So, I got together with my friends last night to watch the release of the Snyder Cut of Justice League. For those not aware of the backstory, Zack Snyder shot the entire film, then his daughter passed away and he had to step back from the film, so Warner Brothers brought in Joss Whedon to finish it up. Joss Whedon extensively reshot segments and the film that came to theaters was not good at all. It was tonally jarring where it bounced back and forth between the two writing styles (Snyder was more serious, Whedon was more jokey), they tried to cram in origins for 3 new heroes and a villain plus a plot for the film in 2 hours which resulted in a very rushed film with lots of hurried exposition, a vague plot and some very rough CGI. Since that film came out, Zack Snyder has insisted that all the footage was there for his vision of the film, and that his vision was much better. After years of fans demanding to see it, Warner Brothers finally caved and released the Snyder Cut of the film, which dumps all the Whedon footage and doubles the original movie's length from 2 hours to 4 hours.
I'll admit to being skeptical. Zack Snyder is a so-so filmmaker who can be a bit too reliant on the same handful of tricks. Also, I've seen enough of those Director's Cut and Extended Cuts of films where they add 45 minutes in length but it's all just pointless futzing about in the middle. So, I did not expect this new version to fundamentally change a movie. Going into it, I said to my friends "I don't think this will do anymore than elevate a bad movie to an acceptable movie."
So, did it? Honestly, I came away relatively impressed. Right from the very beginning, it's a completely different film. For starters, it gets a bump to R-rated, with the F-word being thrown around a handful of times, and the fights having a bit more violence and weight to them. It opens entirely differently. Even the familiar bits from the original show up in a completely different order. It's tone and storytelling are much more cohesive, thanks to being the work of only one person now. The exposition and back story feels much less rushed and much better developed. I remember watching the original and there was a jarring scene where Aquaman goes to Atlantis, meets some woman who I had no clue who she was, she tells him he should be king and then Steppenwolf attacks, all in the span of about two minutes. That all plays out over a much longer time span, which doesn't leave your head spinning at the chain of events that just happened before you could process them. We get to see existing characters from the theatrical version get more fleshed. Cyborg, in particular, benefits from this. Same with Steppenwolf, who in the original just made vague references to what he was doing and why, but now we actually get told the reasons and logic. Aquaman feels less like a Dollar Store knockoff of Thor in Thor: Ragnarok. I won't spoil it, but a few new important characters show up that really surprised my friends and I. The one really blew our minds. The overhaul continues with a soundtrack that is almost entirely changed and some much improved visuals. The villian Steppenwolf looked like he was made out of clay in the original version and not very imposing, but Snyder's Steppenwolf wears a shiny metal suit of armor that is constantly changing and shifting. Steppenwolf's minions, the parademons, look less like rough stand-in CGI work and feel more complete. Near the end of the film there is a sequence with Flash that is visually stunning.
Is it perfect? No. It's still a hefty four hours. That's a lot of movie to sit through. Granted, it rarely drags, as it always seems to be moving forward. Watching four hours of this felt like much less of a chore than the original 2 hour film I trudge through in the theaters. A couple characters get left by the wayside with not much development. Wonder Woman probably suffers the most, because while she pulls most of the weight in fight scenes, outside of the fights she's just kind of hanging around at Bruce Wayne's place. Part of this is probably because Wonder Woman was the film preceding Justice League, so Snyder felt she didn't need the spotlight on her. It takes a few deep dives into comic book lore, so don't be surprised if you need to pull out your phone and google a few terms here and there. Zack Snyder tends to fall back on the same couple of tricks, one of which is excessive slow-motion sequences (Although they do make sense with the Flash, as its the best way to demonstrate how fast he is).
In the end I'd say it takes a terrible film and keeps it from being consigned to the dustbin of history. With all said and done, I'd probably give it a solid 7.5/10, if I was pressed to give it a ranking. If you have the time, it's definitely worth a viewing. One of the final scenes of the movie hints at what Snyder was building towards, and I'd honestly like to see that become a reality because it has some potential. Maybe if this does well enough on HBO Max, Warner Brothers will consider giving him the keys again.
