I said from the jump, Warner Bros. would end up making more money out of the Justice League than Marvel with The Avengers, because they’re doing it wrong, and so, they’ll be the first to remake. And look at this, a second edition of Justice League has already received heightening anticipation and applause, and Warner Bros. didn’t even have to reshoot it. The Snyder Cut; a project synonymous with people-power – most thought it could never exist and yet, here it is. I watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ultimate Edition to get ready for this; I hated that movie in its theatrical cut (released in 2016), but since time has passed, the race to contend with Marvel is lost, and not underestimating an uber-important thirty minutes of extra footage providing so much more context to a heavily weighted story, I’m suddenly completely on board with Zack Snyder’s style and vision for DC’s mightiest heroes. This is gonna be sweet!
Aligned with Superman’s final breath, the mother-boxes have awoken! Mother-boxes; world-altering devices used by aliens to assimilate worlds. There’s a set on Earth, separated and guarded by humans, Amazonians (Wonder Woman’s people) and Atlanteans (Aquaman’s people) alike. Batman’s Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) has continued his quest to unite a team, of superpowered meta-humans, and when Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) receives a message from her former homeland that an alien invasion has begun, the task to form a Justice League becomes even more pressing. Batman meets with Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and the Flash’s Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), while Wonder Woman comes across Cyborg’s Victor Stone (Ray Fisher). Their first mission is to halt Steppenwolf (a big CGI baddie voiced by Ciaran Hinds) from desecrating Earth, and potentially inviting even more wicked scoundrels.
The most important question to ask is how is this movie better than Joss Whedon’s 2017 theatrical cut – well, there’s no CGI moustaches, that’s a start. Zack Snyder’s Justice League begins amidst the death of Superman and instantly gives the last movie’s conclusion much more gravitas – I know there were diehard Superman fans that were massively disappointed that the death of Superman wasn’t done justice, and I wonder how they feel after this monumental opening. I’m sure Whedon was given a mandate to steer clear of anything ‘Dawn of Justice-y after that movie was a critical mess, but by sticking to this vision, at least this has a vision, giving our characters a stable and recognisable world to play in; our heroes aren’t suddenly soaked in colour or stretching to quip in the face of a very real emergency. Most importantly, the would-be new additions to the franchise – Aquaman, Flash and Cyborg – are treated with so much more appreciation, and their setup perpetuates throughout the entire movie, making them critically important to the ultimate payoff in the mission to save Earth. Previously, their introductions felt rushed, as if purely out of necessity, with the movie going through the repetitive motions of character development before the action could begin. I noticed that Aquaman is hesitant to bring Superman back here, where I think before it was only Alfred or Wonder Woman. Steppenwolf too, looks decent, and has a deeper motivation, when he was first one of the blandest villains that ever existed. Almost everything about this is bolstered and proves that it could have done the other way round to Marvel; using Justice League as a launching pad for stand-alone franchises in the DCEU.
That’s if you accept a four-hour movie, and I can’t see how the studio or cinemas would ever have allowed this. This is where streaming in 2021 is the absolute key behind unlocking the Snyder cut. Even with streaming, I hear the idea was out there to cut this movie up into episodes; but y’all have pause buttons – with streaming you can take a break whenever you want. I personally watched Zack Snyder’s Justice League all in one sitting and had no problem. The movie is roughly divided into acts anyway, and it felt like a rich fat comic book I couldn’t put down – the right amount of action segueing into emotional character establishment throughout. Snyder has had enough practice knowing what it looks like to bring comic book pages to life, especially with Watchmen, and I think he benefits from introducing new characters for the first time. Zack Snyder loves his slow-motion action shots and musical combinations, and although he goes to that well a lot, they work. I wouldn’t want a four-hour comic book movie ever week, but as a one-off, this is epic! It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
Now that the Zack Snyder trilogy has been completed as it was intended though, I will say I do feel like we got short-changed a few stories or movies with Superman; from the character that starts in Man of Steel, to his resurrection, and even his engagement to Lois Lane, his legacy feels really plain. Just like I felt after my Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice cinematic experience, we are robbed of Superman truly and rightfully earning the mantle of the world’s symbol of hope, I think. Though, the time for beggars and choosers is over, and positively, what might be missing with Clarke Kent is filled in in spades with firm character foundation for everyone else. I’m a massive fan of Batman: The Animated Series, but as I kid, I’d tuned out before Justice League came along, so these are the first introductions for me for a lot of these characters. I’m so glad that I finally understand that Bruce Wayne has been Batman in Gotham City for 20 years – I’m pretty sure that’s never been mentioned with Bat-Fleck, just assumed. I would openly welcome a Flash franchise with outstretched arms, if it continued the chemistry between Ezra Miller and Kiersey Clemmons, and it could be DC’s answer to Spider-Man for me. And I’m keen to revisit Aquaman now, where I really like this character and the movie might find a new place in my heart. Wonder Woman; well, I already love her.
