Zack Snyder's Justice League: Movie Review

When the Justice League movie came out in 2017, more people were talking about Henry Cavill's photoshopped moustache than the movie itself. That's how soulless the film was, especially at a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was churning out one hit after another. I saw it in theatres with low expectations and came out entertained but not invested. At the time, I wasn't fully aware of the behind-the-scenes drama in the making of the film: Zack Snyder leaving mid-production due to a disagreement with the studio and the movie being hastily finished by another director.

Turns out Mr Snyder had taken his version of the Justice League movie with him when he left the project and bits from it had surfaced online. These bits were like bait to hardcore DC fans who here convinced that Zack's original work was the film they wanted, not what was released in 2017. Well, the fans' campaigning paid off and the HBO Studios decided to release the #SnyderCut. This one is four hours long and in a boxier 4:3 screen aspect ratio (nearly all modern videos are in the wider 16:9 aspect ratio).

Even thought I'd heard all these things about it, I was skeptical: "How much better could it be, really?" That was until a close friend shared that they enjoyed watching it and it was available to rent-stream at reasonable prices. As someone who can binge-watch many hour-long episodes and grew up with 4:3 ratio TVs and monitors, the time and visual aspect did not bother me at all. I'm not a hardcore fan of any comic series but I do love the superhero genre, and am glad I decided to watch the much-hyped Zack Snyder's cut of the Justice League.

You can immediately tell that this is a grittier version of the story by the colour grading and the backgrounds. This suits pretty much all DC movies as it allows them to stand out from their previous iterations and from its MCU rivals. Some scenes were like works of art, reminiscent of Spaghetti Westerns which set the tone with the still backgrounds between action scenes.

You'll notice that some characters were completely redesigned while others had not even featured in the original release. Crucially, the movie's antagonist Steppenwolf actually came across as scarily strong and not comically unbalanced. The extra appendages, the spiky armour that responded to his senses and the fact that he had real horns, all made for a much more imposing foe. We also got to see more of Superman's rebirth. After all, being brought back from death is going to be somewhat disorienting, even for the Kryptonian.

The 4-hour runtime allowed the movie to develop a deeper story line with explanations for various events in the narrative. It also helps better integrate the new characters like Ezra Miller's Flash and Ray Fisher's Cyborg. Jason Momoa's Aquaman was already pretty cool and his character has already had a dedicated movie since then (which I've also seen and would recommend for a relaxed Saturday afternoon). They all have intricate origins with strong emotional drives and truly impressive superhuman capabilities, none of which was given enough screentime in the 2017 cut. We even get to know more about Steppenwolf and his motives for gathering the motherboxes in the first place.

For those who are not fans of the DC Universe, either in comic or cartoon avatars, SPOILER ALERT!! You don't need to read any further to know that the Zack Snyder cut is worth a watch but if you want to know about the surprises in store, keep reading.

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THE FILM HAS DARKSEID IN IT!! He's to DC what Thanos is to Marvel. Except, Darkseid is purely about conquering the universe and making it a very one-sided affair. He's also ridiculously strong and a brilliant war tactician with access to some sorcery-level technology (like the terraforming motherboxes). His appearance in the film is limited with barely any dialogue, but it sets the perfect tone for the inevitable sequel by also explaining his motive for invading Earth. We also get to see the multiple timeline story arc (where Superman turns bad guy after his lady love dies), hinted in the Batman vs Superman film, with a cameo from Jared Leto as the Joker. There are some scenes with Deathstroke as well, casted to match the original comics (which sadly means no Will Smith). We also get an appearance from The Martian Manhunter as a future member of the Justice League but still no mention of a new Hal Jordan (Green Lantern).

It's hard to tell how much of this extended cut was taken from the original Snyder reel and how much was shot after the studio decided to make bank by meeting the demands of the fanbase. Either way, this 2021 version of the Justice League was the movie all superhero fans should have got in the first place. There's a seriousness to the fictional plot where Earth could get wiped out if 4 metahumans and one billionaire vigilante did not play necromancers to bring back the strongest guy in the galaxy. Revive a dead alien good guy to beat an ancient alien bad guy. That's the kind of superhero film I'd watch, enjoy it and pay to watch the sequel too. 

One note about the runtime. 4 hours is a REALLY long period of time and there's no way this would have worked as a theatrical release for the masses. Limited edition extended-cut DVDs are unfair as well in terms of restricted viewing opportunities. Maybe Zack Snyder's Justice League has opened a new avenue in long-form story telling with a straight-to-streaming release that benefits studios and fans alike. What do you think?

I've revised my rating for the 2017 Justice League movie to 7 out of 12 pizza slices. For the 2021 #ZackSnydersJusticeLeague, I'd rate it at 11 coke cans out of 13. 

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