Not every web project needs react, or even JS.
I'm sure there are declarative, object-oriented (rather than text-oriented) templating engines out there that use an approach like React's. But I would consider using an imperative, text-oriented templating language a yellow, if not red, flag in 2017.
It is functional (well, as functional as React), and templates compile to plain 'ol functions, so compatibility and static typing is the same as the rest of the your program.
Obviously, if I needed a SPA or something, it's not what I would use, but again, not everything should be an SPA.
Twirl is fine, insofar as it's attached to the Play (that's not to impugn you for picking it, my history with Play is colorful and frustrating). I wouldn't raise a flag for that. But not using something in this vein definitely is, and React is probably the most accessible way to do it for the 90-95% case of developers.
the job that should be plain simple html was done in angular, and you could notice it, simple flickering and slowdowns for no aparent benefit.
just so stupid.
And your semicolon is misplaced.
This sounds like typical anti-change pushback, which I have learned can actually be a good thing. However, this anecdote is severely lacking in insight; much like most people's support of, or opposition to, change. Further, like the widespread belief that sentences shouldn't start with conjunctions; much less conjunctive adverbs.