#SnyderCut Rapid Reactions
After 4 long years of vocal fan campaigning on social media, in Times Square, and above the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, CA – the unfiltered cut of Zack Snyder’s Justice League was finally released onto HBO Max this past weekend. It includes all of the director’s footage which was unceremoniously cut from the film when it was first released in 2017 along with a slew of newly completed visual effects. While the original film’s release and ensuing #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign have become the stuff of legend throughout the industry (for better or for worse), Zack Snyder’s Justice League has been one of the most anticipated original releases on HBO Max since it was first announced in early 2019.
There was certainly a lot to enjoy about this ultimate director’s cut, and while I’m never one to say no to another comic book hitting my TV screen, room for improvement as well. Check out what I thought worked and didn’t work below:
1. Did Work – New Character Backstories: when the original film was widdled down to what felt like an impossibly short 2-hours, one of the first things to go was the backstories of many of the characters being introduced for the first time. With the extra runtime in his director’s cut, Snyder added back many of these stories - most notably Cyborg gets a fully realized origin this time around. Not only digging deeper into his relationship with the Mother Box that bore his powers and further explanation of how exactly they work, the movie gives Victor Stone a detailed superhero origin, helping the audience better understand his frustration with not only his father but the entire world as a whole. He continues to play a pivotal role in the film’s climax, and this time it truly feels earned based upon what came before it. Cyborg isn’t the only one with more story though, Steppenwolf, Flash, Aquaman, and even Jared Leto’s Joker get even more screen time this time around.
2. Didn’t Work – The Plot: the expanded runtime doesn’t help answer the crux of the issue I had with the original version though; the hard to navigate plot. In both versions, a god-like creature attacked Earth thousands of years ago using 3 devices called The Mother Boxes in hopes of revealing the Anti-Life Equation, which would allow them total control over the minds of all sentient beings. Defeated by the conjoined forces of humans, Amazons, and Atlanteans, the alien forces retreated back to their home planet of Apokolips to bide their time. The issue is, the story asks viewers to take a massive leap: that these same alien forces not only left Earth without the powerful devices that they brought and hoped to use to destroy Earth, but then seemingly completely forgot what planet they were invading and where it was located. Only thousands of years later do they find the planet again with the help of Superman’s dying scream and attempt their plot of destruction one more time with the same failed result.
3. Did Work – The Visuals: Zack Snyder’s films have always employed beautiful cinematic moments, and this movie is no different. Most impressively is the time traveling finale added as part of the film’s climax, where The Flash turns back time in order to give the team one last chance at defeating Steppenwolf. It gives the real sensation of Barry Allen feeling time as he races through space to reset the League’s future and gives an impression of what it would look like to rebuild the human body as well, organ by organ. Snyder also extends upon the massive battle between Darkseid and the forces of Earth that sets up that villain’s backstory, giving the fight a truly epic feeling reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings. And he employs his favorite slow motion to full (maybe too full) effect here , creating those iconic moments of stillness he has become famous for with films like 300 and Watchmen.
4. Didn’t Work – Character Overload: while the movie delivered some great character moments for many of the heroes who played second fiddle in the 2017 theatrical film, it still left a plethora of characters untouched with an expectation that their stories would be further explored in later films. It introduced multiple secondary characters associated with each of the story’s mains, including: Vulko and Mera for Aquaman, Deathstroke and Joker for Batman, DeSaad and Granny Goodness for Darkseid, Henry Allen and Iris West for The Flash, and the list goes on. While it’s exciting to see so many potential future plotlines set up for further exploration in later movies, it also makes the work the movie has to do in order to round out each of these characters incredibly daunting.
5. Did Work – The Structure: one of the biggest talking points of the film before its release was its 4-hour running time, a seemingly overwhelming experience for a single feature film. But Snyder was smart in his preparation of the movie, cutting it into 6 parts that provided natural points to pause and stretch your legs. The movie never felt like four hours to me, and was easy enough to jump back in and out of over a several day period. Plus, the movie was jam packed with enough Easter Eggs and straight from the comics moments to keep any fan excited, from Martian Manhunter’s mid-film reveal to Darkseid’s initial descent to Earth and the film’s shocking epilogue featuring Batman aligning with some of his most famous villains in order to battle a deranged Superman.
No matter your expectations, I recommend watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League for yourself; its production and release have been one of the most interesting stories to follow in the industry in the last several years. It highlights the hard work of thousands of passionate fans, most notably Zack Snyder himself, and hopefully a continued expansion of the DC Extended Universe. But I do have to ask – why did Amber Heard have an English accent in this movie?
Have you seen Zack Snyder’s Justice League? Check it out on HBO Max now. Plus, while you’re there, check out the criminally underwatched adult animated comedy Harley Quinn. ;)
