Movie review: Zack Snyder's Justice League (with spoilers)

The Snyder-fans love this. Of course they do. This is their triumph.

They campaigned it into reality. It could be crayon scribble and they’d still claim it was the single greatest experience of their lives.

For casual fans though?

It’s a fascinating prospect. No director has been given this opportunity before.

After a family tragedy saw Zack Snyder step away from 2017’s DC superhero film Justice League, Joss Whedon was tasked to bring the ship to port.

But with a directive to lighten the tone (figuratively and visually), there followed rushed reshoots, a CGI moustache mask, an injection of banter and gags and a significantly cut run time. The response upon release was between tepid and outrage.

Then came the repercussions. It was not Snyder’s vision and fans demanded #ReleaseTheSnyderCut – a hashtag that thanks to a vocal few, will forever be linked to bullying and toxic behaviour.

After four years of unrelenting activity, and more crucially, a streaming platform in need of a big exclusive to draw subscribers to (HBO Max), Warner Bros financed Snyder to go back and restore his version – all four hours of it.That will seem long but because it’s streaming on HBO Go in Singapore from March 18, it lends itself to taking breaks at your own pace.

So, first thoughts?

Finishing this long-waited, fan-demanded, four-hour epic, I couldn’t help but think that some will feel short-changed.

New content teased online either barely features or has no bearing on the main plot.

Much of it serves only as a teaser to a sequel that will, currently, never be made.

So considering we’ve been shown main villain Darkseid (DC’s Thanos) and his acolytes, the return of Jared Leto’s Joker and Batman atop The Dark Knight Returns Batmobile, you could be forgiven for thinking this is radically different to the film sent out to die in 2017.

There are differences, but it’s not *that* different.

The main plot thread has not changed: Superman’s dead, a brute called Steppenwolf is tearing things up searching for three Mother Boxes, Batman (Ben Affleck) gets the band of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Aquaman (Jason Mamoa) together, and they resurrect Superman (Henry Cavill)... all leading to a climactic showdown.

While the pacing is an issue, some scenes are expanded for the better, and some are restored to make more sense.

There are moments here that make choices in the theatrical cut all the more baffling. For instance, in a change from the first version's more stupid moments, Steppenwolf no longer simply yoinks a Mother Box from a Metropolis car park unchallenged.

Cyborg, given short shrift in 2017, is given a proper origin that links to the bigger story. Joe Morton, who plays Cyborg’s father Dr Silas Stone, provides some much-needed emotion to proceedings.

The remorse he feels as Frankenstein to his son’s resentful monster is palpable. 

Some parts also look so much better. The scenes shot in daylight appear truly gorgeous, and the action throughout pops with energy previously lacking. 

But when things move to CGI backgrounds, the quality drops and we’re in the land of videogame cut scenes.

One where Cyborg explores the Internet feels like an un-ironic ‘90s take on cyberspace, full of on-the-nose stock illustrations to depict things like the stock market.

Steppenwolf has had a shiny metal makeover, but aside from a few scenes, still lacks real-world weight – and his face retains the claymation feel of the Josstice version.

Some additions are just downright baffling.

This version needlessly gropes for its mature rating with blood splatter and a few F-bombs (the latter being laughably jarring for a film about Wonder Woman and Superman).

The where, what and why of new MacGuffin – the Anti-life Equation – will leave you wondering if you need to scroll back and see if you missed a nugget of explanatory info.

Then there are muddled character points, such as why The Flash has a super-expensive tech set-up in his hideout, yet he’s applying for a job as a dog walker?
He is still the film’s patience-testing comic relief – apparently not all the gags were a Whedon addition.

The scene where The Flash rescues a woman and falls in love with her while surrounded by mid-air hot dogs is an, er, interesting choice.

Aquaman (now more surly than surfer bro) takes his top off to go into the water, yet somehow leaves the water with a top on, only to take it off again to go back in.

And apparently, the Amazons built a special hidden diorama under a Greek temple thousands of years ago just in case they need to explain Darkseid to Wonder Woman.

Batman cracks fewer jokes but he still doesn’t get a standout scene of his own, as if to prove his quip about being rich is his superpower.

That said, the big battle at the end is much improved. You see the team work together, the action crackles and in one of the big changes, you feel the stakes are much higher than just a need to beat up Steppenwolf. 

It’s the epilogue that could really divide opinion.

Teasing what would have been Snyder’s next two Justice League films, it works as a call to action to whip up the already trending #RestoreTheSnyderVerse.

Whether it comes off as a cheap or cheeky move remains to be seen. Given the aggression associated with #ReleaseTheSnyderCut, it could also be seen as careless or callous.

What was planned for those sequels – and hinted at in Lois Lane’s bedside drawer – is jaw-dropping and worth a Google.

Right now, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see them. Just expect to hear them shouted about online for years to come.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is aiming to be epic, and there’s clearly effort put in – and it's much better than both the 2017 version and its predecessor Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice – but it lacks the heart needed for impact.

It also highlights the chasm that separates DCEU films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers: Endgame delivered so much more in less time.

Online, the uberfans are happy and admittedly it’s good to see it delivered under a clear vision, but this feels like a forgettable missed opportunity. 

ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE (NC16)

SCORE: (2.5/5)