Thomas Harris attends the Justice League Experience…
“He’s smaller than I imagined,” was muttered throughout the evening as I wandered through what was once Central St Martens Arts College, ogling at the impressively expansive collections of props, costumes and immersive rooms taken from Justice League.
“Those are all the actual costumes worn in the film,” felt maybe a lie, or a white lie. Ben Affleck is 6”4, as is Jason Mamoa and there was the faint whiff that maybe I could fit – with some room to spare – into the suspiciously small looking Batsuit, or Aquaman’s distractingly shiny suit.
But let this not distract from how immersive the Justice League Experience is. Each member: The Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, Cyborg and Aquaman have their own room filled with Easter eggs, activities and props taken directly from the set.
Batman is first up and a deep dive into the Batcave ensues. Any hope for an appearance from the Batmobile or the Batwing and you’ll be disappointed, only computer screens showing the mechanics of the machines briefly tease. But dead centre is the tactical Batsuit, including the ridiculous sunglasses. There’s also an opportunity for a bullet-time photo op for budding Robins.
Then is Star Labs, which Cyborg occupies. Again, it’s impressively put together and there’s clearly been an attempt to make it look as if you’ve stepped right onto the set. It’s a similar situation with The Flash, showcasing Barry Allen’s eclectic, almost disjointed collection of memorabilia and paraphernalia. It’s the least immersive of rooms, but you can see the evolution of his suit for those interested.
Wonder Woman has an office now, and you can sit in her chair and study ancient statues. It’s all very classy and you can get your Diana on by trying on her headband and arm armour. It’s the least interesting of the rooms.
Frankly the best, although least interactive is Aquaman’s, which aptly was turned into a bar for the evening. How better to spend your time than drinking next to the water dwelling hero.
There are also opportunities to have you photo taken alongside the Justice League and a VR room that allows you to fight Parademons as part of the team.
Enjoyment maybe hinges on your appreciation of the film’s predecessors and there’s a certain amount of knowledge needed to appease the diehard fans the exhibition is so clearly aimed at. But for what it’s worth, there’s enough there to entertain, even if it takes very little time to wander form entrance to exit.
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Justice League will reunite Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta and Robin Wright as General Antiope alongside J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as Commissioner Gordon, Amber Heard (The Danish Girl) as Mera, Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) as Vulko, Kiersey Clemons (Dope) as Iris West, Ciaran Hinds (Game of Thrones) as Steppenwolf, and Julian Lewis Jones (Stella) and Michael McElhatton (Game of Thrones) in as-yet-unrevealed roles.
Thomas Harris
Originally published November 10, 2017. Updated April 18, 2018.
