Well….it finally happened. The Snyder cut has been unleashed on us. Zack Snyder’s Justice League, often referred to as simply the “Snyder Cut,” is the 2021 directors’ version of the 2017 film, Justice League. This is his vision before he had to leave the directors’ chair for personal reasons. Like the 2017 theatrical release, this follows Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Superman and Cyborg as they attempt to save the world from the threat of Darkseid, Steppenwolf and their army of Parademons.
The troubles this movie had during production and after have been well documented: Joss Whedan taking over the director duties, Ray Fisher’s clams of racism on the set, and Henry Cavill’s mustach’gate, all issues that have plagued this movie. The non-Snyder cut version of the movie is…fine. It’s not good, but you’ve seen worse for sure. About two years ago Snyder begin this online push to have his version seen. He’d show a pic online here and there and it got people talking. That talking slowly started turning into a push to “release the Snyder Cut”. Well HBO MAX decided to do just that.
Last year they gave him so much money and the ability to do reshoots and create his vision he had intended all along. What we were given was a 4-hour long epic that is painfully slow in sections, more of a cartoon than live-action, and a movie that could have used a better editor. But overall…is rather enjoyable and a pretty solid Justice League movie for the world Snyder created.
I wouldn’t qualify the movie as a “superhero” movie. Yes, there are superheroes in it, and they do save the day, but what I mean is this is a true “comic book” movie. The movie is presented in 6 parts, not unlike a 6 issues series of books, with each part pushing the movie forward and giving us character, plot, depth, and keeping a consistent tone throughout. Unlike the other version, where it feels like two versions being Frankensteined together in editing, which it was. This true to form comic book movie feels just like that. We watch each of heroes get “their moment”, learn and evolve. So, by the time we get to the end of the 4-hour saga, you understand where everyone is coming from and going.
Yes. It’s four hours. And yes, it feels like it in parts. There is a tight 3-hour movie in there somewhere, but in his Snyder’s typical director style, more is more. There are so many unnecessary establishing shots of things you already know or can infer with common sense, but here Snyder wants to make sure you “get it”, so with that we have to see many things that just don’t move the story forward per say, but just give us a more in this world he has crafted. Most of it is in unneeded and boring, but it’s not as painful as watching that fake CGI Cavill face in the other version.
The CGI in this version is so much better. New technology helps with new character designs. But like with most big budget movies, the last fight is mostly a video game really. More animation than it needed, but it is a great final fight, with an amazing superhero shot of all our characters straight out of comic page that gave 10-year-old me all the feels.
Here we get a new score from Junkie XL. The first version had an acceptable score from Danny Elfman that leaned heavy on his style and the use of nostalgia towards these characters and their themes, here XL pretty much strips that away and gives you a rather basic score that relies way too much on the use of the Wonder Woman theme in new various versions to the point where you just want it to stop. But that doesn’t take away from Snyder needle drop choices of sad, sad Nick Caves songs that make you wanna kill yourself with this overwhelming gloom. Snyder stuck to his guns about this superhero universe he created, there is no joy. Still. He keeps doubling down on that. Here it’s a little “happier”, but not by much.
The characters do get more time to grow and develop here than they have in the past and it shows: Cyborg is still the most boring characters in the movie, but here at least you understand him more. His portrayal is fine, but Ray Fisher just isn’t a good actor. It’s painful to watch him be out acted by everyone in every scene, even by CGI monsters. But who beats Fisher for the win of bad acting in this would be Amber Heard as Mera. Only in three scenes, but they’re all bad. And she is just terrible. Given an English accent for this version for reasons? When she talks, scenes just stop flat because she just so bad. Wish they would have taken some of the reshoots of 2020 reshoots and just gave a different actress the role.
Cavill and Miller get much more to do and it’s great. You finally understand the how and why of Superman and The Flash in this world. And both actors get used wisely and have a purpose. Affleck, Gadot and Momoa know their characters at this point. And they come in and do what we expect, and they do it well. Jeremy Irons as Alfred is simply the best in every scene he’s gold. There is a great scene with him and Diana that is one of the best between the characters. Not a superhero moment just a scene of them making tea, but so well done. We get more Connie Nielsen’s Hippolyta, and it is amazing. Spending more time on the island of amazons is always a good time.
In the last version there wasn’t really a villain, here we get one that actually is a threat. Steppenwolf is one of the many heralds of the evil Darkseid. Same plot as before, just given more depth here: Steppenwolf is seeking three Mother Boxes that will combine to make The Unity and destroy the world for Darkseid to conquer. Here we get to see most of that. Real shame will never see any more Darkseid, because he was awesome looking and scary AF. His CG was the best and worked. Only in a handful of scenes but when he is you feel his power.
In the 2020 reshoots we get an epilogue. It’s fine, completely unneeded and serves noting to the overall movie, but like a comic book, it’s always got to keep you wanting more. More, we most likely will never see. We go to the future where Darksied has won, and Superman is bad. And we have our remaining heroes and villains teamed up to fight him. We get Jared Leto as the Joker and Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke. It’s cool to see them in these cameos, but at the end of the day it is very self-serving. Because as of right now, it doesn’t seem like they’ll ever continue this series of films. So why leave the movie and fans on a massive cliffhanger we’ll never see resolved?
At the end of the day this movie is way too long and has many unnecessary scenes that get us nowhere, but when we focus on the plot and story the movie is rather solid. Snyder was given a chance to see his final vision though, and for that I give him credit. The movie is very enjoyable and is probably the best Justice League movie we we’re gonna get from his “Snyder verse” series. If you think of it like a comic book, come to life rather than a superhero movie it works: a solid B.