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Update: March 17, 2021
Dragonlord’s Review of ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE (Spoilers)
Bottom Line: Overlong, overstuffed and pretentious, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is more or less the same as the theatrical film despite the cringed-filled, plot hole-heavy, superficial makeover that gaslights the audience into thinking it's a masterpiece.
(Warning: Spoilers ahead. Also, I'm watching the movie as I write this, so this will feel a bit like a play by play.)
We start with the end of Batman v Superman with Superman’s death scream. Oh my God, the scream is too drawn out. Die with some dignity, Superman. His bitch scream is so loud and that it reaches the whole world which doesn't make sense since the scream would have been catastrophically destructive for it for the sound to reach all over the world. The scene would have worked better if they muted Superman's screams with the shockwaves.
That silly scene where Aquaman says Bruce is Batman within the townspeople’s earshot is still here. The villagers singing as Aquaman departs is so cringey and the thirsty villager sniffing Aquaman's clothes is just laughably creepy. Holy shit, no wonder a lot of these ended up on the cutting room floor.
Now to the London scene, the terrorists’ plan still does not make sense. How would destroying the Old Bailey courthouse and several city blocks turn the modern world back to the dark ages? And if they have a bomb that could level four city blocks, why kill themselves in the process? Why not just plant it in a car and let it explode while the terrorists live to go on and terrorize another day? These are the dumbest terrorists seen in cinema history.
Wonder Woman’s vocal new age music theme does not work and is outdated. Combined it with some slow mo and the vocal new age music and it’s just so pretentious and annoying. The bad news is you will constantly hear it throughout the movie. The London action is still good though and even more brutal. Wonder Woman’s reckless use of her ultimate move against the head terrorist Is still here. But this time they show that the explosion destroys a large portion of a wall and sends several deadly debris to the ground which could have killed a lot of people. No wonder they cut out the direct result of Diana's X move in the theatrical version which would have also spared us of Diana's cheesy dialogue with a kid.
Steppenwolf’s fight against the Amazonians, which was one of the highlights of the theatrical film, is even better in this extended version with more action and brutality. Though Hippolyta’s running wall jump action was stupid because her target was initially just within her reach and she didn’t need to do that extra Ninja Warrior acrobatics.
Steppenwolf’s new design looks way better and his movement/actions are done superbly. Unfortunately he’s still a generic villain/henchmen spouting off generic lines with even less charm than before. Wish his eyes were meaner. Right now he look kinda like a cute bulldog.
There’s a lot of scenes here that are needed for a two hour plus movie and were rightfully cut out on the editing room. We didn't really need the scenes of Dr. Ryan Choi and Iris West. They were cut in the theatrical film not because of racism but because they were unimportant which also indicates that these were just token roles that Snyder put them in.
Another pretentious slow mo music video starring Aquaman that’s absolutely pointless. What’s the deal with talking underwater? It seems they can communicate on some basic level in water but does every Atlantean have to create an air pocket just to communicate properly? The new scene of Mera using her powers to suck out Steppenwolf’s liquids was cool. Same with the theatrical version, the underwater scenes looks dreary. Thankfully director James Wan found a way to make it better in his Aquaman film.
The theatrical version made the right decision to not feature Darkseid in the ancient battle because he was utterly defeated and became a jobber in the Snyder Cut. Not a good look for the DCEU’s ultimate Big Bad and not a good move if you’re building him up for future movies. Jobber Darkseid got his ass handed to him so bad that he miraculously forgets that the one thing he is looking for in the entire univers, the Anti-Life Equation, is on Earth.
The infamous Flash deleted scene where he saves Iris West did not serve any purpose and was rightfully cut. But it did show that Snyder’s car physics is much worse than the Fast & Furious films as Iris West and her car are both sent flying through the air despite the car was just parked 30 to 40 feet away from the traffic light where she hits a truck thereby making it impossible for her to be accelerating at a high speed during impact. Oh great another Flash music video which just comes off as pretentious.
It would have been more meaningful if Batman, the world’s greatest detective, were the one who discovered the team members instead of having to rely on Lex Luthor’s research and logo marketing department.
