Colin Tobin
Contributing Writer
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a four-hour director’s cut that expands upon the original, theatrically released version of the movie from 2017. Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher star in the film, just as they did in the first cut. The story follows Bruce Wayne as he assembles the iconic Justice League to protect the world from god-like, alien forces.
You can’t talk about this movie without talking about the behind-the-scenes theatrics during the original production in 2017. Zack Snyder, who had helmed two previous DC properties, asked for a delayed release so he could mourn the loss of his daughter, Autumn, after she tragically passed away. When Warner Brothers declined, they brought in Joss Whedon, who is known for his work on the first two Avengers movies, to replace Snyder. Whedon laid waste to Snyder’s vision, which outraged fans who then campaigned using “#ReleaseTheSnyderCut” to protest these changes. Entire backstories were removed, quippy dialogue that didn’t fit the established universe was implemented and even the color grading was drastically toned up. After almost four years of waiting, insatiable demand from fans and even the cast calling for its release, the studio caved and allowed for Snyder’s vision to be seen through. Now, several stories have emerged from Whedon’s set, including allegations of racism, sexism and unfair leverages of power.
I’ve never been a huge fan of Zack Snyder’s directorial style and how his films take themselves too seriously. It’s a bit too much style over substance for my liking, but he has one of the most dedicated legions of fans on the internet. The prospect of it seemed really interesting, so when it was announced, my curiosity was piqued. Snyder’s full creative control is palpable in this new cut. The ambition and scale of the story that he’s building is impressive. So much more depth has been added to new characters that weren’t there before, and I was surprised by how much I cared. The life of Ray Fischer’s Cyborg, being the most significant improvement, is explored along with his complicated relationship with his father. Ezra Miller’s Flash is one of the other new characters that are given more of a backstory. Another character that was given a surprising amount of development is the villain, Steppenwolf. 2017’s Justice League portrayed him as a stereotypical, world conquering, poorly rendered, CGI comic book villain, but with a completely different character design, we are actually given some form of motivation. His interactions with new arch-villain Darkseid made his motivations clearer and more compelling.
The end result is certainly not perfect. At four hours and two minutes, the runtime is pretty unnecessary. What likely happened is that Snyder wanted to give fans just about everything that was shot in return for their years of waiting, which I totally understand. The film literally slows down rather frequently with 10% (or about 25 minutes) taking place in slow motion. The last of the seven parts feels like a series of end credits scenes that pad the runtime while showing off a few cameos and setting up future films. 30 to 45 minutes could be cut out, and it would still be the same movie. It also falls into the problem that I have with his other films with over-seriousness and action that devolves to CGI people repeatedly punching each other.
Warner Brothers recently released a statement saying that they have no plans to continue with Snyder’s story. However, if they are convinced otherwise, there’s no one I’d rather see carry it out than Zack Snyder. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is not only a drastic improvement over the theatrical cut, but a win for creative freedom and a testament to the power that fans have.