'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Review

Synopsis: Zack Snyder's definitive director's cut of Justice League. Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.

Runtime: 242 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for violence and some language)

Who should see it? Adult fans of DC Comics and Zack Snyder's filmography.

For those who aren't up to date with the online discourse surrounding Justice League, you may be confused why I'd be reviewing it again. Especially since the theatrical cut is already credited to director Zack Snyder... Well, for those unaware, Zack Snyder departed the project during post-production to deal with the aftermath of his daughter Autumn's tragic suicide. Though some of the footage shot under him made it into that cut, he's the director in name only. Warner Bros. enlisted Joss Whedon to rework the film and make the finished product Avengers-lite. The result was the cinematic equivalent of Frankenstein's monster. Ever since the release of Man Of Steel, it's been apparent that Warner Bros. was skittish to grant their directors complete control over bringing their DC Comics characters to the big screen. Thankfully, new leadership seems to relinquish much more control lately, so I sincerely hope the studio learned its lesson.

In Snyder's case, the studio clearly intervened in his theatrical version of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as the director's cut offers a much more cohesive viewing experience. Since Justice League's release in November 2017, fans have rallied to see Snyder's vision for Justice League fully materialized. When the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement began, it honestly seemed like a pipe dream. Why would Warner Bros. finance the completion of a director's cut when they'd already sunk over $300 M into the theatrical version? The Snyder Cut then took on a mythos of its own. While there were undoubtedly bad apples who relentlessly harassed the studio advocating for the release of the fabled Snyder Cut, I know several individuals who were well-intentioned in their quest to see Snyder's rendition. 

Thanks to Cyborg actor Ray Fisher, it has since come to light that the working environment during the Justice League reshoots was incredibly unprofessional on behalf of Joss Whedon and key individuals at the studio, including Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, and DC films chief Walter Hamada. As allegations against Whedon accumulated from all directions, the fight for the Snyder Cut took on a greater meaning of reclaiming the film's auteurship from toxic enablers. The movement grew till it was announced in May of last year that Warner Bros would fund the completion of the Snyder Cut for it to be released exclusively on HBO Max. In preparation for the four-hour feature, I sat down to rewatch Snyder's previous DC efforts and found myself reappraising them both. While I think Man of Steel and Batman v Superman are certainly still flawed, the mythic approach to depicting these classic characters is far more interesting than regurgitating what we've already seen. That mindset perseveres through Zack Snyder's Justice League.

I begin my review with this information because it is necessary to understand why this version exists. There's much to be said about studios caving to every whim of their audience, but the Snyder Cut's release rings true as a victory for preserving an artist's creative freedom. Strip that away, and we're left with a homogenous, soulless corporate product. The screenplay is credited to Chris Terrio, who co-authored the story alongside Snyder and Will Beall. Though I'll be the first to admit I initially gave Justice League a very generous review, I can confidently say the Snyder Cut exceeds it in every way imaginable. Four-hour runtime be damned, Snyder's version is brimming with the director's resilient spirit. 

While the Snyder Cut differs substantially from the theatrical version, the over-arching plot is more-or-less identical. Batman brings together a group of heroes to prevent Earth from being destroyed by intergalactic forces. The obvious takeaway is that the longer runtime gives the story more breathing room and allows for deeper character development. I think that's what makes the film work as well. The four-hour runtime certainly is daunting, but the film is divided into six chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue. HBO Max has these clearly marked so you can choose to watch it as a mini-series if viewing it in one sitting seems overwhelming. I'll confess that I felt the four-hour runtime, and it could have been whittled down to maybe two and a half-to-three hours if Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman had their own movies released beforehand. That said, the introduction of three pivotal heroes works much better this time around. 

Snyder balances the heroes much more effectively, and they finally feel fully realized and present. Cyborg and Flash notably benefit the most in Snyder's hands, but it was incredibly refreshing to see the camera framed more respectfully around Wonder Woman. Whedon's treatment of Diana and Cyborg speaks volumes about his character, and it's even more baffling to now see everything he and the studio chose to alter. Other notable improvements include the color grading, cinematography, visual effects, and a genuinely epic score by Thomas Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL). 

Ray Fisher put his career on the line to have his truth heard. After seeing his incredible performance here, I truly hope he continues to act because Cyborg is the movie's heart and soul. It's all the more disheartening to know that he was written out of the upcoming Flash movie in response to speaking out. A mistake that I hope will be course-corrected... Aiding Fisher, Joe Morton brings abundant emotional weight to the proceedings as Victor Stone's father. Their troubled relationship was an especially poignant highlight for me, and undoubtedly the lynch-pin holding everything together. 

Regarding the rest of the league, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa, and Ezra Miller each have their moments in the limelight. These performers continue to embody their characters quite well, and it was delightful to see them bounce off one another. With DC's future constantly in flux, one can only hope this cast will persevere. 

On the antagonistic front, the changes to Steppenwolf's design and exploration of his motivation made him much more threatening and interesting. He actually has a personality this time! As for some shortcomings, there are still some iffy visual effects, but that's common in the modern landscape of comic-book movies, and most of the effects look much better than the 2017 rendition. So I honestly can't harp on that too much as it's more representative of how visual effects artists are often rushed and overworked to meet specific deadlines. I'm also still not fond of Jared Leto's Joker, whose infamous uttering of the memeic phrase "We live in a society" took the internet by storm. Leto is barely in the movie, so again, this is a minor gripe. The runtime is a blessing and a curse, as it adds much-needed dimension to a sprawling cast of characters but the whole endeavor admittedly feels longwinded when all is said and done. That said, I'd gladly watch the Snyder Cut a thousand times over before willfully revisiting Whedon's version anytime soon. 

I admittedly never thought the Snyder Cut would see the light of day. Still I have to say, its epic and emotionally-charged narrative invigorated my interest in seeing Zack Snyder proceed with his planned Justice League sequels. At the end of the day, I'm just grateful he had the opportunity to reclaim his work in the face of overwhelming odds. 

Film Assessment: B+