JUSTICE LEAGUE ~ THE SYNDER CUT
A few movies over the last decade have illicited seemingly endless amounts of discussion and online chatter. 2017 had two such films that everyone continues to talk about for some reason, JUSTICE LEAGUE and STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI. And apparently we here at Blood Work are no different because we're going to add to the chatter and online static.
Quick refresher, after the audience backlash to BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE it appeared that Warner Bros. suddenly weren't sure that they had backed the right man to be in charge of their massive super hero project, the DC Extended Universe. That same year the studio completely recut and reworked director David Ayer's SUICIDE SQUAD film making the film appear more like a Marvel movie. Well, despite an impressive box office haul, this recut didn't do much to instill faith in the DCEU project.
The studio had already begun the filming of Justice League, even before BVS:DOJ had hit theaters. The studio and creative teams were already all in by the time they discovered audiences weren't terribly thrilled about the DCEU's overall tone and direction. Studio pressure likely came down hard on director Zack Snyder to change the tone and alter his vision for the film (which was originally designed to be the first of a two parter, the second film debuting two years later). Then tragedy struck and Zack Snyder lost a loved one. He then became unable to finish Justice League and left the set. In effect, his film was left unfinished and no one at Warner Bros. was interested in what Zack Snyder was making. But they had already sunk hundreds of millions of dollars into the project. They had to salvage something.
Joss Whedon, the man who arguably set the Marvel Cinematic Universe down its final path to greatness, was called in to finish the film and make those tonal changes that the studio likely wanted. I imagine this must've been a nightmare scenario for both Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder. For Snyder there was likely heavy pressure from the studio to make changes and alter his vision, not to mention the pop culture backlash against BVS:DOJ. Then losing a daughter on top of it? And then rumors spreading that he was fired from the project abounded too. And for Joss Whedon, who wants to be the director hired to complete someone else's film? The studio likely micro-managed the entire affair and set up both Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder as the fall guys. This is all pure conjecture as I wasn't there, but I'm just trying to put myself in these guys' shoes for a moment. Now, let's remember that Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder are very different filmmakers with very different strengths. How could anyone expect this to turn out well?
In November of 2017 Zack Snyder's Justice League opened. The movie felt like a mix of tones that couldn't make up its mind and failed to give many of its characters the exposure needed to set them up. Add in poor CGI effects and a mustached Superman (a contractual obligation of Henry Cavill's for Paramount Pictures) and what resulted was an inconsistent experience. There are highlights in the film and some good elements, but overall not the answer to Marvel's Avengers that fans and Warner Bros. were hoping for. The film, which should've been DC's tent pole film of gigantic proportions, couldn't even match Thor: Ragnarok's box office grosses and bombed hard. Even internationally the film failed.
Justice League hasn't caused as much vitriol and outrage as The Last Jedi but it did plant within the minds of many the question of "What if?"
What if Zack Snyder had finished his version of Justice League?
Enter THE SNYDER CUT
After four years of fan outcry, the Snyder Cut has finally arrived. I was not among those lobbying for this film, but I must admit that I was intrigued by the idea. As a movie aficionado I am always interested in alternate cuts of films and director's cuts. Director's Cuts have been around for decades, so people asking to see this particular director's cut didn't seem all that outrageous to me. I could list several films that I personally would love to see a director's cut of. The idea of an alternate cut of Justice League is cool and honestly nothing unique in the world of film. The circumstances surrounding the completion of the Synder Cut though is quite unique. This isn't so much a director's cut as it is Zack Snyder reclaiming a film that was taken from him by the studio and finishing what he started. Given the situation, it is an interesting prospect to see what Snyder's unadulterated vision for this film was.
THE CONTEXT OF THE CUTS
Some may ask, why did the theatrical cut of this film turn out the way it did? Well, let's look at what the Snyder Cut became.
The Snyder Cut turned out to be four hours long! And, well, I feel it kinda had to be that long to do all of the characters justice. I criticized DC's race to the finish line against Marvel, saying they were trying to skip steps in building their cinematic universe instead of putting in the time like Marvel did. Here we are given that extra time needed to properly set up characters like Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman. These three needed the screen time most of all. But then so too did the villains who had not been previously established either. What we get in these four hours is much needed character development and plot establishment.
