Four years ago when the Justice League film first came out it got mixed bag reviews. Many DC comic and movie fans even dismissed the film for its poor, unfocused script. It was mostly because the film suffered a difficult production and underwent major changes between 2016 and 2017. It was reported that Zack Snyder even stepped down during the production due to a family tragedy, then Joss Whedon came in to change things around and probably ended up changing things a little too much than they should have been.
So years after die-hard fans and netizens spoke with the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign, the studio eventually listened. Today we finally get Zack Snyder's Justice League, the version Snyder always wanted to show, and it's being presented in a four-hour film that recently premiered on HBO. Fortunately, the fabled Snyder cut this time around elevates Justice League into something well worth watching.
After Superman (Henry Cavill) sacrifices himself to kill Doomsday, Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) travels across the globe in order to put together a new team of superheroes, which includes Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), to defend Earth from an oncoming alien threat. In this case, it's Steppenwolf, one of Darkseid's servants who wants to get hold of the three Mother Boxes, the powerful and indestructible living machines that are capable of building and destroying the world.
While the premise in Zack Snyder's Justice League in broad terms remains the same as the 2017 film, with double the runtime, the new film is a methodical slow burn and has a much deeper interest in exploring its characters more than one may expect. Nearly every character in the Snyder cut from the top down has a clearer journey and is far more coherent and engaging. These improvements help us care deeply about the characters and understand where they're coming from.
From left, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
The arcs for the Flash and Cyborg in particular -- since the presence of those two characters were fairly routine and kind of boring in the original cut -- really bring forth everything that's human and powerful about them. Cyborg in particular feels like a fleshed out person in this movie, and for the first time, you see what goes on in his mind and understand more of his family background. And it's frankly stunning how engaging Barry Allen/The Flash is here compared to the bland iteration in the theatrical cut. Allen struggles to find a real goal in life and fulfil the promise he gave to his father. Now the film colours everything his character does from his decision to aid the heroes to his eventual acceptance of his responsibility to use his powers for good. The villain Steppenwolf is also more of a well rounded personality in this cut. There's more clarity as to what his motivations are, which include his debt and allegiance to Darkseid.
Zack Snyder's Justice League also generously gives us more details about the mysterious Mother Boxes, whose origins were never explained in the first movie. When we look at the Marvel Cinematic Universe and how they have released a number of both main and solo movies over the years to dive deep into each of the Infinity Stones, we see the DCU never had an opportunity like that before. But thanks to this four-hour film, there's more than enough time to give you a Mother Boxes 101 lesson. Ultimately, Zack Snyder's Justice League is definitely a surprise vindication for the director and really saves the movie from the dustbin of history. With its improved stories, better realised protagonists and antagonists, I believe that it should resonate with fans better than ever.
- Zack Snyder's Justice League
- Starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot
- Directed by Zack Snyder
- Now streaming on HBO GO
