Zack Snyder's Justice League

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If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com After years of outstanding effort from passionate fans, Warner Bros. finally decided to give Zack Snyder the opportunity to finish his movie on his own terms. 2017's Justice League went through massive production issues - explained in my review of said film - and despite years of extremely tiresome, toxic discourse on social media, the famous Snyder Cut got a controversy-inducing budget to complete an undoubtedly unfinished cut. A crucial disclaimer: you'll see countless reviews based on wholly different approaches. Some people will review it as a standalone, regular movie, while others will look at it as an extended/alternate cut of a film previously released. I'm part of the latter group of reviewers. I find it a bit unfair to criticize pacing issues or an overlong runtime when the purpose of this cut is precisely to show everything Snyder had in his hand. Director/Extended/Ultimate Cut, call it what you feel it's appropriate, but it's a four-hour movie, so many scenes will inevitably drag or feel unnecessary and irrelevant. The narrative is fundamentally the same, which means the audience knows what's coming from a general perspective. Still, I'm reviewing this version mostly on its own merits, but without forgetting that it's not a regular theatrical film and that it unquestionably builds upon what was already released. Without getting into spoilers, I do have to write this: the heavy marketing was incredibly misleading, and I don't doubt for a second that many fans will feel disappointed regarding certain story points and particular characters. The whole "it's a totally distinct movie" or "Joss Whedon only used 10% of Snyder's footage" were nothing more than false publicity for a cut that honestly didn't need it. Out of the 119 minutes of the 2017's version, probably around 80/90 minutes are also in the Snyder Cut, which will be surprising for people who expected something entirely unique. The base of the narrative is identical, most scenes are just extended versions of the original, but there are a couple of significant new changes that ultimately make Zack Snyder's Justice League better than its "predecessor". The most impactful modification that drastically changes the emotional core of the film is about Cyborg. Ray Fisher's character goes from barely having any remotely significant screentime in 2017 to being the heart and soul of the movie. From his backstory to the development across the runtime, Cyborg is undoubtedly the superhero that gains the most with this cut, leaving as a complete, compelling character who I genuinely cared for. On the other hand, Aquaman and The Flash receive similar introductory scenes with Batman, barely getting any sort of new individual growth besides more action sequences. However, once the League is assembled, the character interactions increase, improving their team spirit and deeply elevating the "Us United" storyline. The humor and tone remain lighter than in other Snyder films, clearly something that the filmmaker always had in mind for his version (Whedon only added a couple of more jokes since most of them are present in this cut). The intimidating runtime does negatively affect the overall pacing, but the longer build-ups and extensive dialogue scenes make the full movie much more cohesive and coherent. Compared to the original's abrupt, awful editing work, the Snyder Cut has a tremendously better flow, giving time for information to sink in and characters to get used to each other. I rather watch an overlong film with a well-built story than the complete contrary. Some color changes and tone adjustments also improve the movie's consistency. Story-wise, besides the fantastic arc given to Cyborg, there are a couple of changes that heavily affect either a particular character or a secondary storyline, but when it comes to the main narrative, it's more or less about the same. Every action sequence with pre-existent footage is visually improved and extended with scenes not seen before, but the new VFX are as hit-and-miss as Junkie XL's score. The latter mixes up so many different types of tracks and music that it genuinely becomes a tad confusing. While some scenes get an absolutely perfect, epic soundtrack, others receive weird, out-of-place music distracting the scene itself. There's only one change I definitely dislike: the R rating brings horribly artificial, forced blood splashes and out-of-nowhere cursing that simply don't belong in the film. I know Snyder loves his gritty, bloody, gory action - as do I - but either the whole movie is consistent with this type of action, or some scenes will feel like they come from a wholly separate film. A few bloody sequences work well enough, but most just feel notably forced, while the cursing feels ridiculously out-of-character at points. It's by far the most incompatible aspect of the cut, but admittedly, one that doesn't heavily impact my opinion. A common issue I have with extended cuts is that these mostly add and rarely remove. Snyder Cut partially breaks that rule, removing some scenes from the 2017's version, supposedly only Whedon's footage (which some people wrongly believe to be almost the entire movie). While most of the decisions regarding this process are efficient, there's a couple of them that not only don't improve the respective storylines but actually make them less powerful than the theatrical film. For example, in Snyder Cut, the "bringing Superman back" arc lacks an important character's take on the situation, having in mind that character's past. It actually feels a bit out-of-character that