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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. |
You can read my thoughts on Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 here.
PART 4: Change Machine
Good news! We have Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash in the League. The bad news? We don’t know where Aquaman is, Cyborg remains on the fence, and Steppenwolf and his horde of para-demons are hunting down anyone who ever came in contact with the Mother Boxes. Also, Steppenwolf now knows he’s in the right place for the Anti-Life Equation.
Yeah, I’m still not sold on that title either, but never mind…
1) Cyborg joins the fight.
The Justice League meets with Commissioner Gordon (a suitably toupee’d J.K Simmonds), heralded by the bat signal. The scene is pretty much the same as Justice League, but this time, the vibe feels a lot more hopeful, and Cyborg’s appearance isn’t entirely out of the blue (or, in this case, black). Also, the look on Diana’s face is one of such relief that Cyborg listened to her.
2) The one line from Justice League I actually liked…
The League take the long journey into the sewers to find Steppenwolf; Barry no longer has a phobia of bugs, but the battles play out the same way.
As Diana takes on the bad guy, it's clear that Steppenwolf enjoys this new challenge.
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Image Description: (Above) There are screenshots of Steppenwolf and Wonder Woman from Justice League. The captions are “This one is mine” and “You overestimate yourself.” (Below) It’s a similar layout from the Snyder Cut with Steppenwolf mouthing, “This one will be mine,” and a close-up of Diana saying, “I belong to no one.” |
“This one is mine,” Steppenwolf said in Justice League, to which Diana replied:
“You overestimate yourself.”
It was confident, even sneering at Steppenwolf’s arrogance. However, Snyder decided to change it to this:
“I belong to no one.”
I groaned when I heard this on first viewing. The line has been used, or insinuated, by almost all “feminist” female sci-fi/fantasy character for years. Now, it feels empty of meaning, even coming from Wonder Woman.
3) The mightiest boop!
While Snyder’s style leans heavily on slow-motion at times, it is never more necessary during fighting scenes. Wonder Woman and Steppenwolf continue to battle, and it is The Flash who comes to her aid when she most requires it.
As her sword flies from her grasp, Diana launches off the edge of a precipice to grab it. Unfortunately, the weapon is just out of her reach, but luckily, Barry is (literally) running around to lend a hand – or a finger! Prodding the sword closer to Diana’s hand, somehow without losing his fingertip, he smiles in triumph…only to get his foot caught and fall arse-over-head. Well done, Barry.
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Image Description: Lightning flashes on both sides of the frame as Barry reaches up to zap the tip of Wonder Woman’s sword, which pokes out of the left side of the picture opposite him. |
4) The Mother Box’s backstory.
When we last saw the third Mother Box, Cyborg carried on the terrible human tradition of burying it in a hole in the ground. We didn’t know how his father, Dr. Stone, had acquired it, but it likely involved a shovel. Right?
Well, yes, but Silas didn’t get his hands dirty. It turns out, Nazis covet mysterious cubes in the DC universe, too (though this one is neither glowing nor blue). I’m not sure if that is grossly uninspiring or an accurate guesstimate of Hitler’s Christmas list; either way, Cyborg is very helpful here. Like a tour guide in a high-school jacket, Fisher gives another sobering performance describing how his character was resurrected (aha, there’s the body horror I was looking for!). Also, I enjoy a good analogy, and it doesn’t get much better than a house burning down and the Mother Box changing the ashes back into a home – just as Cyborg was brought back to life. It’s a change machine, get it?
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A picture tells a thousand words… Image Description: In a snowy courtyard, a red, white, and black Nazi banner hands from a stone wall in the background. Soldiers are gathered below, next to something steaming/smoking. It’s not relevant as we focus on Victor with his hands in the pockets of his high-school jock jacket. He watches a German soldier carry the Mother Box away. |
5) Another film fails The Bechdel Test.
The Bechdel Test measures the representation of women in fiction, most commonly in film. I mention this, because if at least two named females talk to each other without discussing a man, it has passed. So, sadly, the Snyder Cut fails the test. After it’s revealed that Superman is the only one who can save the day, his mother, Martha (Diane Lane), visits her would-be daughter-in-law, Lois Lane (Amy Adams).
Admittedly, their interaction is incredibly touching and gentle, though centred around Clark. Lois hasn’t been back to work as a Daily Planet journalist since his death, and given that she is brilliant at it, Martha tries to help her out of her depression. All seems sad and normal – until Martha leaves. Her eyes glow an unearthly red, and she transforms into a caped character we have never seen before.
We’re left asking two questions: Who is he? Most importantly, though, WHERE IS MARTHA?!
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Conjunctivitis is just awful, ain’t it? Image Description: Martha Kent (Diane Lane) stands in a corridor flooded with a pale light. There’s a staircase behind her. Martha’s face is sombre, and her eyes are bright red. |
So...?
We’re heading towards the end of the second act now. The Justice League is as yet complete, and Earth is much pretty doomed without Superman, so you can probably guess what’s going to happen next. As per the third chapter, Ray Fisher is given more to do in the fourth part, and Momoa’s Aquaman is the cynical voice of reason amongst all the weird sci-fi and hopeful rhetoric. Just when I didn’t think I could enjoy it more, things are about to get even more complicated...
My Sources:
Zack Snyder’s Justice League poster - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12361974/
Image: Differences between Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder’s Steppenwolf and Wonder Woman - https://www.insider.com/zack-snyder-justice-league-cut-removes-cringeworthy-scenes-women
Image: The Flash helps Wonder Woman - https://tvmoviefix.com/the-flash-solo-movie-title-no-longer-flashpoint/
Image: Nazis have the Mother Box - https://www.insider.com/zack-snyder-justice-league-biggest-differences-2021-3
What’s a clear representation of women in fiction? - https://bechdeltest.com/
Image: Martha Kent isn’t here right now - https://movieweb.com/justice-league-snyder-cut-martian-manhunter-trailer-teaser/
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