Batman and Wonder Woman assemble a team of super-powered
heroes to combat a vengeful alien with an army of monsters. ACTION/SCI-FI
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Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, Jeremy Irons, Ciarán Hinds, J.K. Simmons, Jared Leto, Joe Morton, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Ryan Zheng, Ray Porter, Harry Lennix Sequel to 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017's Wonder Woman Based on characters from DC Comics |
After some highly, and I mean highly, publicized behind the scenes issues with the production, editing, and reception to the version of Justice League released to cinemas; the fans were quick to start petitioning to get the original version out into the world. Dubbed “The Snyder Cut”, this would be the original version which director, Zack Snyder, had intended to release. Unfortunately, due to some resistance from the studio, it seemed the movement was doomed to fail. But, surprisingly, it was finally confirmed to be happening and coming to HBO Max. Now, here we are with the original vision of Zack Snyder. No interference from the studio. No tragic, personal issues to deal with. Just complete and total freedom. Spoiler warning, I can say I’m not the hugest fan of either cut now.
Look, before I get burned at the stake of the many fans who have been demanding this cut, I did NOT hate this film. But I also didn’t like it all that much. I will give credit where credit is due. Considering the unfortunate personal reasons Snyder had to step down and leave the production, I am very happy he was able to come back and finish the film the way he intended. He definitely delivered a more coherent story along with a more consistent tone. Sadly, that’s where most of my positive impressions stop. Because I honestly still find the film to be way to broody and dark. Like, not all of DC's properties have the same tone of Batman. So, stop doing it Snyder. I also feel like he packed way too much plot into this one film. I don’t care about the setup for two sequels I will never get; I just want the story for this particular film. Finally, this film is way too long. It’s at this point where I wish Snyder actually had a little bit of a leash on him. For all the fanboys who really wanted this film, I’m glad you finally got it. As for me, this is an exaggeration of everything I’ve disliked about Snyder’s direction with the DC film franchise. He takes it too seriously, makes it way too dark, and thinks I have any interest in a four-hour superhero film. Especially one which was meant to launch a trilogy. At least Joker is actually good in his one scene in this movie. |
Joss Whedon should be ashamed of himself for the amount of incredible storytelling, world-building, and character development that he cut in exchange for quips and giggles. Zack Snyder truly did have a vision of a great Justice League movie, and thanks to a massive fan response, we finally have it. And it's four hours of pure gold; easily the best DC movie since The Dark Knight. I take back most of what I said about Snyder and his talents behind the camera. If this generates enough dough for Warner Bros and HBO, maybe we'll get an epic sequel. It doesn't seem impossible anymore.
The plot is pretty much the same as the 2017 film, but much more fleshed-out. We understand what the mother boxes are, where each of these heroes came from, and most of all, we understand Steppenwolf's motivations. Whedon completely erased Steppenwolf's development, but Snyder restores it, making him an epic villain that's actually scary. Plus, the redesign is outstanding. But as a fan, the most epic thing we get to see is the first big screen appearance of Darkseid, king of Apokolips and Superman's most dangerous enemy. He's an overarching threat, clearly primed for the sequel's villain, and I really hope we get to see more of him. Every character is treated with respect and dignity. We get an awesome score, the cheesy shit is wiped clean, and the cameos make for great fan-service. This film is a masterwork of DC's roster and easily the best film in the DCEU. It's the definitive version of Justice League and (I can't believe I'm actually saying this) Zack Snyder deserves to helm a sequel. |