Movie Review: 'Justice League: The Snyder Cut'

Joss Whedon and Warner Brothers really screwed up. There are no two ways about it, trying to turn the D.C Universe into a snarky, bro-ey comedy universe was a bad idea. As much as it pains me to admit it, treating the D.C Cinematic-Comic Book Universe with seriousness and dignity is the right approach. Yes, it’s a silly comic book movie but it works best when you are able to, in a way, treat with respect.

Say what you will about the bombastic style of director Zack Snyder, he’s a director who takes himself and his cinematic universe very seriously. And I’ll be damned, it works, it really works. I went into The Snyder Cut of Justice League a complete cynic, fully expecting to be bored and irritated by Snyder’s typically overwrought, style over substance take on popular culture and I came out genuinely awed by one of the most enthralling action adventure movies that I have seen in quite a while.

I’ve seen the Joss Whedon cut of Justice League and I was desperately underwhelmed. The characters seemed to actively rebel against Whedon’s snarky approach. The characters in The Snyder Cut feel perfectly at home and invested in Snyder’s version. That’s probably because they aren’t being asked to act like clowns and spout awkward dialogue. There is no denying that Whedon’s style can work, I’ve liked his work in the past, but Justice League is not Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it didn't bend to the will of Whedon’s wit.

The Snyder Cut feels as if it has jettisoned every last bit of Whedon’s snark. Aside from Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) who maintains a charming, dorky, humor throughout, the humor of this Justice League is now more natural. There are no jokey jokes, or jokes for the sake of jokes. And yet, the movie never feels oppressive or dour. Why? Because the heroes are really heroes and unlike in Whedon’s version, where they seemed small and human, they feel like genuine heroes and their deeds are big and heroic and exciting.

It’s hard to be dour when our heroes are repeatedly shown to be heroes. For instance, with this extended cut we get to see the Amazons in full battle. In the original, they were defeated rather easily. In this extended cut, Connie Nielsen leads her badass warriors and while they lose the Mother Box, the MacGuffin of Justice League, they aren’t humbled. They fought and battered the big bad Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds), and forced him to retreat, stealing the Mother Box in his escape from the Amazons.

Then there is Aquaman (Jason Mamoa). Aquaman was made to look like a complete dork in Whedon's Justice League. He was a bro, a jock, a pro wrestler turned Fish-God. Here, Aquaman is toned down and given a little more weight. He’s big and bad and Snyder doesn’t undercut him with groan-worthy machismo or jokes at his expense. Aquaman is a silly concept but Snyder treats the character with respect and puts him over as a fierce and brave warrior without the need to make him the butt of jokes to underline his human qualities.

Much of the hype coming out of the early buzz about Justice League The Snyder Cut was how Ray Fisher was set to shine in this version of the story. I can confirm that buzz is correct. This version of Cyborg is less an overwhelmed man-child and more of a well rounded character, a troubled and struggling young man but one fully capable of stepping up to meet the challenges put forth for him. Fisher gives the character a heart-rending reality, a young man at odds with the fate given to him by his father while also being capable of wielding great power with responsibility. (I know, wrong Super Hero, but it works.)

Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), and Superman (Henry Cavill) weren’t really the problem with Whedon’s Justice League. Their parts really haven’t had to be altered much aside from a slight restructuring of Superman’s return to life. What Snyder does to improve things is, again, treat the powers of these heroes with respect and a fair amount of seriousness. They’re still fun because watching good continuously battle and defeat evil is exciting, but the fun isn’t manufactured, it’s organic from the genuine excitement of the story being told.

Yes, portions of Justice League Snyder Cut meander and there are touches of Snyder’s pretentious side, yes Superman must strike Jesus Pose, but the weak elements of Justice League Snyder Cut are shockingly small given the film’s four hour and two second runtime. That’s perhaps the biggest praise I can give Justice League The Snyder Cut. It’s a four hour movie that never feels like a four hour movie.

I never checked my watch, I didn’t play with my phone, I was engaged from beginning to end by Justice League Snyder Cut. I shouldn’t be so surprised, I mean, I watched Wandavision in a marathon, things that are long don’t have to feel long, but I really didn’t expect this to work that well for some reason. And yet, here we are. I really liked Justice League The Snyder Cut. I was entertained throughout and I have another reason to dislike Joss Whedon, he really screwed up his version of this.

Snyder allows his heroes to be heroes. Instead of constantly making the Justice League the underdog against overwhelming odds, Snyder makes you believe our heroes are never out-manned. So often, movies tend to place heroes in the role of the underdog and it’s a rather cheap and easy way to write a story. Snyder basically says ‘nuts to that.’ These are the champions of humanity and you can knock them around but you won’t beat them so easily.

That’s the trick, the Justice League feels like what a Justice League should feel like, a formidable force for good. They may face overwhelming odds but they are capable, tough, resilient and brilliant. There is seemingly nothing they can’t come back from and that’s awesome. I like an underdog story as much as the next guy, but trying to convince me that Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are underdogs is a waste of energy and time.

Snyder refuses to make his heroes look bad. He refuses to allow these heroes to be anything other than heroic and against a foe that feels like an equal to their power, the evenly stacked odds make for a more interesting and compelling story. It worked for me when Snyder did that for Batman in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, creating ways for Batman to feel like he could hang wit Superman, and it works even better in Justice League Snyder Cut.

Justice League Snyder Cut debuts on HBO Max on March 18th.