My Thoughts from Zack Snyder's Justice League

Poster Description: The poster is black and white, with “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” written at the top in white. The JL symbol is surrounded by a square with a star-shaped gap between the letters. Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Batman, and Cyborg stand side by side.

It’s safe to say Justice League was a terrible film; upon its release in 2017, disappointed fans did what they did best (or worst), rallying on social media. An online petition started, demanding #ReleaseTheSnyderCut; in other words, a darker and (hopefully) better version of the film. The petition drew nearly 180,000 that same year, and the hashtag would persistently resurface with each Warner Bros. premiere. It was easy to believe such a film did not exist, however.

Then in 2019, Zack Snyder posted some photos online, sparking up fan frenzy. Most notably, there was a still of Henry Cavill in his Superman suit and a black and white image of Superman’s apparent resurrection with the teaser, “HE HAS YET TO RISE.” As if that wasn’t enough, Ben Affleck (formerly Batman) and Gal Gadot chipped in, tweeting the infamous #ReleaseTheSnyderCut in support. Jason Momoa would even later reveal he had seen the cut himself, profoundly calling it “ssssiiicccckkkkkk.” Still, Warner Bros. insisted The Snyder Cut would never happen.

Then the pandemic hit. With Hollywood productions and theatres shutting down, the whole industry was in limbo. Streaming services like Disney+ and HBO Max were alternatives at the literal expense of families worldwide, but the Snyder Cut, at long last, would get its release.

I eventually watched it via Sky Cinema and knew I had to write about it. While it was far superior to Justice League (heck, anything is), it wasn’t perfect. Rather than review the whole four hours at once, I shall split my thoughts about The Snyder Cut into its seven parts, including the epilogue.

(Oh, man, the epilogue.)

So, we shall begin with part 1; as a quick warning, there will be spoilers!

The Director: Zack Snyder

The Cast:

Henry Cavill – Clark Kent/Superman

Ben Affleck – Bruce Wayne/Batman

Gal Gadot – Diana Prince/Wonder Woman

Jason Momoa – Arthur Curry/Aquaman

Ezra Miller – Barry Allen/The Flash

Ray Fisher – Victor Stone/Cyborg

Ciarán Hinds – Steppenwolf

Amy Adams – Lois Lane

Connie Nielson – Queen Hippolyta

David Thewlis - Ares

Willem Dafoe – Vulko

Jesse Eisenberg – Lex Luthor

Amber Heard - Mera

Jeremy Irons – Alfred

Diane Lane – Martha Kent

Joe Morton – Silas Stone

Peter Guinness – DeSaad

Ray Porter – Darkseid

Kiersey Clemons – Iris West

Billy Crudup – Barry’s dad

J.K Simmonds – Commissioner Gordon

Certificate: 15

Released to Sky cinema: 18^th March 2021

PART 1: “Don’t count on it, Batman.”

1) Superman’s death roar

Image Description: It’s gloomy and dark. Superman’s head is thrown back, revealing an agonised expression. Red lightning explodes around his head, and green light bursts at the bottom of the image, so it’s hard to see what’s going on, but it can’t be good. A crater of rubble surrounds him.

The film begins in ultra-slow motion, recapping the moment of Superman’s death in Batman VS Superman. With a Kryptonian spear through his chest, Kal-El lets loose a cry that reverberates in waves throughout the world. It’s bleak, it’s reminded me of The Wrath of Kahn, but it’s mostly Snyder’s great way of reminding us of whose film it is. Unfortunately, the opener also reminds us that Jesse Eisenberg plays Lex Luther in this universe, though he stays mercifully silent.

While I enjoyed the camera-phone footage of Justice League, Cavill’s CGI’d top lip will haunt me till the end of my days, so we’re already onto a promising start with this new beginning.

2) Yup, the Themiscyran armour still infuriates me.

If there was one thing I really wanted to change from Justice League, it was the armour worn by Themiscyran warriors. I already expressed my disgust in my review, but alas, it remains the same in Snyder’s cut. In keeping with his style, the film now has a dark, brooding tint to it, so the temple where the Mother Box lives looks not unlike something out of Tarsem Singh’s Immortals film.

3) Arthur Curry’s fan club?

We follow Bruce Wayne to an Icelandic fishing village, where a strange man (with fabulous hair) hides out. Of course, this is Arthur Curry; rather than help save the world, he prefers to drink whiskey and rescue unwitting fishermen from the tempestuous sea. Needless to say, Arthur turns down Bruce’s invitation to join his gang and swims away.

Then the women of the village start to sing, faring him well. The song is called Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu and is a traditional lullaby. One such verse goes like this:

A long time ago I saw him,

He was truly beautiful,

All that could adorn one man,

Most of the people carried him.

It's particularly poignant as one of the women picks up Arthur’s discarded jumper and…sniffs it. While the singing might suggest the amount of time Curry has been hiding, it doesn't explain the story behind that tender gesture.


GIF Description: It’s snowing on a mountainous piece of land. Villagers dressed in thick clothing linger in the background as a blonde-haired woman brings a brown jumper to her nose.

4) Welcome back, Junkie XL.

Snyder reinstated composer Tom Holkenborg (a.k.a. Junkie XL) to score his version after Joss Whedon swapped him for Danny Elfman. While I missed the nostalgic nod to The Batman soundtrack and the occasional unexpected pop track, this version has a richer feel to its score. In addition, songs by Nick Caves and the Bad Seeds fit into the melancholic atmosphere perfectly.

5) Steppenwolf looks…better?

Image Description: (On the right) Steppenwolf as we knew him in the theatrical version of Justice League. He wears dark armour and a helmet that looks like bunches on both sides of his human head. (On the left) In the Snyder Cut, Steppenwolf has a prominent chin and snub nose. His armour is silver, covered in spikes like a barbed reptile.

The film’s bad guy, Steppenwolf, was painfully generic in Justice League, seeking the Mother Boxes for world domination. He now has a shiny upgrade and a back-story that hints at something more interesting. It’s a shame the battle in Themiscyra still seems bogged down by awful CGI.

So...what's the verdict?

Of course, it's too early to say. Despite a few aesthetic changes and less focus on the para-demons, the version is still reasonably familiar thus far. However, the second part offers a whole lot more, so look out for my next update soon!

My Sources:

Zack Snyder’s Justice League poster - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12361974/

The story of #ReleaseTheSnyderCut (2019) - https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/11/19/20970509/justice-league-release-snyder-cut

#ReleaseTheSnyderCut cont. (2021) - https://www.theringer.com/movies/2021/3/10/22322120/snyder-cut-justice-league-explained-origin-history-warner-bros

Image: Death of Superman - https://screenrant.com/justice-league-snyder-cut-trailer-superman-death-scene/

Did Zack Snyder direct Immortals? - https://gizmodo.com/tarsem-singhs-immortals-is-the-lovechild-of-zack-snyder-5788344

The name of the Icelandic song and its English translation - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%ADsur_Vatnsenda-R%C3%B3su

GIF: Village woman sniffs Arthur Curry’s jumper - https://www.quora.com/Why-was-the-point-of-the-Icelandic-girls-singing-to-Aquaman-in-the-Snyder-Cut-of-Justice-League

Image: Steppenwolf then and now - https://www.buzzfeed.com/evelinamedina/snyder-cut-justice-league-differences-hbo-max-joss-whedon

How the Snyder Cut differs from Justice League - https://www.vulture.com/2021/03/snyder-cut-how-does-it-differ-from-justice-league.html