MOVIE REVIEW: The Justice League - Snyder Cut

(Flight - Hans Zimmer)

'The Snyder Cut' is one of those things so deeply rooted in the Zeitgeist of current digital and cinematic culture that it's almost impossible to ignore.  It's become a meme with a backstory filled with tragedy, shock, scandal, and ultimately triumph.

Ostensibly.

The data surrounding the Snyder Cut itself is equal parts fact and legend.  The facts are simple enough: Having helmed Man Of Steel and Batman V. Superman, Zack Snyder was scheduled to finish his trilogy with The Justice League and usher in more movies after in what folks have affectionately begun referring to as 'The Snyderverse'.  Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Snyder family when one of Zack Snyder's children passed away.  Snyder stepped away from The Justice League before it was complete.  Warner Bros. needed someone to step up and finish the film, so they tapped who, at the time, seemed like a bankable choice: Joss Whedon.

That would prove to be one of the great turning points for the movie, to say nothing of Whedon.

From here, things start sliding into the 'legend' area.  What we're pretty sure of is that Whedon ended up not only finishing the movie in his own style, but also calling for significant quantities of reshoots in order to try and stitch Snyder's content with his own. The end result was a film that was mildly entertaining at best, completely devoid of any meaningful character development, and a massive setback for future DC films.

Then the rumors started.  Rumors of a mythical 'extended' version of The Justice League that Snyder had cut, a film vastly different from the final version that Whedon had produced.  It was whispered that Snyder's vision for the film would have been a three hour behemoth, all-encompassing and all-conquering.

And then, because Social Media's gonna Social Media, the cries to 'Release the Snyder cut' began to echo through the aether.  Because a three-hour long festival of bombast and slow motion could not possibly be any worse than what we'd been given.

Could it?

THE SHORT VERSION: 

I'm sure it could have been worse...but oh my goodness, it so wasn't.  The Snyder Cut is the hero that Gotham both needed -and- deserved.  It was just too late to save it.

THE LONG VERSION:

No one should be surprised by the reception that the Whedon cut of The Justice League received.  Whedon was given poor bones with which to build a body that he wasn't familiar with.  In this, I refer to not only the vast difference in directorial styles between Snyder and Whedon but also the fact that Zack Snyder was not exactly firing on all cylinders rolling up to his third film.  'Man Of Steel' received only a mild reception from fans, which was a roar of approval compared to what he got out of the aptly named "Yawn Of Justice".  Snyder tried too hard to copy the harsh, gritty, gray-toned world of Nolan's successful Batman Trilogy and apply it to something that was never supposed to be that way.  'Man Of Steel' survived that due to moments of excellent writing and a few stand-out scenes.

Batman V. Superman, however...Snyder was doomed here from the start.  The story of The Dark Knight Returns is hallowed, and was done incredibly well not long before BVS as an animated film.  In contrast, Dawn Of Justice felt like a horrible misuse of both heroes and a criminal waste of Jeremy Irons' voice.

Then there's the fact that, regardless of who was directing, there was just less subject material to work with. Consider that Marvel had five movies before they made their first ensemble movie.  Four out of the five of those films were legitimate successes, and Marvel learned very quickly from their one mistake. (I am, of course, speaking of 'The Incredible Hulk'.)

Naturally then, when it was announced that not only was The Snyder Cut an actual thing, but that it was a colossal FOUR HOURS LONG, some folks got nervous.  Snyder's style is polarizing, after all.  You either love him or you hate him, and he'd already blown the mark twice prior.  

None of this is helped at all in the first three minutes of Snyder's Magnum Opus.  It is an exercise in over-the-top self-indulgence and would-be opulent cinematography.  And it's awful.  And it's hokey. And, like the screaming, it just keeps. On. Going.  It's borderline masturbatory.

Indeed, it's not until about 7 minutes into the film that the movie manages to pull its head out of its own ass.  But then something rather unexpected happens:

It...gets good.  It actually gets really good, and it doesn't stop.  It falters here and there, but it never fully loses its momentum as it builds towards something much more closely resembling the movie we all hoped we'd get in the first place.  Four hours, yes, but Snyder spends his time expertly, crafting backstories for supporting characters like The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman.  He spends almost no time whatsoever on Superman or his widow.  The few times the camera does return there, you instantly cringe.  Superman now feels out of place in the midst of much more compelling stories, and that's as it should be.  He is, after all, the least compelling member of the cast.

Even the bad guys get more good screen time here.  Steppenwolf's story is fleshed out in far greater detail.  It isn't a cheeseball villain anymore, not just a strange monster stuffed into a shiny suit.  And, of course, we also get Darkseid, the man behind the green curtain.

The four hour running time never felt long, though I found myself glad that I could pause the film from time to time to go and get something else to snack on. This would have been a tough watch in a theater, but split into two movies released in a style similar to how the last two Matrix films were done, it could have worked.