We’re now introduced to Commissioner Gordon who received note messages many people left for him and he just threw them all in the trash without reading them. Good thing I got a scoop on what was written on them. One message was, “Jim, your mother is in her last breath. Pls come to the hospital.” Another note was, “Gordon, I know the identity of the serial killer who has killed at least 50 people.” But this last message stings the most, “I picked your number out of random. I’m horny. One night only. Come to the Marriott Hotel, room 450. Signed, Alexandra Daddario.”
There seems to be a secret villain in the Snyder Cut – truck drivers! They just killed Cyborg’s mom and almost killed Iris West. Oh and Cyborg killed her mom because of his whininess which distracted her from the road.
In the Steppenwolf battle scene beneath Gotham Harbor, Flash is better represented in the theatrical version as he saved the prisoners by carrying them one at a time. In this version, he is just cheerleading them on a flight of stairs. I was hoping Snyder would replace jobber Batman fight scene with the Parademon in here but it’s still intact. There was no point in Flash saving Diana’s sword in this version because there was no Parademon behind her like in the theatrical version.
As you know, BvS had that Save Martha moment. Well Snyder has done it again. Meet Martha Manhunter LOL. Martian Manhunter makes a pointless tacked-on cameo by pretending to Martha Kent and outright robs a tender scene between Lois and the real Martha Kent. J’onn’s deception does not make sense because sooner or later Lois will know that it was not Martha in her apartment when she finally talks to the real Martha. Shocking to say but The CW Martian Manhunter looks a bit better than the Harry Lennix version.
The theatrical version did it better by placing the Lois Lane scene at the beginning and not like in the Snyder Cut where it’s in the midway mark where it’s interrupting the flow and urgency of the story.
I like the graveyard scene where each of the characters interact and have little moments between them. I’m still undecided if it was better that there was no big philosophical debate on whether to resurrect Superman or not.
Batman’s “do you bleed?” confrontation with Superman is the better version than the Snyder Cut where Superman just heat rays Batman to submission. Batman’s back-up plan of having Lois around is better than the random luck that Lois was around in the Snyder Cut. Plus it’s a credit to Batman on having a back-up plan.
People calling Superman “Clark” in front of law enforcement. “Hey, Batman and this Lois Lane chick just called Superman ’Clark.’ By golly, that must be his real name.” I wished they would have changed this but it's still here.
Having been resurrected from the dead, Superman goes up to space and does another obligatory Zack Snyder Jesus pose.
The final battle was much better in this one, it had an epic feel to it. Gone are the dumb Russian family subplot. Flash’s heroic run at the end was very cool. The Steppenwolf action was much better choreographed in this one. But Aquaman could have just stabbed Steppenwolf while his back was turned to him at the beginning. I also did not like Supes' no-selling Steppenwolf's axe strike.
In the theatrical version, I did not like how Superman easily and singlehandedly beat up Steppenwolf but I do miss that version because it was finally what most fans have to come to expect out of Superman – charming, easygoing and affable.
We are treated to a 10-minute epilogue where Lex tells Deathstroke Batman’s secret identity of Bruce Wayne and we see the post-apocalyptic Knightmare future in which Superman turns evil and works for Darkseid. Future Batman has assembled his ragtag crew to enact his plan to undo everything that has happened. His team is composed of Cyborg, Flash, Mera, Deathstroke and Jared Leto’s Joker. If you want to read the complete plot outline for Justice League 2 and 3, click HERE. The proposed sequels are good Elseworld movies but a bad DCEU movie with a silly love triangle and a “Save Martha” moment. Ah hell, I'll just spoil it: Bruce Wayne impregnates Lois Lane. Lois tells Bruce he is not the father. When Darkseid attacks Lois, Bruce is too dumbstruck to move immediately. Cut to the post-apocalyptic future, future Bruce tells Flash to tell modern Bruce that Lois lied. Flash delivers message to modern Bruce. When Darkseid attacks, Bruce somehow finds the extra motivation to act and saves Lois which causes a chain reaction to Darkseid's defeat. *slow claps*
IN SUMMARY: Incredulously, the Snyder Cut kinda made me appreciate how the theatrical version trimmed a lot of the useless fat to make a reasonable 2-hour movie. I can now clearly see where they improved some things with the changes and how some of the new cringey scenes did not work in the theatrical version. Using with what they had, the theatrical film could have benefited with an additional 15 to 20 minutes to its 120 minutes run time to flesh out the characters, especially Cyborg. Snyder’s two biggest strength are the graphics because everything in the Snyder Cut looked so crisp and gorgeous like they came out of a painting (albeit a darkly lit painting) and the other one is the action scenes which is better staged and better paced.