This sheds a little light on the Theatrical Cut and why the decisions they chose to go with were made. That movie was two hours long, a runtime few movies deviate from, so it isn't any wonder that loads of footage was cut. No movie studio would release a four hour movie in theaters. It wouldn't be profitable. This isn't meant to be a defense for the Theatrical Cut or a slam against the Snyder Cut. This is just being real. And this is further evidence that Cyborg, Aquaman, and Flash should've been set up before this film as a whole. Even the Mother Boxes should've been set up in an earlier film for this movie to truly thrive, move at a decent pace, and not be tied down in exposition. Most of DC's movies have a similar problem, they try to do several movies worth of plot in one film. This has never been more evident than with the Snyder Cut. The only difference is, now on a streaming platform, a four hour movie is feasible. It works as streaming content where it wouldn't work as theatrical content.
What's really surprising is how similar both versions are. Aside from extended sequences, further explorations of characters, and some added characters, these versions tell the same story. What was added were mostly cosmetic changes probably due to studio pressure and having to condense the plot at points. The different endings make sense too. Warner Bros. likely wanted Zack Snyder's vision gone and had no interest anymore in making Justice League a two part film. So they couldn't have this movie end on a cliffhanger. The ending, most of all, needed to be reworked. But, what's amazing to me is how much Joss Whedon maintained Zack Snyder's film. Joss Whedon did the necessary cuts and probably did as the studio demanded. Yeah, some of the things he added weren't so great. But some things he added were all right.
Back to the Snyder Cut. Do I like the added footage? Yes, I do. None of the Snyder Cut feels superfluous. It all feels necessary, which makes me wonder still, "What were they thinking back in 2015/2016 when they were putting this movie together?" The only way this concept works is in a four hour film. And what were they planning for Justice League Part 2? Another four hour film?
The action scenes are all improved here. Tonally the film feels consistent, which is another plus over the Theatrical Cut. Zack Snyder as a filmmaker has a particular style, visual language, and melodramatic esthetic. If any movie of his feels the most like "him" it's this movie. This cut has Zack Snyder's fingerprints all over it, unquestionably so. There's no way another director could come in and attempt to complete this film without creating jarring tonal shifts. This movie is the "Snyderiest" movie Zack Snyder has ever made, complete with pretentious music choices and ridiculous amounts of slo-mo.
As a result of Zack Snyder doubling down on everything that was presented in MAN OF STEEL and BVSDOJ he continues digging deeper into what's ultimately a flawed concept. I like that his motivations were not to merely copy what Marvel Studios had done, with the intent that DC be its own entity, never accused of being a copycat. But the direction of the narrative and tone was a misstep from the beginning. SUPERMAN SHOULD NOT KILL. Even someone like myself who doesn't know Superman all that well knows this key aspect to his character.
THE VERDICT
Do I like the Snyder Cut? Yes I do. But I enjoy it for the singular vision that it is, not as a representation of the DC comics universe. To be fair I don't always enjoy what Marvel Studios does or how they represent the Marvel comics universe either. In fact, I feel what James Gunn has done to the Guardians of the Galaxy and what Taika Waititi has done to Thor is no different than what Zack Snyder has done to DC. Where is the #restorethethorverse movement? Where is the #justicefortheguardiansofthegalaxy movement that I want? Yeah, those aren't happening.
Should Warner Bros. let Zack Snyder make his Justice League sequel? To see where it ultimately goes, yes I am interested. But ultimately the DCEU needs rebooted in my opinion with Bruce Timm at the helm. But before they do that I really want to see Joe Manganiello as DEATHSTROKE headlining his own movie. With the same filmmakers from the John Wick franchise. GIVE ME THAT, PLEASE!!!!
Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10
This isn't DC's or Warner Bros. movie. This is 100% Zack Snyder's.
For more of my thoughts on the DCEU and comic book movies in general check out the posts below!
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