Film Review: ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ is a cut above and one of the best superhero films ever made

In what can only be described as a stunning turn of events, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is one of the best superhero films ever made. While it is certainly not a shock that Snyder’s vision for Justice League was damn near incredible, what’s baffling is how a movie studio would be fine with someone (Joss Whedon) butchering the material they had and decimating the film’s tone. Whedon’s final product was nothing but an attempt at pandering to what they felt audiences wanted.

Snyder’s film is a fully realized vision with heart, outstanding action sequences, and a narrative which shows growth in each of the main characters. The best thing that Warner Bros could do for Snyder is to take his name off of the theatrical Justice League and allow this film to his legacy in the DC universe. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a film that DC fans will truly treasure while Whedon’s version of the film is trash.

There were so many wrongs committed when the theatrical version of Justice League was released but none more egregious than those done to Ray Fisher. Fisher’s Cyborg character was essentially nonexistent in the theatrical version of the film which made when he did show up on screen all the odder. In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, not only do we get to see Victor Stone in all his glory, but it also becomes evident just how important Fisher’s character was to the film. The scene from the trailer where we see him playing in a football game is in Snyder’s cut. It is important because we finally see why Victor is so bitter towards his father. The scene gives us insight into why his father saved Victor even though he should have died like his mother did in the car accident.

Victor’s hate towards his father and his Dr. Stone’s guilt all stem from being an absent father. Seeing both the football scenes and how feverishly paced his dad was to try and save his son speaks to the biggest theme in Snyder’s film which is grief and how we respond to it. Diana is still dealing with the grief of losing the love of her life. Arthur still mourns his mother’s death. Barry feels that his father is loss forever to the prison system.

Bruce is dealing with the guilt of Superman’s death and still has not come to terms with his parent’s death. We can even throw Lois and Martha Kent into the mix as well. Each realizes in one way or another how handling the darkest times alone is foolish. There is not always going to be someone like a Superman to save you, sometimes you must save yourself by asking for help. This message is the heart of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

Snyder also restores the proper sequencing to the film. There are times during the theatrical version of Justice League where baffling transitions caused the audience to checkout. Why would we go from an emotional scene with Barry in the prison with his dad to him goofing on one of the guards on the way out. Can anyone explain how we went from intense fight sequence to the Flash falling on Wonder Woman in what was meant to be a provocative manner? Why would completely just cut the backstory of one of your leads?

Whedon constantly kept making choices that were the equivalent of trying to put a square peg into a round hole. Instead of just cutting the film in the manner they did, they should have kept those moments which showed some of the angst they had resurrecting Superman. It humanized these larger-than-life characters. Even though they all acknowledged that Superman was needed to defeat Darkseid and Steppenwolf, it is a tough decision to make.

Steppenwolf and Darkseid look much better than they did in the original theatrical release. The attention to detail in their design was outstanding. Whedon’s version made Steppenwolf looks as if he were an afterthought. It does seem that most of the new content is towards the end of the film in which Bruce Wayne is having a nightmare that the world is burning and somehow he’s to blame. He’s seemingly assembled a team to help stop this but it’s made of some rather interesting individuals.

While there’s going to be much debate both leading up to and after the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, no one can deny the chasm in quality between Snyder and Whedon’s vision. This version of DC’s mightiest heroes honors their origins and the artists who created these characters years ago. A film for the fans brought on by fans. No one could have predicted we would get to this moment, but the studio could have been avoided it all had they delayed Justice League allowing Zack the time he needed to grieve. That’s in the past now. After Friday, it wouldn’t be shocking to see legions of Snyder Cut fans calling for Warner Brothers to have Zack head up Justice League 2. They’d be wise to listen.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League begins streaming Thursday, March 18 exclusively on HBO Max.

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Dewey Singleton

I'm a member of Critics Choice, Hollywood Critics Association, and The Society of Professional Journalists. I am also on Rotten Tomatoes. My bylines include @awardswatch, @deweysmovies, @awardsradar, @weliveentertainment, @bleedingcool, and @insessionfilm. I am married to @sgitw and have two sons.

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