I could compare the two versions and see why changes had to be made in the theatrical version because there were some considerable awful ideas for the Snyder Cut that were left out. Snyder shot this movie knowing full well that he had enough footage for a 3-hour plus movie and that he would be eventually forced by the studio to trim it down to 2 to 2.5 hours. Snyder probably thought that he will just put the rest in a Director’s Cut for blu-ray like what he did with Watchmen and BvS. I don’t really give him props for having a four-hour movie because it takes more skill to tell a story within the acceptable norm 2-hour plus running time. It’s similar to not giving credit to a 245-pound heavyweight fighter competing in the 170-pound welterweight division. And after all that extra advantages, that heavyweight fighter barely won a decision. Both the theatrical film and Snyder Cut were not that great because underneath it all the story was not that good in the first place. As I said in 2017, there’s a better JL origin script out there. This should have been like smash hit like The Avengers (2012) where majority was raving about it after watching it.
Dissecting the first 15 minutes of the theatrical film and Snyder Cut, there are some very interesting differences.
In the theatrical film’s first 15 minutes:
1.) A lighthearted moment with Superman (with bad CGI lips and creepy cheeks).
2.) A goofy Tim Burton-style Batman rooftop action scene that forecasts the invasion.
3.) An opening song montage that covers the aftermath of Superman’s death with scenes of the world mourning his loss, Lois Lane coping, Martha Kent leaving the farm due to bank foreclosure and the climate on the rest of the world.
4.) Wonder Woman battling terrorists in London.
5.) Bruce Wayne meeting Aquaman.
Even though some scenes in the theatrical film do not work, that’s a pretty good use of 15 minutes to move the plot forward.
Now, let’s take a look at Snyder Cut’s first 15 minutes:
1.) Superman’s death bitch scream which is too drawn out.
2.) Another drawn out scene of Bruce Wayne of trekking through the mountains and eventually meeting Aquaman in the village. Bonus laughable scene of women singing and one thirsty villager sniffing Aquaman’s clothes.
3.) Martha Kent leaving the farm due to bank foreclosure.
I could probably go on and do a whole essay on this but my point is the theatrical film had a lot of problems but what Snyder Cut offered wasn’t anything astoundingly better either. Sure the action is better and there are some improved character developments but there’s a lot of bad stuff too. The theatrical film also did a few things right with their alterations. I wished I could forget I saw the theatrical film and just enjoy the Snyder Cut but I unfortunately can’t and was expecting something better.
Going forward, I hope Warner Bros. holds steadfast and do not proceed with Zack Snyder’s Justice League plans. Batman v Superman should have been enough warning that he is not a good fit for the DCEU. He is brilliant visual filmmaker but his edgelord style will just twist the beloved characters and classic comic book stories to something negative. WB, how can you build something up when one of your key filmmakers is gleefully intent on tearing it apart. But this is WB we are talking about, this studio has made a lot of boneheaded decisions for many years now. So anything is possible.
Let me say one last thing about why Snyder and WB failed in building their DC movie universe (aside from the common reasons of lack of leadership, greediness and rushing to catch up with MCU) is that Snyder has become a hack when it comes to comic book movies after making Watchmen and seems to be in a one-track mind to try to deconstruct everything in his superhero movies. Deconstruction stories are fine and good (some of the great DC and Marvel comic book stories out there are Elseworld or alternate future stories) but you have to establish something mainstream first before trying to pull them apart. And that’s why majority of the audience consciously and unconsciously reject Snyder’s movies. Snyder is just 10-15 years too early for the DCEU.
