Zack Snyder’s Justice League – Review
Before I get into what has become known as the “Snyder Cut” of the Justice League, I want to comment on the Justice League movie that was finished by Joss Whedon and was released in the theatres.
I did not hate that version of the movie, in fact I rather enjoyed it. The biggest problem was the portrayal of Steppenwolf, not just visually but as a character. Uninteresting villains have been one of the biggest problems of the DC movies. I think Whedon did the best job he could with what was given to him in less than ideal circumstances.
It was clear that the Justice League movie that was released was the victim of multiple visions. What would have happened if Zack Snyder had completed his vision of the movie? That is what the public demanded and that is what we got.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was amazing. If the original version was good, this version was at a level of greatness that few DC movies have matched. It made more sense, not just because there was added characterization and back story, but because it followed a unified plot line.
Some feared that Snyder would make the movie so dark that it would be unwatchable. My understanding was that Whedon had been instructed to lighten up the movie. However, there were some nice touches of humour, especially with (but not limited to) the Flash.
The Snyder Cut overcame many of the problems of the previous version. This included the portrayal of the villain. Now, it is Darkseid who is the big bad guy. His presence is felt even when he is not on the screen. Everything that is happening is because of his will and this greatly improves the movie.
Even Steppenwolf is much better in this version. Visually, he is more impressive. More than that, some characterization is done with him that makes him more three dimensional instead just a powerful alien with an axe.
Speaking of visual effects, this movie was a pleasure to watch. The fight scenes were incredible and the cgi, for once, added to the movie instead of taking away.
Is the movie too long at four hours? Yes and no. Our attention span is not trained to sit that long for one movie. But it is meant to be more than a movie, it is an experience. Once the four hours were up, I had felt that it was time well spent.
In addition, the current situation is that this movie was Snyder’s opportunity to wrap up his vision, as DC does not plan to take his route. He had to get as much into this movie as possible to accomplish his goals. I suspect that the movie would have looked different of they had given Snyder the opportunity to make Justice League 2.
Speaking of sequels, the end of the movie sets up what would have been the sequel. Bruce Wayne has another vision of Earth conquered by Darkseid. Watching this movie made me wish that DC and Warner would continue on the Snyder road. But only time will tell.
I loved Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Even though the word is often overused, this movie is truly epic. I am so glad that Snyder had the opportunity to finish the movie his way. His daughter would have been proud.