the viewers don't get to see what that person thinks about a potentially devastating action. Regarding Steppenwolf, his design looks better than the terrible original, and his motivations are clearer, but unfortunately, he remains a generic CGI punching bag for our superheroes. His dynamic armor is packed with spikes, but it's really one of those designs with visual impact only since it has no effect whatsoever in battle. I can't get into spoilers about Darkseid or DeSaad, but I can safely write that these characters are nothing more than fan-service, just like Joker (Jared Leto). The ending is definitely the sequence that changes the most due to the addition of dozens of new/extended action scenes, and it does play out differently - though the conclusion is essentially the same - leaving the viewers with a menacing threat on the horizon. Zack Snyder's Justice League is arguably a more cohesive, consistent, and emotionally compelling movie than the 2017's version. As expected, its four-hour runtime causes pacing issues and possesses dozens of unnecessary, irrelevant scenes, but criticizing these aspects in an admittedly non-theatrical cut is unfairly defeating its purpose. Despite most of the original Justice League being present in the Snyder Cut - something that might surprise a few fans - the main narrative is built and developed through a structure that flows tremendously better than the previous edition. Cyborg becoming the emotional core of the story and the increased character interactions are some of the best changes Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio did. The extended action sequences are more riveting, and pre-existent footage is definitely improved, but the new VFX are as erratic as Junkie XL's all-over-the-place score. The R-rating is the only straight-up negative aspect that damages the film with highly forced, fake-looking blood and rare yet cringe-worthy cursing. Highly anticipated characters and/or storylines are better described as unimpactful fan-service, but overall, most of the decisions made vastly improve upon what was already built. In the end, I sincerely expect a significant majority of the fandom to get their expectations fulfilled, and I hope that the DCEU continues with Snyder involved - just as long as the studios leave filmmakers to do their job without nonsensical restrictions. Rating: B

Admittedly, I don’t know as much about DC as I do about Marvel. However, I’m fairly well versed in them and the Justice League is my favorite DC team. When it was announced that DC would come out with a Justice League movie after the Avengers, I had hope...that is until I learned that they’d be doing a team movie first and individual movies afterward. This is the exact opposite of what Marvel did. During the production of the first movie, Zack Snyder had the incredibly unfortunate disposition of learning that his daughter had committed suicide. Understandably, he took a break from the movie. Because Warner executives don’t understand anything, they went on with the production. Hiring Joss Whedon to finish the production, the final product was lackluster at best. In typical Zack Snyder style, it was more flash than substance. After it came out, Zack went public and said that the movie was nowhere near his final vision. Not long after this, the hashtag #releasethesnydercut was trending on Twitter. Four years later, the director’s cut was completed and we got a monstrosity of a movie. Now the true question is “Was this movie worth the hype?” Honestly...not really. Now I write this from the point of view of one who’s been a comic book fan for 32 years. Also realize that there are MANY stories that I haven’t read and equally as many storylines that I’m ignorant to. However, I understand the characters. I’m a firm believer that character develops story. George Lucas said: “A Special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing.” This is a lesson that Zack Snyder has never learned. Now, Joss Whedon gave us an amazing movie with The Avengers - and that’s the only comparison that I’ll make - so it’s possible that WB wanted some of that lightning in a bottle for JL and that’s why they brought him on. When Ray Fisher went public and said that Joss created a hostile work environment (as well as one of the producers), the way it was presented was that he didn’t get things that he wanted, so he’d complain. I’m glad to admit that I was wrong in that assumption. Ray actually opened the floodgates against Joss and it turns out that he’s not a good person - he’s a great writer and filmmaker, but that doesn’t make up for his behavior. This is relevant (and the last time I’ll mention it) because a good portion of this movie has Cyborg in it. The majority of his scenes were heavily cut from the first movie. Like 90% majority. I appreciate Zack wanting his vision to get out - every director has the right to tell a story the way they want to - but I wish that he’d step away from the writing process. He’s a great filmmaker but not a great storyteller. He needs a writer that has synergy with him. That being said, the special effects are very well done, although I REALLY wish the comics would have been honored better. Simple things like the way the Boom Tubes were portrayed would have been great fan service. Also, the boxes are FATHER Boxes. A Mother Box is a little bit larger than a cellphone. Father Boxes are used for evil on Apokolips and the Mother Box is used for good on New Genesis. If a feministic agenda caused that change, then I disagree with the studio’s decision and a quick 15-second explanation (like what I just did) would have solved that problem and added more to the plot (all the while giving a nod to the New