RATING: 6.5/10
Dragonlord’s Review of ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE (Spoilers)
Bottom Line: Overlong, overstuffed and pretentious, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is more or less the same as the theatrical film despite the cringed-filled, plot hole-heavy, superficial makeover that gaslights the audience into thinking it's a masterpiece.
(Warning: Spoilers ahead. Also, I'm watching the movie as I write this, so this will feel a bit like a play by play.)
We start with the end of Batman v Superman with Superman’s death scream. Oh my God, the scream is too drawn out. Die with some dignity, Superman. His bitch scream is so loud and that it reaches the whole world which doesn't make sense since the scream would have been catastrophically destructive for it for the sound to reach all over the world. The scene would have worked better if they muted Superman's screams with the shockwaves.
That silly scene where Aquaman says Bruce is Batman within the townspeople’s earshot is still here. The villagers singing as Aquaman departs is so cringey and the thirsty villager sniffing Aquaman's clothes is just laughably creepy. Holy shit, no wonder a lot of these ended up on the cutting room floor.
Now to the London scene, the terrorists’ plan still does not make sense. How would destroying the Old Bailey courthouse and several city blocks turn the modern world back to the dark ages? And if they have a bomb that could level four city blocks, why kill themselves in the process? Why not just plant it in a car and let it explode while the terrorists live to go on and terrorize another day? These are the dumbest terrorists seen in cinema history.
Wonder Woman’s vocal new age music theme does not work and is outdated. Combined it with some slow mo and the vocal new age music and it’s just so pretentious and annoying. The bad news is you will constantly hear it throughout the movie. The London action is still good though and even more brutal. Wonder Woman’s reckless use of her ultimate move against the head terrorist Is still here. But this time they show that the explosion destroys a large portion of a wall and sends several deadly debris to the ground which could have killed a lot of people. No wonder they cut out the direct result of Diana's X move in the theatrical version which would have also spared us of Diana's cheesy dialogue with a kid.
Steppenwolf’s fight against the Amazonians, which was one of the highlights of the theatrical film, is even better in this extended version with more action and brutality. Though Hippolyta’s running wall jump action was stupid because her target was initially just within her reach and she didn’t need to do that extra Ninja Warrior acrobatics.
Steppenwolf’s new design looks way better and his movement/actions are done superbly. Unfortunately he’s still a generic villain/henchmen spouting off generic lines with even less charm than before. Wish his eyes were meaner. Right now he look kinda like a cute bulldog.
There’s a lot of scenes here that are needed for a two hour plus movie and were rightfully cut out on the editing room. We didn't really need the scenes of Dr. Ryan Choi and Iris West. They were cut in the theatrical film not because of racism but because they were unimportant which also indicates that these were just token roles that Snyder put them in.
Another pretentious slow mo music video starring Aquaman that’s absolutely pointless. What’s the deal with talking underwater? It seems they can communicate on some basic level in water but does every Atlantean have to create an air pocket just to communicate properly? The new scene of Mera using her powers to suck out Steppenwolf’s liquids was cool. Same with the theatrical version, the underwater scenes looks dreary. Thankfully director James Wan found a way to make it better in his Aquaman film.
The theatrical version made the right decision to not feature Darkseid in the ancient battle because he was utterly defeated and became a jobber in the Snyder Cut. Not a good look for the DCEU’s ultimate Big Bad and not a good move if you’re building him up for future movies. Jobber Darkseid got his ass handed to him so bad that he miraculously forgets that the one thing he is looking for in the entire univers, the Anti-Life Equation, is on Earth.
The infamous Flash deleted scene where he saves Iris West did not serve any purpose and was rightfully cut. But it did show that Snyder’s car physics is much worse than the Fast & Furious films as Iris West and her car are both sent flying through the air despite the car was just parked 30 to 40 feet away from the traffic light where she hits a truck thereby making it impossible for her to be accelerating at a high speed during impact. Oh great another Flash music video which just comes off as pretentious.
It would have been more meaningful if Batman, the world’s greatest detective, were the one who discovered the team members instead of having to rely on Lex Luthor’s research and logo marketing department.