And yet, even as I type this, I feel that I benefitted from watching almost all of it in one sitting.  There is a subtle momentum that builds as you watch this movie, and breaking that up almost feels like a disservice to what Snyder has somehow managed to accomplish here.  Indeed, as the credits rolled on the film, I found myself with only one large gripe about the experience:

It's not real.

Warner has flat out said that this was the last of Snyder's stunts, the last movie in his 'Trilogy', and it isn't to be considered canon. That's an absolute body blow because Snyder sets up hook after hook for future films and stories.  The last half hour of the film is filled to the brim with things to unpack, things you'll get excited about, things you'll -want- to see!  Suddenly, four hours isn't enough.  Not nearly enough.

Now, it never will be.

Or could it?  Consider the Snyder Cut, and what happened because someone, several someones, wanted it badly enough.

Either way, Snyder can hold his head up.  A triumph? Perhaps not.  A victory though, without question.

Some things that very much stood out to me as I watched it.  I've sort of live-blogged them here.  Some are sort of spoilery, but if you've seen the first one, much of what's here isn't a shock:

- The shooting location for the opening scene with Batman and Aquaman is still GORGEOUS...but I do miss Wayne's little quip and head-tilt when he asks Arthur if he can talk to fish.

- What, exactly, was wrong with using Wonder Woman's theme during the bomb threat scene instead of recycling the wailing woman music from Troy? (Waits a second or two...) Ooooh wait, there it is!  Yeah, this was MUCH better than the original. Diana Prince giving ZERO quarter and putting heeled boot to ass.

- Uh...Hey, Steppewolf?  Thor called and said they'd appreciate it if you'd stop copying the Destroyer's look. That said, the voice is MUCH improved.

- Any additional time spent with the Amazons is good time.  

- I'm not sure what fool picked the song that plays when Aquaman walks out of the bar after saving the fisherman, but he's fired.

- Peter! It's me!....oh wait, hello Vulko!

- Darkseid kind of went out like a bitch in Round 1.  That's one of the biggest flaws in this movie.  We know that he's not just killable, but in the grand scheme of things, relatively easily killable.  Someone hit him with an axe.  That...sort of ended it.  He poses no threat because you watch him go out like a chump early on. In contrast -- because this comparison must be made -- you have Thanos, who puts boot to ass when he cares to every single time he's on screen.  That mess at the beginning of Endgame? Dude had already won, and it took the Uber Macguffin to bring him low enough for folks to even have a shot at him.  See also Darth Vader, who pretty much takes shit from no one right up until the very end.

- 'Reduce Speed Ahead'.  Hah.  Ahaha. Ha....

- Oooookay, Snyder.  I'll give you slow-mo props just this once for that SWEET shot of Barry's hand going through the glass.  Because DAMN.

- Are you telling me that BRUCE fucking WAYNE has a corded mouse?!  Are you seriously trying to pass that off? That's the best the prop department could come up with? REALLY?!

- Victor Stone is supposed to be some kind of bad-ass quarterback but he's got a lot of mud stains on the butt of his uniform leggings.  A whole lot.  And while I'm sure you could make the argument that he slide a time or two, that's too much mud on too much of his leggings to mean he didn't go down a time or two.  

- Dude, that doctor just passed a death sentence on Victor Stone like...within earshot.  Worst bedside manner ever.

- Alright, so, more credit here.  This movie spends the first half paying almost no attention to Superman whatsoever.  The Whedon cut spends very little time as well, but it opens with that little homage to Supes, and it makes you feel for him before it moves on.  Snyder's cut doesn't, and is better for it.  Not only is Superman the least interesting part of this movie, Snyder has even more time to tell the stories of the people who -are- actually interesting.

- Hooooly crap, that scene with Cyborg giving that woman money.  Lord.

- Not going to lie, the bit with the gauntlet is...something that I needed to see.  It explains things that happen later in the movie that always made me tilt my head a little.  It's a little thing but those are the things I notice.

- So, there's this scene in the Whedon cut of the Justice League where Diana goes to meet Bruce and Barry after Bruce recruits him.  The scene begins with a -very- nice, but non-the-less very gratuitous and utterly unnecessary shot of Gal Gadot's butt in those leather pants of hers.  Seriously, here's the shot I'm talking about, specifically at 37 seconds in:

This scene is very much present in Snyder's cut of the film, but this shot of Gadot's posterior isn't.  In the wake of some of the things being said about Whedon, this omission feels...telling.  Maybe I'm reading too much into it though, I dunno.

- Wait, Mera is British now? Orm isn't British.  Arthur isn't.  Atlanna isn't.  Wait, can't be bothered by that because lady just used water powers to try and dehydrate Steppenwolf which was DOPE AS HELL.  Also, haven't said this until now, but Rated R Justice League? Yessir.  But yeah, in the Whedon cut?  Mera isn't British.  Or not nearly as so.  The accent comes and goes.  Also, British Amber Heard is okie dokie.