Gods). Yes, I’m critical but it’s important. My favorite of the cast is Gal Gadot. She captures the essence of Wonder Woman perfectly. I also like Ben Affleck as Batman - I’ve always supported him in the role and he does a really good job with it. In fact, he’s second only to MIchael Keaton. Now this is where I’m probably going to get a lot of hate, so if if happens...bring it on… EVERYONE else in the cast I hate. EVERYONE. Ezra Miller is easily the worst Barry Allen ever. He’s supposed to be Barry, but he acts like an immature Wally. Absolutely terrible. I HATE Henry Cavill as Superman. He’s bottom of the list for me. I think Man Of Steel sealed that opinion for me, but he’s just terrible. His suit in this was sharp, so I’ll give credit where it’s due. Ray Fisher actually didn’t do a terrible job as Cyborg, but I’d never put Cyborg in the Justice League. If they wanted a robot-type character, they could have easily used Red Tornado. Jason Momoa is just awful. He’s not Aquaman. I don’t care that he doesn’t have blond hair. He doesn’t fit the role. It would have been much better if he was cast as Lobo. He’s a much better fit there. We also get a brief cameo by another Justice Leaguer that was a wasted opportunity but sets up a sequel that will probably never happen. I understand that Zack likes big spectacular shots in his movies. I understand that he wants these heroes to be larger than life. However, his style is very arthouse - there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. There’s quite a few superheroes that would benefit from that style of filmmaking. These aren’t those superheroes. Zack needs to understand that many times less is more. Ultimately, this movie is an anomaly. It’s an improvement on the first movie, but it’s not better. It tried to do so much, but had the individual hero movies come out first, there would have been so much more to the story. Instead, everything is crammed into this four hour long beast that doesn’t accomplish as much as it wanted. Because of the improvements, and only because of the improvements I can only give this a 3 out of 5.

_Zack Snyder's Justice League_ is able to turn one of the worst superhero movies of all time into a fantastic film filled with great action, heart, and depth. The original 2017 _Justice League_ cut was unbearable to watch, each line of dialogue felt out of place and extremely corny. I was physically cringing at almost every scene. These problems are completely wiped away in the Snyder Cut allowing for a more character focused and emotional telling of the dawn of the Justice League. The entire film is completely different, with scenes completely cut and the order adjusted to have a more organic viewing experience. With a runtime of four hours, I was really nervous of feeling bored or the movie having a large amount of filler to pad the runtime, but that is not the case. Each scene is crafted perfectly to deliver important character depth, allowing the viewer to gain an emotional connection with each of our heroes. Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman all have very fleshed out introductions, giving the audience a glimpse of their motivations and struggles living in a world with their powers. Cyborg has a tremendous arc with his struggling relationship with his father, which gets great pay off in the end of the film. The Flash feels grounded too with his motivation for fighting crime to help prove his father's innocence. With this new perspective and tone, his quips feel more like that of an immature kid (much like Spider-Man) rather than infused comedy that was forced by the corporate overlords. Batman and Wonder Woman are great in this film, with each giving arguably their best performance as their respective characters. Batman feels like a man who has truly learned from his past mistakes and wants to gather and lead his team rather than divide. Wonder Woman is a confident bad-ass Amazon who's heartfelt and understanding presence is the glue that holds the team together. Aquaman does not have all that much of an arc in this film but has a great lead into his solo movie which is noteworthy. Not only are the hero's more fleshed out but so are the villains. Steppenwolf has an actual motivation that the audience can sympathize with and understand. This leads him to feel more genuine in his conquest to take over the world. Steppenwolf plays really well with the backdrop of Darkseid who is looming in the background of every scene of our villain. It really creates a relationship akin to the Emperor and Darth Vader. The introduction of the life equation adds much more stakes and an emphasis on what the conquest is actually about. The action in this movie is great. The R rating added more room for the scenes to be more brutal and visceral with blood and gore, and even a beheading! While the majority of the film had pretty decent CGI, there were a few scenes that looked really out of place. Especially the ones with Darkseid and his lackies, which reminded me of a character straight out of a PS2 game. This largely had to do with the limited budget and time constraints the Synder Cut was given. This film delivers on Zach Snyder's vision of Justice League, and I am so happy it exists. Although it also brings a sense of sadness as well, because the movie sets up for so much potential for the DCEU and now that future has all but vanished. **Score:** _88%_ **Verdict:** _Excellent_