We’re now introduced to Commissioner Gordon who received note messages many people left for him and he just threw them all in the trash without reading them. Good thing I got a scoop on what was written on them. One message was, “Jim, your mother is in her last breath. Pls come to the hospital.” Another note was, “Gordon, I know the identity of the serial killer who has killed at least 50 people.” But this last message stings the most, “I picked your number out of random. I’m horny. One night only. Come to the Marriott Hotel, room 450. Signed, Alexandra Daddario.”
There seems to be a secret villain in the Snyder Cut – truck drivers! They just killed Cyborg’s mom and almost killed Iris West. Oh and Cyborg killed her mom because of his whininess which distracted her from the road.
In the Steppenwolf battle scene beneath Gotham Harbor, Flash is better represented in the theatrical version as he saved the prisoners by carrying them one at a time. In this version, he is just cheerleading them on a flight of stairs. I was hoping Snyder would replace jobber Batman fight scene with the Parademon in here but it’s still intact. There was no point in Flash saving Diana’s sword in this version because there was no Parademon behind her like in the theatrical version.
As you know, BvS had that Save Martha moment. Well Snyder has done it again. Meet Martha Manhunter LOL. Martian Manhunter makes a pointless tacked-on cameo by pretending to Martha Kent and outright robs a tender scene between Lois and the real Martha Kent. J’onn’s deception does not make sense because sooner or later Lois will know that it was not Martha in her apartment when she finally talks to the real Martha. Shocking to say but The CW Martian Manhunter looks a bit better than the Harry Lennix version.
The theatrical version did it better by placing the Lois Lane scene at the beginning and not like in the Snyder Cut where it’s in the midway mark where it’s interrupting the flow and urgency of the story.
I like the graveyard scene where each of the characters interact and have little moments between them. I’m still undecided if it was better that there was no big philosophical debate on whether to resurrect Superman or not.
Batman’s “do you bleed?” confrontation with Superman is the better version than the Snyder Cut where Superman just heat rays Batman to submission. Batman’s back-up plan of having Lois around is better than the random luck that Lois was around in the Snyder Cut. Plus it’s a credit to Batman on having a back-up plan.
People calling Superman “Clark” in front of law enforcement. “Hey, Batman and this Lois Lane chick just called Superman ’Clark.’ By golly, that must be his real name.” I wished they would have changed this but it's still here.
Having been resurrected from the dead, Superman goes up to space and does another obligatory Zack Snyder Jesus pose.
The final battle was much better in this one, it had an epic feel to it. Gone are the dumb Russian family subplot. Flash’s heroic run at the end was very cool. The Steppenwolf action was much better choreographed in this one. But Aquaman could have just stabbed Steppenwolf while his back was turned to him at the beginning. I also did not like Supes' no-selling Steppenwolf's axe strike.
In the theatrical version, I did not like how Superman easily and singlehandedly beat up Steppenwolf but I do miss that version because it was finally what most fans have to come to expect out of Superman – charming, easygoing and affable.
We are treated to a 10-minute epilogue where Lex tells Deathstroke Batman’s secret identity of Bruce Wayne and we see the post-apocalyptic Knightmare future in which Superman turns evil and works for Darkseid. Future Batman has assembled his ragtag crew to enact his plan to undo everything that has happened. His team is composed of Cyborg, Flash, Mera, Deathstroke and Jared Leto’s Joker. If you want to read the complete plot outline for Justice League 2 and 3, click HERE. The proposed sequels are good Elseworld movies but a bad DCEU movie with a silly love triangle and a “Save Martha” moment. Ah hell, I'll just spoil it: Bruce Wayne impregnates Lois Lane. Lois tells Bruce he is not the father. When Darkseid attacks Lois, Bruce is too dumbstruck to move immediately. Cut to the post-apocalyptic future, future Bruce tells Flash to tell modern Bruce that Lois lied. Flash delivers message to modern Bruce. When Darkseid attacks, Bruce somehow finds the extra motivation to act and saves Lois which causes a chain reaction to Darkseid's defeat. *slow claps*
IN SUMMARY: Incredulously, the Snyder Cut kinda made me appreciate how the theatrical version trimmed a lot of the useless fat to make a reasonable 2-hour movie. I can now clearly see where they improved some things with the changes and how some of the new cringey scenes did not work in the theatrical version. Using with what they had, the theatrical film could have benefited with an additional 15 to 20 minutes to its 120 minutes run time to flesh out the characters, especially Cyborg. Snyder’s two biggest strength are the graphics because everything in the Snyder Cut looked so crisp and gorgeous like they came out of a painting (albeit a darkly lit painting) and the other one is the action scenes which is better staged and better paced.
