Justice League: The Snyder Cut
Introduction
Onto arguably the biggest release of the weekend. And I have just finished watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a film that was heavily criticized for its cardboard characters in the DC universe when the theatrical cut had released almost 4 years back. There is always a banter on between Marvel fans and DC fans. I for one have been a Marvel fan and I could say that the DC universe had been a bit of a ket down barring the Batman trilogy which was the best superhero franchise across the two universes. And later while Marvel came up with Avengers, arguably the biggest magnum opus, DC came up with Justice League in 2017 which was an average affair. There were talks of how Zack Snyder had to opt out due to family issues and Joss Whedon was giving the reigns that then involved reshooting of certain scenes that had made even some of the actors uncomfortable. The end product was just average. Post that there were loads of fan petitions on releasing The Snyder’s cut – well here it is!! Is it worth your time, stay tuned!
Story & Screenplay
The Justice League takes off from the exact same point where Batman vs Superman had ended. So Superman is now dead and it is upto Batman to assemble a team against a powerful supervillain. The thing with The Snyder’s cut is that it adds a lot to the characters and their origins. For eg, Flash and particularly The Cyborg are the backbone of the film here and they get adequate screentime in establishing their characters in this 4 hour marathon that passes like a breeze. Also the supervillains are much more powerful here, a criticism which is countered from the theatrical cut. Also Batman and Wonder Woman are given better prominence than before. All this contribute in making the movie much more substantial and a superhero movie that we deserve. This being shot in the imax ratio of 4:3 would have worked wonders had it released in a theatre. The shots and VFX deserved a big screen to truely have a wholesome impact while witnessing this saga. On the downside, the screenplay slows down a bit in the middle, and you get a feeling of wanting the writers to get a move on. But these are minor blips and the movie is well back on track in a breathtaking finale! Excellent screenplay!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are phenomenal and add a lot of substance to the drama. The music and BGM are top notch that enhance the viewing experience. Director Zack Snyder has done full ‘justice’ to his version of The Justice League. He has hit the ball out of the park.
Performances
All the performances are top notch. Henry Cavill as Superman impresses in a cameo. So does Amy Adams as Lois. Ben Affleck as Batman is wonderfully restrained. Gal Gadot as the Wonder Woman is truely marvellous. Jason Momoa as Aquaman has a towering presence. My pick of the actors are Ezra Miller as The Flash and Ray Fisher as Cyborg who are the stars of the show here, particularly Ray. All others are pretty good too.
Conclusion
Justice League – The Snyder cut is the superhero movie that we all deserve. Time to restore the Snyderverse. Available on HBO max(and on rent in India) and Highly Recommended.