I don't understand why people are getting so horned up over this movie. It's got the exact same plot as the theatrical cut, but it's longer and more drawn out with unnecessary slow-motion and scenes that any editor worth their salt would have cut out (like Aquaman's Icelandic singers). And what we're left with? Darkseid gets his ass kicked and then forgets he was ever on Earth. Hardly anything spectacular. Steppenwolf's armor now looks like something designed by early 90s Rob Liefeld, which is not at all a compliment. The Cyborg stuff was pretty good for the most part, although the sequence with the single mother was just as pointless as Whedon's Russian family and there was absolutely no logical reason why his father had to sacrifice himself. But Snyder is a fan of fathers sacrificing themselves when there is absolutely no logical reason for it (see Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel). So what else is there? "Superman wears the black suit!" Okay...and...? It's just a black version of his usual suit, there's no story reason why he wears it, and it looks like Snyder intended for him to keep on wearing it. Which is stupid and doesn't fit that character at all. And amusingly enough, I see some of the people freaking out about this who in the 90s would have lost their shit if Tim Burton's black-suited Superman movie ever got made. We also have Wonder Woman splattering bad guy brains over walls and vaporizing people RIGHT IN FRONT OF LITTLE KIDS! And once Steppenwolf is clearly defeated, Superman heat visions off part of his head FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON OTHER THAN CRUELTY! This is what people are all pumped up for? To see Superman and Wonder Woman go all Abu Ghraib on people? Oh, and we get the Martian Manhunter. Who clearly knows everything that's happening, BUT DOESN'T LIFT A GODDAMN FINGER TO HELP OUT! Martian Manhunter, it should be added, IS ABOUT AS POWERFUL AS SUPERMAN! But does he turn up at the Batcave to say, "You could probably use my help"? No, he just hangs back, impersonates Martha Kent, and then only shows up to offer his help AFTER THE THREAT HAS BEEN DEFEATED! Gee, J'onn, maybe we could have used you back when Steppenwolf WAS FLAT-OUT MURDERING PEOPLE! This movie takes one of the greatest Justice Leaguers of all, a character who has always been a model of selflessness, and turns him into a coward who sits on the sidelines. And then of course we get the Knightmare sequence, where we get to be subjected once more to Jared Leto's absolutely godawful Joker performance, Batman drops an F-bomb because idiot fanboys with the emotional maturity of a 12-year-old think that's "badass," and Snyder basically riles up his little cult so they can start harassing people about #RestoreTheSnyderverse. This whole endeavor was nothing other than a reward for the absolute worst and most toxic elements of fandom. And now that they've gotten this victory? They're going to be ten times as awful. Because now they've had their tactics validated.

## **Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) Review: The Triumph of Vision Over Compromise - 9/10** *Zack Snyder's Justice League* is more than just a director's cut; it is a cinematic phoenix, rising from the ashes of its 2017 theatrical counterpart to become a completely different, vastly superior film. It stands as a powerful testament to what can be achieved when a singular vision is allowed to flourish, unburdened by corporate mandates and a frantic chase for box office dollars. The difference is not merely in runtime, but in its very soul. ### A Coherent Epic, Forged in Myth The four-hour saga allows the story the space it desperately needed to breathe. Gone is the jarring, patchwork narrative of the original, replaced by a coherent, methodically paced epic that feels more like a grand mythological cycle than a standard superhero romp. Each member of the League—especially Cyborg and The Flash—is given a rich, emotional backstory and a meaningful arc that makes their eventual union feel earned and momentous. The film proves that when you focus on character and **put a coherent story in your mind and love in your heart**, the spectacle that follows is infinitely more rewarding. ### The Power of Decent Editing and Artistic Integrity The transformation is a masterclass in how **decent editing** can fundamentally alter a film's DNA. Scenes are allowed to linger, emotional beats to land, and tension to build organically. The action sequences, now free of the theatrical version's rushed, weightless feel, are epic, brutal, and beautifully choreographed. The distinct visual palette, the use of a haunting, resonant score, and the commitment to a more serious, operatic tone all coalesce into a unified and immersive experience. This version feels like it was made **for people that grew up with and love the characters**, treating their mythic stature with reverence rather than as a punchline. It's a film driven by passion for the source material, a stark contrast to a product seemingly engineered by committee. ### Why Not a Perfect 10? The 9/10 score acknowledges that the film's greatest strength—its sprawling, epic scale—is also its most significant barrier to universal appeal. The four-hour runtime and occasionally self-serious tone are demanding, and the slow-motion-heavy style, while often beautiful, will not resonate with every viewer. It is a film that requires commitment. ### The Verdict **9/10 - A Landmark of Modern Superhero Cinema** *Zack Snyder's Justice League* is a triumphant reclamation of a flawed vision. It is a deeply personal, ambitious, and emotionally resonant epic that successfully builds a world worthy of these iconic heroes. It demonstrates that when a filmmaker is empowered to create with conviction and respect for the audience's intelligence, the result can be something truly special. It may not be for everyone, but for those who connect with its grand, operatic wavelength, it is nothing short of a masterpiece.