REVIEW Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Almost four years after its compromised debut, the fifth entry in the DC Extended Universe has been restored to its original form.
In May 2017, Zack Snyder stepped down during post-production of Justice League, his third movie to be set in the so-called DC Extended Universe, to deal with a family tragedy. The film was already in trouble at that point, since the director repeatedly clashed with Warner Bros. and no longer had it in him to put up a fight after one compromise too many (most notably, the studio mandated a two-hour running time; at the time of his departure, Snyder had shown them various cuts ranging from 140 to 160 minutes).
Joss Whedon, who had already been brought in to write additional material (with Snyder’s consent, even though it wasn’t his idea), was subsequently tasked with overseeing the remainder of post-production, including reshoots, and the official statement from the studio at the time made it seem like he was just completing what needed to be finished. This was not the case: while Snyder remains credited on the version of Justice League that opened in theaters in November 2017 (due to Directors Guild of America regulations), only a small amount of the footage was his.
Estimates vary, but the general consensus is that at least 75% of what ended up on screen was actually shot by Whedon, who also received a screenplay credit (meaning that, based on arbitration by the Writers Guild of America, at least 33% of the final shooting draft contained his alterations). Critics were largely indifferent to this version (I found it enjoyable enough, but that’s it), and fans began campaigning for the release of what they dubbed the Snyder Cut.
Over time, support for the release grew even amongst the inner ranks of the DCEU, with Patty Jenkins claiming none of the other directors consider Whedon’s version canon to the franchise and Jason Momoa stating Aquaman picks up where the Snyder Cut left off (although clearly someone didn’t get the memo in that case, since the two films contradict each other as far as part of the Atlantean lore is concerned).
And so here we are, almost four years later: courtesy of HBO Max, Zack Snyder’s Justice League (a title that makes it clear the 2017 movie is his in name only) is available for all to see, in its uncut form: not whatever shortened version Warner Bros. would have demanded for theatrical release, but the full four hours that Snyder put together between late 2016 and early 2017 (the only brand new element is a scene featuring Jared Leto’s Joker, who was not part of the original project). Whedon’s contributions have been erased wholesale, while Will Beall, who worked on an earlier iteration of the movie before it became a proper DCEU project, now has a story credit.
The bare bones of the plot remain the same: Superman is dead, alien forces are coming to Earth, and Batman is putting together a team to stop this new threat from another world. How this all plays out, however, is almost entirely different from the 2017 version: gone are the awkward bits where Henry Cavill’s digitally erased mustache showcased the rushed VFX job done to get the movie completed in time for its original release date; gone are the jokes that, while largely amusing, felt out of place in the universe Snyder had established; gone is Danny Elfman’s hodgepodge score; in short, gone are the attempts to make the movie more akin to an Avengers film (including, for those who might be wondering, the post-credits scenes).
Which is ironic, because Zack Snyder’s Justice League works in much the same way as Marvel’s ensemble films: these are characters who don’t necessarily belong in the same room, but when push comes to shove, they are willing to work together. The key difference is that, in attempting to delete Snyder’s influence, Warner Bros. also got rid of the characters’ essence, creating a team whose members didn’t match up with what we’d seen before. The 2017 version was a perfectly serviceable Justice League: it just didn’t have any business being part of the same world as Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Wonder Woman.
Unencumbered by commercial restrictions, the new movie expands on themes laid out in the previous movies to create an epic matching the wildest imagination of the comic book creators (a quick glance at the closing credits confirms this, with quite a few writers and artists acknowledged in the Special Thanks section due to their work having influenced Snyder’s vision). It’s big, heartfelt, funny, bombastic and rich in detail: exactly what one would expect from this kind of film – and, with select edits here and there, exactly what the studio wanted four years ago, and failed to realize they had.
From the intimate drama of Victor Stone’s transformation to the dizzying cosmic heights of the Fourth World (the latter hinting at adventures yet to come), Zack Snyder’s Justice League has something for everyone – some may argue it has too much (during our viewing, my girlfriend said her only issue with the film was “information overload”), but that was to be expected since this is the full version of what the director had in mind.
This is, first and foremost, a gift to the fans and a tribute to Snyder’s daughter (the end credits begin with “For Autumn”), hence its existence as a four-hour, digital-only offering that doesn’t have to compete for screens (the few that are available, that is) with other sizable undertakings. It’s pure, undiluted Zack Snyder, and while that may have its downsides (I wasn’t entirely sold on Barry Allen’s encounter with Iris West), it’s also impossible to begrudge him such an effort given the circumstances under which it came to be.
Will it lead to other adventures starring this iteration of the group? Hard to tell at this point (Snyder has indicated he also went all out on this cut in the event that he’s never asked back). But if this is to be the last time we get to see this specific version of the League as a team, it’s one hell of a goodbye, where every frame exudes ambition and passion. In a context that is literally larger than life, on and off screen, it’s a mesmerizing triumph.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (USA 2021, 242 minutes)
Director: Zack Snyder
Writers: Chris Terrio (screenplay), Chris Terrio, Zack Snyder, Will Beall (story), based on characters by DC Comics
Producers: Deborah Snyder, Charles Roven
Music: Tom Holkenborg
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Ciarán Hinds, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Ray Porter, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe, Jeremy Irons, Jesse Eisenberg, Connie Nielsen, Harry Lennix, Jared Leto
Distribution: HBO Max (streaming, USA)