But the biggest talking points come out of the last twenty minutes, where Snyder teases a multitude of ideas for a future that may never be. And I’m just going to say it; Jared Leto’s Joker continues to be terrible – unless he’s supposed to be Jason Todd, I’m not interested, and I was completely ready for that reveal here. That desert future looks spectacular but I’d worry that its setup is too grand a plan, so I’m personally glad they aren’t doing it (…yet). I mean, I watched Lost; they used to do it all the time – throw out some fantastical ideas and hope it somehow eventuated into something smooth, matching anticipation. The imaginative wonder I get from these final scenes and how it could have happened, is more special to me than cashing in, and hoping the chips fall into place; at least, for right now. I’m just happy to have seen Zack Snyder’s Justice League and for Zack Snyder’s DC trilogy to have been made complete.
I find it funny that there’s no remark from Lex Luthor to Deathstroke about creating ‘a League of their own’ at the end of this cut, after cinemas around the world groaned in unison at the lame situation at the backend of the Justice League theatrical release. I wonder if that scene was in Snyder and Warner Bros.’ actual vision, and has been rightly put in the bin since? Lex telling Deathstroke that Batman is Bruce Wayne is so much more interesting anyway. But… as we pull away from Arkham after Luthor has escaped, I can’t be the only one who noticed that the sign says ‘Arkham Home: For the Mentally Troubled’, and not, ‘Arkham Asylum: For the Criminally Insane’ as is more familiar? Did Luthor really reveal Batman’s identity, or would’ve this Deathstroke met our Batman in the desert through the powers of the multiverse?!
How much shame do we lump on Joss Whedon now that Zack Snyder’s Justice League is so awesome?! I mean, it’s one thing to butcher a cut, and another to reshoot scenes to make a different movie. Did Whedon know deeply what Marvel was planning with Thanos, or even that Mysterio would reveal Spider-Man’s identity in Spider-Man: Far From Home down the road, and so he shelved ideas for his buddies at Marvel that were too similar? Whedon did also leave that pretty sardonic message next to his name in the opening credits of Justice League; where the homeless person sits by a sign that says ‘I tried’. I’m sure Warner Bros. would have had a hand in encouraging brighter colouring and a quirkier tone too, so who’s to know how far to truly blame, but this obviously wasn’t the way, critically. The only Whedon scene I miss, is Superman and the Flash preparing for a race at the end, and that’s just silly fun and not important. I remember Batman telling the Flash to ‘just save one’ person, and that was cool too at the time, but the new structure of the first Justice League fight scene in Zack Snyder’s Justice League works better. Aquaman is so much more engaging here, and Barry Allen is awkwardly funny enough without the extra jokes that were thrown their way. Cyborg suddenly has a completely compelling arc! I could see how the studios would have thought they were blowing too much origin material in one movie though – like, I didn’t need to see Barry Allen get a real job until his next movie for instance – but now that the franchise has fallen by the wayside, throw everything in. And although I could have lived happily without the Snyder Cut, it’s fantastic when things just work. A momentous event!
4.5
Leave a Reply