As many of you know Zack Snyder was brought back on board to release his cut of Justice
League. HBO MAX and Time Warner provided Snyder with 70 Million Dollars to get the film ready so that
they could release it on their HBO max streaming platform. The date was announced March 18th 2021.
That day has come, and as I am writing this article on the 23rd that day has passed. With that I bring you
my review of the best DC film released to date.
Justice League the theatrical cut was not met with high praise. Zack Snyder had left the film, Joss
Whedon was brought in to finish it up. Whedon who had lightning in a bottle as I call it with the
Avengers in 2012 was brought in to make Justice League a success. The theatrical cut was far from a
success, seen as a failure by critics and the studio anything planned after was canceled. That was until
the Snyder Cut was announced.
Zack Snyder came back with the plan to release his vision. His vision did not disappoint. This film
which released 5 days ago has been a breath of fresh air to the DC universe. Titled the DCEU by fans of
the Snyder Universe this movie gives us hope of so much more. I will say this before I get into the movie
which is four hours long, Zack Snyder is clearly a fan of these characters and through this movie you can
see that above all else.
First on my list of review items is Ben Affleck and Batman. Affleck was the surprise
announcement nearly 7 years ago to be the next Batman. He was going to dawn the cape and cowl in
the Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice movie. The second film directed by Snyder. In that film you see
him as a veteran Batman with 20 years on the job. He isn’t trusting of anyone. He has lost all hope and
has a fueled hatred of Superman because of the events of Man of Steel. Well fast forward to Justice
League Snyder Cut and Batman has regained his faith in humanity. To me he has found his reason to be
a hero again. You see his love and respect for Alfred through his actions. You see that Batman can lead this team of superheroes, even though he doesn’t have any power. There are scenes with Affleck that
were filmed for this movie after the theatrical cut. Affleck steps right back into the role and I mean I had
goosebumps. This film really closed the case on who is the most accurate Batman to ever step on
screen. It would be a crime to not let Affleck at least have one more film, outside of his rumored minor
appearance in Flash before he exits the role. Hell, the shape Affleck was in in the final moments of this
film he could do two more if the studio would work with him. I could honestly write this whole review
on how much better Batman was, but I will move on.
Barry Allen was a doofus in the theatrical cut. Not knowing East from West, the Pacific from the
Atlantic or really anything for that matter. In this version there was more backstory, we met Iris West.
We got to see him use his abilities like he should be able to. He was smarter. I mean again the character
development was so much better in this. Really turned out a lot better for Barry than the theatrical cut.
He was a better speedster in this.
Wonder Woman and Aquaman were the same except there are no dopey Lasso moments on
the airship. Wonder Woman is a true Warrior, and you get to see a bit more of Arthurs back story that
ties directly into Aquaman the movie. The one thing that was a bit off was that Mera was claiming that
her parents were dead. This however isn’t a spoiler because you see her father portrayed by Dolph
Lundgren in Aquaman.
This movie even though a team movie gave Cyborg an origin story. While everything else was
going on around him but we got to see more of his story. We see what made him Cyborg, we seen what
he done before hand. It was amazing to see the backstory for Cyborg. It was so accurate to the origin
story I know for the character. For me Cyborg does not really need a solo film to introduce his character.
I know the character, form the Teen Titans, and the Justice League so this story fits him well.I know that some of the biggest complaints in the theatrical cut was the way Steppenwolf looked, and the absence of Darkseid. From the trailer we get to see Darkseid, and Steppenwolf looks great, just like he did at the end of the BVS Dawn of Justice film. The plot was basically the same just everything was in more detail. Darkseid was the being who attacked the Earth first. The old gods Zeus and Aries beat his ass and sent him packing. Steppenwolf came back to Earth in search of themotherboxes, and nearly completed his plan. That is until Superman decided to show up and stop them this time with a little help from his friends.
Superman was so much better in this film as well. His story basically the same, but different
because of the detail of the film. There was more to his story in this as far as his suits and him coming
back. We also seen his interaction with Lois being different in this film as well. I just think that this
version would have killed it at the box office! Superman is a well-known DC character; the whole CGI
removal of his mustache was ridiculous. I really enjoy that it was fixed in this film and he used the team
instead of handling everything himself. That moment with Alfred was amazing! The moment he
appeared in the final fight was way better! Again you can tell Snyder has a deep love for these
characters!
Other characters in the film that appear are Lex, Death Stroke, Joker, Martian Manhunter, and a
few others. Those are the biggest ones. I mean you’ve seen the theatrical cut; you know Martha Kent is
there. No need to mention her. All of the characters were perfect for their small parts. I do want to talk
about Jared Leto as the Joker in this.
Jared Leto was cast as the Joker for Suicide Squad. His portrayal of the Joker in the film wasn’t
great, but I believe his screen time was limited. In this he had one scene at the end, and it was great.
Leto and Affleck need to have a Batman/Joker film or mini-series. They would work great together. I am
in no way saying he is the best Joker, but he fits this demented universe Zack Snyder has created.The Snyder Cut is finally here! I could write pages and pages, but I am sure that you guys don’t
want to read 10 pages of a review when you could just go and watch the movie. Remember it is 4 hours
long, but it is broken into 7 parts total. Take advantage of the small transitions into each part to run to
the restroom. The film is worth your time in my opinion! It makes the theatrical cut look like a student
project. The plot and the story are nearly the same, but the detail, the dive into the backstory all the
work Snyder put into making these characters special for this film really shines through.
Give it a chance guys, give it a watch. As a fan of the franchise, I thank you for reading my
review, and for watching the film. The more people who watch it the more Time Warner, DC and HBO
can see the want for a sequel. I know they have shot those down, and said it isn’t happening, but
honestly, they have tried very hard to keep Snyders work cannon in each of their films before and after
the release of this version of Justice League. Why not give him at least one more movie? I think after this
he deserved it!
I will rate the film 8.5/10. I could rate it 10/10 but I wanted to be realistic. The only way this film
would have been better is if Darkseid stepped outta that boom tube and had an altercation with
Superman. That is the only way this film would have been better. One last thing before I go, the
Knightmare timeline needs to happen. Affleck needs to lead the remaining members of his team against
a homicidal Superman in order to set things right! If anything, I want to get to that point in the films to
see the Knightmare timeline unfold
