“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” FIlm Review

By Quinn Marcus

Okay, wow, this is a big one (that’s what she said). This should be considered an achievement, I got through four hours of Zack Snyder’s CGI-filled nonsense, and emerged…awake! I had an absolute blast with this film, it truly surprised me on a number of levels, and was infinitely better than Whedon’s 2017 shit-storm that shouldn’t be considered a film. Of course, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has plenty of issues, I didn’t expect it to be absolute perfection, some holy creation that no eye has ever laid their eyes upon. I wasn’t expecting much from this film, however, I was freaking hyped for this movie. I wanted explosions, boom, boom, blockbuster tropes, BS character motivations, AND MORE EXPLOSIONS! In short, I just wanted a big, badass superhero flick that was entertaining if a little dumb at points. I almost forgot about WW84 while watching this film, it was almost like Snyder wanted you to forget it, in terms of quality and story. And yes, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is bigger, badasser-er (is that a word?), and a tad dumb at times, but in the end, it was so much more than just another blockbuster. My dad was even “mildly impressed” with this movie, and for him, that’s pretty high praise.

I remember watching Whedon’s cataclysmic failure back in the winter of 2017. Oh, those were the days, the two-dollar tv-special looking VFX were truly top-notch stuff. Steppenwolf looking as if Voldemort fell down the stairs, and the hospital, y’know, did their best was something to behold! Whedon’s unconventional masterpiece was not only audacious, but brilliant, highly enjoyable, experimental, and supremely acted! THANK GOD for fans, that’s all I can say. Without them, the DCEU might have dug a hole too deep to get themselves out of, but with the help of a bunch of Snyder fanboys, Zack Snyder got to make his cut in dedication to his daughter, Autumn. I hadn’t heard about the tragedy that befell Snyder’s family until very recently, and I gotta say, I began rooting for Zack Snyder’s vision like I never thought I would. Not because I thought it was going to be Snyder’s magnum opus, but because I loved the idea that fans can come together to get an entire movie made, that’s what made me appreciate The Snyder Cut so much. We saw signs of it when the VFX artists of Sonic the Hedgehog heard our cries to make Sonic look less demonic, and they fixed him. But we’re talking about a four-hour superhero film now, this is big stuff, and I adore the thought that mainstream directors can now release their full visions without studio supervision. Seriously, imagine what would happen if a director like Christopher Nolan started doing this. In a way, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a milestone for filmmaking, even it it’s not perfect.

I’ve seen three of Snyder’s other film’s, including that creepy owl flick, and his previous DCEU films, they’ve all been consistently…meh, but I’m happy to report that Zack Snyder’s Justice League is not only the DCEUs best film but Snyder’s as well (at least from the ones I’ve seen). This is the focused, fast-paced, visually satisfying version we should’ve gotten back in 2017. So without further ado, let’s get my flaw’s out of the way. Themyscira has always fascinated me since the release of Wonder Woman, those scenes made for some of the best action sequences of the film. However, ever since WW84 was released, I’ve lost respect for the invisible island. It just became cheesy, ridiculous, and at times even hilariously bad. Zack Snyder’s Justice League’s Amazonian scenes were so poorly executed, and not to mention rendered terribly. Also, every time one of the Amazonian characters was on screen, this operatic music would play, there were quite a few song choices that felt out of place in the film. During moments that should have had a bigger impact, a random song would just start playing out of the blue, and it just didn’t resonate with me.

The CGI was a huge improvement over the 2017 version, but there were a few shots that stuck out like a sore thumb. I do recognize the fact that much of this film was done under reshoots, and therefore it must’ve been harder to make, but the CGI was a little iffy at times. That brings me to another issue I have, everything looked a little too fake, nothing felt natural, there is so much CGI in this movie, and there were rare moments when I thought a set looked real. The villains look awesome and have been given actual characters, but their motivations were still a little vague. I never felt the stakes because I had no clue what the bad guys were trying to accomplish besides conquering a planet. It was generic, obvious, and took some of the excitement out of an otherwise entertaining film. That’s what the MCU get’s right with their villains, we know exactly what our heroes are fighting for, but at least understand why the villains are doing what they’re doing.