- In the line of people fired for stupid-ass mistakes in this movie, the guy who decided to remove the Danny Elfman Batman theme from the scene where Gordon talks to the Leaguers needs to be at the front of it.  Or shot.  It's been said that Snyder vowed not to use anything that Whedon added to his film.  If this was the result of that, huge, HUGE fucking mistake.

- Alright, when they finally square off against Steppenwolf at Stryker's Island?  THIS is the Wonder Woman that I've been waiting for.  Hardened.  Capable.  No grand-standing, no showboating, no quoting shit, just a bad, bad woman showing up to get business done.  I've been waiting for four movies to look at Diana Prince the same way I look at the Dora Milaje from Black Panther.

- SO MUCH MORE FOCUS ON OTHER PEOPLE.  The scene where Flash moves the rocks out of the way is both bad-ass and gorgeous.

- Seriously, the wailing lady music has got to stop.

- Wait, you're telling me that Diana isn't strong enough to hold onto the Nightcrawler like...one-handed if she wanted to?  She has to stab her sword -- Which is NOT the Godslayer by the way -- in to provide a grip for herself??

- Huh.  Trotting the ol' Anti-Life Equation out, eh?

- Terrible CGI Victor body is terrible.

- Halfway through the movie, the film finally switches back to Lois and Martha, and the first thing I felt was disappointment.  The movie has been... surprisingly good up until now.  The dialogue between Martha and Lois was just...poor.

- Oh snap! The Martian Manhunter is in the hizzy! 

- Okay, let's talk about Superman dying in the previous movie for a moment.  How does the world find out that he's dead?  Does Lois report it?  Isn't SOMEONE going to demand to see the body?  How do people know he died without seeing a body?  If they saw the body, how did Lois and Martha end up with it?

- FORESHADOWING! On more than one front.  Showing people the obvious connection between Supes and Darkseid was safe because it doesn't happen in the film, but teasing what Barry can do with the Speed Force DOES come into play and it was a card that shouldn't have been played this early.

- Good news, folks! The Mother Box blew his shirt and shoes off but left his pants intact!

- This movie can't make up its mind on who is faster: Supes or the Flash.

- Well, everyone heard her call him 'Clark' now, so...way to go, Lois.

- There's so much angst in the Batcave that this movie completely does away with and it's GLORIOUS.

- Did he brush his teeth before he kissed her?! Because dude's been in the ground for awhile!

- The charge of the Batmobile was one of the weaker points in the Whedon cut, and while it did contain a few notes of dynamism and humor, Snyder's approach is just plain better.  The League even gets a team-up slow-mo shot together, which is cliche but effective.

- There's a very Polynesian - Samoan, I think? - scream that Momoa does in his DC movies and it's prominently on display in the Whedon cut.  It's nowhere to be found in the Snyder cut though.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.

- The decision to change the time of day for the assault on Steppenwolf's position from a murky day to night is understandable from a thematic standpoint but the visibility in Whedon's cut was a bit better, I felt.

- It's been said several times so far but I'm going to say it again: Snyder spends much more time focusing on THE TEAM and less time focusing on just one hero and his film is so much better for it.  This is darkly amusing because Snyder's cut does away with the corny quote from Alfred that states this. There's shot after glorious shot of Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, all being absolute units.  Also, whoever thought up the thruster ideas for Cyborg's armor was awesome.  That's a great effect.

- I'm not sure what all of the nerd boner is about with regard to the black Supes suit.  It looks good, yes I know it's a relic from the Death of Superman comics, but... yeah.  Snyder does get points for using 'Flight' during the throw-down with Steppenwolf though. Great tune.

- Barry's quick monologue doesn't do it for me.  Call me heartless.  Ezra Miller is the weak link in this movie.

- Continuity: Barry's side wound heals once he enters the Speed Force.  And no, I don't mean just the injury, I mean the hole in his suit.  Also, terribly CG Barry running is terrible.

- As slow-mo rewindy body rebuilding goes...that did not suck.

- Yeah, the Mother Boxes aren't evil.  Right.  Because the manifestation of the boxes within the Unity looked like Care Bears.  Wait, no, they looked like Iron Maiden's mascot, Eddie.

- RATED R JUSTICE LEAGUE FOR THE WIN!

- Granny's here!

- Batman ran the Pelican straight into a building because it was busted up, but hey, that sucker's good to go now! ...wut?

- Again, we've seen Aquaman now, and we know what Vulko and Mera are like, and Snyder changed both of them.  Why?

- Oh, OH, NOW they bring out the tank from 'The Dark Knight Returns'.

- Uh...Bill Burr?

- Jesse Eisenberg is still a horrible Lex Luthor.  Bring back Clancy Brown, please.  Deathstroke is still solid gold though.

- When they did the reshoots for the Epilogue, they got a far less jacked Affleck.