I could compare the two versions and see why changes had to be made in the theatrical version because there were some considerable awful ideas for the Snyder Cut that were left out. Snyder shot this movie knowing full well that he had enough footage for a 3-hour plus movie and that he would be eventually forced by the studio to trim it down to 2 to 2.5 hours. Snyder probably thought that he will just put the rest in a Director’s Cut for blu-ray like what he did with Watchmen and BvS. I don’t really give him props for having a four-hour movie because it takes more skill to tell a story within the acceptable norm 2-hour plus running time. It’s similar to not giving credit to a 245-pound heavyweight fighter competing in the 170-pound welterweight division. And after all that extra advantages, that heavyweight fighter barely won a decision. Both the theatrical film and Snyder Cut were not that great because underneath it all the story was not that good in the first place. As I said in 2017, there’s a better JL origin script out there. This should have been like smash hit like The Avengers (2012) where majority was raving about it after watching it.
Dissecting the first 15 minutes of the theatrical film and Snyder Cut, there are some very interesting differences.
In the theatrical film’s first 15 minutes:
1.) A lighthearted moment with Superman (with bad CGI lips and creepy cheeks).
2.) A goofy Tim Burton-style Batman rooftop action scene that forecasts the invasion.
3.) An opening song montage that covers the aftermath of Superman’s death with scenes of the world mourning his loss, Lois Lane coping, Martha Kent leaving the farm due to bank foreclosure and the climate on the rest of the world.
4.) Wonder Woman battling terrorists in London.
5.) Bruce Wayne meeting Aquaman.
Even though some scenes in the theatrical film do not work, that’s a pretty good use of 15 minutes to move the plot forward.
Now, let’s take a look at Snyder Cut’s first 15 minutes:
1.) Superman’s death bitch scream which is too drawn out.
2.) Another drawn out scene of Bruce Wayne of trekking through the mountains and eventually meeting Aquaman in the village. Bonus laughable scene of women singing and one thirsty villager sniffing Aquaman’s clothes.
3.) Martha Kent leaving the farm due to bank foreclosure.
I could probably go on and do a whole essay on this but my point is the theatrical film had a lot of problems but what Snyder Cut offered wasn’t anything astoundingly better either. Sure the action is better and there are some improved character developments but there’s a lot of bad stuff too. The theatrical film also did a few things right with their alterations. I wished I could forget I saw the theatrical film and just enjoy the Snyder Cut but I unfortunately can’t and was expecting something better.
Going forward, I hope Warner Bros. holds steadfast and do not proceed with Zack Snyder’s Justice League plans. Batman v Superman should have been enough warning that he is not a good fit for the DCEU. He is brilliant visual filmmaker but his edgelord style will just twist the beloved characters and classic comic book stories to something negative. WB, how can you build something up when one of your key filmmakers is gleefully intent on tearing it apart. But this is WB we are talking about, this studio has made a lot of boneheaded decisions for many years now. So anything is possible.
Let me say one last thing about why Snyder and WB failed in building their DC movie universe (aside from the common reasons of lack of leadership, greediness and rushing to catch up with MCU) is that Snyder has become a hack when it comes to comic book movies after making Watchmen and seems to be in a one-track mind to try to deconstruct everything in his superhero movies. Deconstruction stories are fine and good (some of the great DC and Marvel comic book stories out there are Elseworld or alternate future stories) but you have to establish something mainstream first before trying to pull them apart. And that’s why majority of the audience consciously and unconsciously reject Snyder’s movies. Snyder is just 10-15 years too early for the DCEU.
RATING: 6.5/10
