-written characters are what make this movie, and it really is refreshing to finally see some actual justification as to why one can now like these characters, rather than simply hiding behind the fact that people finally get to see these guys on the big screen.

Image from Warner Bros. UK via YouTube.com