When the bar is so low, it’s hard to know whether the improvement is earned or is simply a gift after a stinking pile of you know what, how do you determine something’s worth? Well, with Zack Snyder’s The Justice League, aka The Snyder Cut, not only is it an improvement over the 2017 film, but it has also filled out three-dimensional characters to get behind that were never present in the first flick.
Yes, it’s a four-hour movie, and it is in the 4:3 aspect ratio! But hear me out. What Snyder has done with that extra time is fully flushed out all of the members of the Justice League and as such, has created an emotional tether to the audience that was sorely missing last time out. As you remember, Snyder had to tragically exit the shoot halfway through the shooting process when a family tragedy struck that is unthinkable to any parent. Joss Whedon (The Avengers) took over and finished the product. Ray Fisher, who plays Cyborg/Victor Stone, was the most vocal, and after witnessing Snyder’s cut, we can see why.
He’s the heart of the bloody movie! The backstory, the real human feels that accompany his journey from high school football superstar to robotic superhero is as fascinating and as intriguing as they come. Toss that storyline in with expanded backstories and moments with The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and you have something that was completely absent from Whedon’s flick. These are full-blooded characters who are new to us (or they were at the time) that never got their due. There are several added scenes that come with each of those characters that have us wondering, “What was Whedon thinking?”
Why would he remove such rich discourse in favor of empty action sequences that we have no stake in?
With Snyder, he went back to the drawing board and the result is a thrilling, emotionally satisfying ride that has a point, a purpose and will leave you—believe it or not—almost ready to watch it again (the next time you have four hours)!
Zack Snyder’s The Justice League even has filled in the cracks of his villains, Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) and Darkseid (Ray Porter). After all, a superhero movie is only as good as its villain(s). With Snyder’s added scenes and his touch to this feature, Justice League finally has a one-two punch of baddies that are worth the collective gathering of the biggest superheroes in the DC Comics landscape.
Each hero (and villain) gets their due. Each has at least one scene, more like two, where they can shine solo and expose us to who they are, beyond the costume they don while saving the day. I cannot begin to express how important that is to the overall enjoyment of the movie, heck… any movie!. Especially at home where Zack Snyder’s Justice League will air on HBOMax, the four hours fly by and was worth every single frame. What Snyder has done with the shambles of the first movie, is turn a pinto into a genuinely nice Lexus. It’s still no Lamborghini! But the improvements are so fantastic, that this is a film I can recommend wholeheartedly for anyone who adores superhero movies. Anyone who saw the original Justice League, instead of getting your money back, you get a vision of a hero collective coming together, slowly but surely, in a manner that feels authentic and from the heart. Snyder creates a sense of camaraderie that not only permeates the screen but will welcomingly leak into your living room.
Ben Affleck as Batman is a stroke of casting genius. I don’t care what anybody says. Given what Snyder had in mind for Justice League, the Boston-born actor was exactly who was required to play the older, gruff, and mournful (he feels terrible about the death of Superman) soul. He is the conductor of this orchestra, and this time out, they hit the high notes.
As we already knew, Gad Gadot was born to be Wonder Woman. Although we like how Patty Jenkins directs her best, Snyder gets the role and employs her in ways that are brilliant, fit the narrative and keeps this fast-moving opus cruising until its conclusion.
Henry Cavill needs his own Superman movie after Batman v Superman and now Justice League. That Man of Steel 2 cannot come quickly enough. It’s not that he’s aging. He isn’t (jerk, JK), it’s just that the window is closing, given how long it takes to write, produce, film, edit and market a superhero movie. Cavill’s Superman in Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a man awakened, ready to fight the moment he opens his eyes. It will take a lot of trust and much more for Superman to fully accept the reason he was brought back to fight alongside the man who sought his demise. It’s a brilliant, Shakespearian type dramatic turn that is enhanced by this longer version of the film and one that was sorely, almost deathly, missing from Whedon’s cut years prior.
Fisher’s Cyborg is a revelation. There was a ton of footage cut by Whedon (or script portions never filmed) that filled out Cyborg in a way that has him as important, sometimes even more important, than Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Fisher is a talented actor, and to be able to emote from behind that silver metal and LED eye is something else. The first version of this movie barely used the character and in Snyder’s cut, he is front and center—an equal part of these Superfriends. He should be a happy actor, after all the righteous complaining he did about what was delivered several years ago to audiences.
Then, there’s Miller’s The Flash. There’s an extra scene or two with him where his character is enriched beyond what we could have dreamed. Miller is a wickedly talented thespian (go see The Perks of a Wallflower if you haven’t already). Snyder was smart and added back in or filmed new scenes with Miller as Flash and his alter ego—aka the humor of this picture—Barry Allen. They are fresh, enjoyable, wickedly entertaining, and simply witnessing his constant awe that is even a part of this group is beyond blissful. This kid can’t believe the company he is keeping and it’s a blast witnessing him with them.
Snyder has done something extraordinary. There was a fan-swell to release the Snyder cut, and now, it’s here. Let’s just say all good things come to those who wait. We have waited long enough. The Justice League we wanted has arrived.
Grade: B+