I enjoyed both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition and consider them to be more than just standard, visual effects driven blockbusters. Zack Snyder’s exploration of the DC Expanded Universe blends the mythological fantasy of metahumans with a more cerebral dissection of their role in society. The political and philosophical dimensions of their presence is a key theme in both films. As a consequence there is ambiguity, darkness and violence. Snyder certainly has a penchant for visual flair, as seen in previous movies such as 300 and Watchmen. But his directorial style seems to be at odds with the very studios that employ him. Snyder tells a story in however much time it takes. Studios prefer standard running times that lend themselves to as many screenings a day, as possible. Hence there is always a clash of ideas and sadly those that hold the purse strings usually get their way.

I see no reason to go over the sad circumstances that lead to Zack Snyder leaving the post-production phase of Justice League in 2016. Simply put Warner Bros. wanted the film to be released on schedule and so Joss Whedon was brought onboard to complete the production. 80 pages of rewrites and two month of additional shooting later led to a radically altered movie. It was demonstrably different in style as well as tone and it failed to find an audience. I found it to be ponderous, underwritten and underwhelming. Warner Bros. were far from pleased by the box office returns. Justice League, released in late 2017, merely yielded double its production costs, making $600 million. Roll on 4 years and we now have Zack Snyder's Justice League. A director’s cut of the film which is far more aligned with his original vision. Due to the pandemic, this version has gone direct to subscription services and has not seen a theatrical release. It would’ve been interesting if it would have fared any better at the box office second time round.

Before I start with my thoughts on Zack Snyder's Justice League, let me put my cards on the table. I am not a fully paid up DC aficionado. My exposure to this comic franchise is mainly through previous films. I have no knowledge of the wider lore, nor do I have any personal baggage with regard to personal attachment to characters. I grew up with Christopher Reeves as Superman and his performance was totally applicable to those times. However, that cinematic interpretation is era specific and not necessary now. So I consider myself open minded with regard to this franchise. What I expect from a film such as Zack Snyder's Justice League or indeed any other major franchise movie is for it to be accessible to both existing fans and the general public. Films of this nature need to engage with a much wider audience to be financially successful. Hence I expected Zack Snyder's Justice League to have a coherent narrative. Something the theatrical cut was lacking.

Mercifully, Zack Snyder's Justice League has a very linear and episodic story. In fact it is divided into chapters delineating the plot into specifically themed sections. This not only reflects the essential structure of comics themselves but allows the viewer to digest the sprawling narrative and its respective themes. There is a lot of exposition at various junctures in the story arc so breaking things down in this way again helps with making the plot accessible. Zack Snyder's Justice League is double the running time of the theatrical cut and clocks in at over 4 hours. Effectively all material that Zack Snyder shot has been reinstated and a great deal of it is character backstory. There are also major changes to the film’s visual FX, with villain Steppenwolf having a major makeover. Danny Elfman’s score has also been replaced by a new one by Tom Holkenborg. For a comprehensive breakdown Den of Geek has a very thorough article listing all differences.

The question on everyone’s lips, be they a layperson or a hardcore fan, is whether Zack Snyder's Justice League is better than Joss Whedon’s theatrical version? The answer is most definitely “yes” but that’s not to say that the film isn’t without faults. Perhaps the most positive change that standouts from the new director’s cut is the focus on each character’s motivation. This is especially beneficial for Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher) whose backstory was utterly negated in the theatrical release. Here we see the troubled relationship he had with his Father and the tragedy of his Mother’s death and his own near fatal accident. His abilities show him the injustices of the world and how even a man with his powers would struggle to effect meaningful change. His story arc is far more engaging, meaningful and poignant. Similarly Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) has more depth to his story and does not come across as simply bellicose as he did in the Whedon version.

Zack Snyder's Justice League also offers a far more rounded and interesting villain this time round. Steppenwolf, voiced by Ciarán Hinds, now boasts a more threatening design and now has significantly more screen time, offering viewers an insight into his motivations and aspirations. Instead of being an arbitrary “bad guy” who is simply there to do “bad things”, we now have a character who is struggling with the internal politics of his own faction. Steppenwolf is a lieutenant who is seeking to advance his position after previously erring in his duties. He needs to get back in the good graces of his master, Darkseid. However, he does not have direct access to him and is forced to communicate via DeSaad, Darkseid's consigliere. Although far from Shakespeare, it is much more engaging to have an antagonist that has some depth to them, rather than just being a thematic placeholder.

However, Zack Snyder's Justice League is not without flaws. It is a little tonally inconsistent when it comes to the depiction of violence. The epic flashback to the Age of Heroes has a surprising amount of bloodshed compared to other sequences. Random acts of violence occur through the remainder of the film and every now and then, one will be somewhat more visceral than others. But perhaps the most incongruous aspect of Zack Snyder's Justice League is the inclusion of yet another vision of an apocalyptic future. This worked very well in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition, showing a possible timeline in which Superman had gone rogue due to the death of Lois Lane. But considering that a major element of Zack Snyder's Justice League is the necessity to bring Superman back from the dead thus restoring not only a balance of power but reiterating him as a force for good, it seems self defeating to infer the possibility that all of this may be for naught.

Naturally, fans of Zack Snyder’s work and his vision for the DC Expanded Universe, will enjoy this new director’s cut and extol its merits from a fans perspective. I certainly enjoyed it more than the theatrical release and was glad to see the back of the changes that Joss Whedon made. Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Millar) is no longer a trite comic foil and the new cut eliminates the rather crass diminishing of Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Godot) via all the flirting and objectification. For those who may be put off by the prodigious running time, the film now lends itself to being watched in instalments. The 4:3 aspect ratio is somewhat curious, although Snyder has stated that the film was shot open matte to make the framing optimal for the IMAX format. Paradoxically, Zack Snyder's Justice League is currently non-canonical. Joss Whedon’s theatrical cut made tonal and narrative shifts that have been continued into subsequent films. The success of the director’s cut may instigate a major course correction to this franchise. Or not. Studios seldom care about continuity, lore or even logic in comparison to the bottom line.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)