The first thing I want to admit is that I am a fan of Zack Snyder and his visions. Does everything always pan out, well no. If his name is attached to something though I am checking it out. I believe the biggest issue with Zack and the DC movies is that he is a long-term visionary with stories while Warner Brothers wants short term gains and to catch up to Marvel. It was always going to be a bumpy ride. Though when WB ditched his Justice League for Whedon in a moment of family loss by the Snyder’s, that was a dirty move on WB’s part. Oh, also fuck Whedon for dumping so many great scenes and in how he treats people.
I usually do not rate things on this site, but when comparing the Snydercut and Josstice League I feel like I need to…at the end. My favorite part about this movie is it feels like a team that builds up to the League. In the Josstice cut I felt like all these characters were just smashed together and were told you are a team now. There was no real build up or character bonding. I know there is a run time difference, but the theatrical it felt like Flash & Cyborg were just there and Batman was treated as a liability in the final fight. Batman will always find a way to be useful, he is mother fucking Batman. He felt like a leader in this and knew what to do for his more God like fellows to succeed easier.
This movie felt like a pseudo-Cyborg movie and Flash/Aquaman movie setups. Batman & Wonder Woman were more like the team leaders helping bring these guys into the hero business. Superman coming back felt epic instead of rushed. As a fan of the Superman comics during his death comic the blacksuit is important. It helps him absorb the suns radiation faster and recovering from death quicker. That is why it was needed in this film. I felt like all these characters were important, fit together, and got fleshed out quite well. Action & Drama balanced well with natural humor to create personalities for everyone.
This goes for Steppenwolf as well. In the Josstice cut he felt one dimensional. Treated as just some evil dude with no real motivations. In this I felt bad for the guy in a way It seems like he really wanted to prove his worth to Darkseid who doesn’t care about him. His motivations and determination were there throughout the movie. The addition of DeSaad and of course Darkseid makes so much sense as well. As tough as Steppenwolf is, he wasn’t unstoppable. In this cut the Amazons and Atlanteans seemed like they had a great shot to defeat him if set up better. The Amazonian army was just too late and the Atlanteans were amid a civil war. In the Josstice cut they seemed overwhelmed by him which was a disgrace to their abilities. With Darkseid and crew added to feel like the ultimate threat like Thanos dropped here and there it felt like this was the beginning of an epic war instead of a tough, but winnable battle with no long-term consequences.
The thing about the Snydercut was that it was his last hurrah, so he wanted to squeeze as much in of his story as possible. There are odd moments like Martian Manhunter ruining that scene with Martha & Lois. It does fit his character, but I just prefer more Martha in that moment. The Flash saving Iris would have been better if he didn’t like, touch her hair so personally. I realize they are connected through the multiverse, but many do not know that, so it seemed a bit creepy without context. I also appreciate the death of Silas in terms of Cyborg development and to bring forth the Atom to be the big man for S.T.A.R. Labs, it just seemed unearned a bit to me. These of course are nitpicks and do nothing to ruin the movie for me.
I know some people did not like the Prologue, but I am not one of them. It sets up that Superman is still going to be taken to the dark side. People misunderstood how he becomes evil, its not just Lois dying, but the anti-life equation being used to take control of him during his grief. We also do not know the effects of Flash going back in time to save them all either until his movie. These are important things left out of the Josstice cut. Seeing the remnants of the rebellion at the end was fun and I liked the conversation between Batman and Joker. It reveals quite a bit about time travel, the Joker, Robin, and Harley Quinn seems like she may be more important in Snyder’s future movies he had planned than originally thought. Then of course the reveal Martian Manhunter is coming out of hiding to help join the League which is awesome.
My final thoughts are that this movie seemed like two hours, not four. It flew by. Originally Man of Steel was my favorite DCU movie with an 8/10. I would rate this movie 9/10. I can understand people rating these lower if they do not take to Snyder’s style or the darker take on Superheroes. I, however, love these kinds of stories. There is plenty of clean-cut superhero media in the world, the past decade is giving us some alternate takes on superheroes like The Boys, Snyder’s DCU, Umbrella Academy, Titans, Doom Patrol, Daredevil, and now highly recommended new animated show called Invincible on Amazon. I am always game for these takes. I wish Snyder could at least get an HBOMax show to finish his vision. As for the Josstice League theatrical cut I have always had that around a 4.5/10. It was somewhat entertaining, but sloppy. My worst DC movie is Wonder Woman 1984 rated 0/10, that I do not consider part of the Snyderverse at all.
What will Warner Brothers do from here? Well probably what they do best with the DC property, screw it up. Though hiring Gunn to do The Suicide Squad with the Snyders as Executive Producers was a great decision. Them not listening to Ray Fisher and firing him from the role of Cyborg is a garbage move on their part. I am not sure what to expect from this company, but maybe HBO can do something, but I doubt it.