In what can only be described as a stunning turn of events, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is one of the best superhero films ever made. While it is certainly not a shock that Snyder’s vision for Justice League was damn near incredible, what’s baffling is how a movie studio would be fine with someone (Joss Whedon) butchering the material they had and decimating the film’s tone. Whedon’s final product was nothing but an attempt at pandering to what they felt audiences wanted.
Snyder’s film is a fully-realized vision with heart, outstanding action sequences, and a narrative that shows growth in each of the main characters. The best thing that Warner Brothers could do for Zack is to take his name off of the theatrical Justice League and allow this film to his legacy in the DC universe. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a film that DC fans will truly treasure while Joss’s version of the film is trash.
There were so many wrongs committed when the theatrical version of Justice League was released but none more egregious than those done to Ray Fisher. Fisher’s Cyborg character was essentially nonexistent in the theatrical version of the film which made when he did show up on the screen all the odder. In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, not only do we get to see Victor Stone in all his glory, but it also becomes evident just how important Fisher’s character was to the film. The scene from the trailer where we see him playing in a football game is in Zack’s cut. It is important because we finally see why Victor is so bitter towards his father. The scene gives us insight into why his father saved Victor even though he should have died as his mother did in the car accident.
Victor’s hate towards his father and Dr. Stone’s guilt all stem from being an absent father. Seeing both the football scenes and how feverishly paced his dad was to try and save his son speaks to the biggest theme in Zack’s film which is grief and how we respond to it. Diana is still dealing with the grief of losing the love of her life. Arthur still mourns his mother’s death. Barry feels that his father is lost forever to the prison system.
Bruce is dealing with the guilt of Superman’s death and still has not come to terms with his parent’s death. We can even throw Lois and Martha Kent into the mix as well. Each realizes in one way or another how handling the darkest times alone is foolish. There is not always going to be someone like a Superman to save you, sometimes you must save yourself by asking for help. This message is the heart of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Snyder also restores the proper sequencing of the film. There are times during the theatrical version of Justice League where baffling transitions caused the audience to checkout. Why would we go from an emotional scene with Barry in the prison with his dad to him goofing on one of the guards on the way out? Can anyone explain how we went from an intense fight sequence to the Flash falling on Wonder Woman in what was meant to be a provocative manner? Why would completely just cut the backstory of one of your leads?
Joss constantly kept making choices that were the equivalent of trying to put a square peg into a round hole. Instead of just cutting the film in the manner they did, they should have kept those moments that showed some of the angst they had resurrecting Superman. It humanized these larger-than-life characters. Even though they all acknowledged that Superman was needed to defeat Darkseid and Steppenwolf, it is a tough decision to make.
Steppenwolf and Darkseid look much better than they did in the original theatrical release. The attention to detail in their design was outstanding. Whedon’s version made Steppenwolf looks as if he were an afterthought. It does seem that most of the new content is towards the end of the film in which Bruce Wayne is having a nightmare that the world is burning and somehow he’s to blame. He’s seemingly assembled a team to help stop this but it’s made of some rather interesting individuals.
If I’m being completely transparent, to say that I didn’t anticipate having this type of reaction to the film would be an understatement. I will even go so far as to say that up until very recently, I felt The Snyder Cut wasn’t going to be that drastic of a departure from what we saw in theaters. Well, I was very wrong. These two films being so different only highlight the injustice both Zack Snyder and Ray Fisher faced. If you think fans are excited now, wait till after they’ve seen the film.
Dewey Singleton has been reviewing new releases in television and film for many years. Dewey's reviews have been heard in multiple markets (Houston Atlanta, Tampa). Dewey's past work has been with awardswatch.com, awardsradar.com, and bleeding cool. Dewey is a proud member of the CCA.