The screenplay was, in many ways, better than the 2017 version, but it was just as full of pointless exposition as before. The characters are given compelling arcs, but the story was fun, if very messy. The massive length of 4hrs and 2mins went pretty fast if I’m being honest, but we still had to take plenty of breaks. I can see a cut of this film or even a mini-series that’s at least 30mins shorter than what we got. There are quite a few scenes, particularly Amy Adams’ scenes that the film didn’t need. My final flaw with the film is the ending, or “epilogue” if you will. After the huge final battle, we’re given an epilogue (don’t worry, no spoilers), and all I could think of while watching the finale was ‘damn, this has more endings than The Lord of the Rings.’ Seriously, this film did not know how to end, it was simply a collection of really good-looking scenes that potentially set up a future sequel, but there wasn’t a clear, satisfying conclusion in place.

Alright, time to get to the good stuff. Characterization, a concept that Joss Whedon kind of forgot about when he got the job, and the best thing about the four-hour runtime is that we get to know our heroes better. Especially Cyborg who quickly became my favorite character in the film, his origin story was human and stirred up some surprising emotions. The Flash has jokes that aren’t cringe-worthy, and his chemistry with Batman was amazing. Wonder Woman has restored her badassery, and Aquaman is actually cool. The dynamic between these characters was done brilliantly, I felt as if they were a team, that they cared about each other, something that the 2017 version got wrong. Secondly, the visuals were, for the most part, absolutely gorgeous. The aspect ratio took me by surprise at first, but I immediately got absorbed into it even more as some stunning shots graced the screen. The slow-mo was kind of weird, but it made for some really dope stills. Tom Holkenborg (Mad Max Fury Road), a.k.a. the man, the legend, JUNKIE XL, a.k.a. the next Hans Zimmer’s score was electrifying, besides some strange song choices, I couldn’t help but tap my foot to the hopeful soundtrack the film provides. The cast was also excellent. Gal Gadot still disappointed me, but she was mostly given action, so it was okay. Affleck and Miller’s humor was perfectly timed, Momoa was good as always, but the real star was Ray Fisher (Cyborg) who gave the best performance of the film.

SPOILER WARNING

Okay, I didn’t want to include spoilers in this review, but I fear that I must because there are a few things I want to discuss. So, if you haven’t seen the film, I suggest you skip to the final verdict towards the bottom. So Martian Manhunter, huh? I don’t know what I feel about this new character addition. I know fans are going to lose their minds, but I was just like ‘yay, I guess,’ but then dismissed it. It was a solid cameo, and he looks great by the way, but I felt like he was kind of just there for the sake of fan service. He didn’t do anything in the film besides have a frighteningly heartfelt conversation as Superman’s mom with Lois Lane. And then there’s Jared Leto’s Joker who appears in the epilogue. I thought he did a good job having his own, specific performance, he didn’t feel like a carbon-copy of Ledger or Phoenix, and no, he does not say “we live in a society” to my disappointment. We have another epic Nightmare sequence in the epilogue as well, and I gotta say, if the DCEU goes full dystopian, I’m f—ing in! Batman’s nightmare suit is so cool! (that’s not the only reason…okay, maybe it is). Black suit Superman isn’t a spoiler because he’s in the trailer, but I just wanted to say bravo to the costume designers, he looks incredible. His flight scene once again gave me goosebumps, and just hearing his theme was enough to make me feel something. Henry Cavill does a decent job with what he’s given, but in the end, he’s just there to destroy some monsters, and that’s all I needed to see. Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor comes back for a scene, so that’s nice, I guess. I don’t know, I never really was a fan of that character.

END OF SPOILERS

The final verdict is…Zack Snyder’s Justice League is an immersive, well-constructed tribute to Snyder’s committed fan base. This movie was made for us, but most importantly, it was made “for Autumn.”