I’ve watched Zack Snyder’s evolution as a filmmaker with more of a sense of curiosity than as a fan.
I enjoyed his remake of Dawn of The Dead and his adaptation of the previously unadaptable Watchmen based on the comic book series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
His adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300 and his own pet project, Sucker Punch, seemed to be more concerned with capturing his own fetishes rather than having something to truly say.
By the time Snyder had been announced as the custodian of the DC Cinematic Universe, I found him (like directors Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, and Terry Gilliam before him), to be more of a visual stylist than a storyteller.
His first DC film, 2013’s Man of Steel, was the first sign that Warner Bros. might not have found the right person to take on Superman.
As discussed in a Forces of Geek roundtable at the time, Snyder’s Superman killed.
And for me, and millions of others, that’s not Superman.
Later that summer, at San Diego Comic-Con, Snyder announced Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was to be inspired by Miller’s Dark Knight Returns. By the time the film was released in 2016, Snyder’s take on the DC Universe was cemented as joyless, dark, and ultra-serious.
Disappointing box office returns led to rumors that Snyder’s Justice League film (which was already in production) was doomed. It was announced that the two-part film had become one film instead and people within the studio had their concerns.
Unlike competitor, Marvel who built their films character by character before assembling them together in The Avengers, the Snyderverse was going all out, introducing the Justice League as their third film (Batman v. Superman not only introduced Ben Affleck as The Dark Knight, but also Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman).
It was during filming that Snyder’s daughter took her own life and suddenly dealing with the studio’s constant interference made it an easy decision to focus on being there for his family. Joss Whedon, who had directed Marvel’s Avengers was brought in to work on the screenplay and take the reigns as the film’s director.
The results were disastrous.
Much of Snyder’s intended story was ignored (only 10% of his material remained), juvenile humor was added, senseless subplots inserted, the score was replaced, and terrible CGI effects were utilized. Justice League was a flop, and marked the end of not only Snyder’s involvement, but also of previously announced projects such as Affleck’s Batman film, a Flash and Cyborg spin-off, and a Man of Steel sequel.
Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam! did well financially, but the individual films only lived in a theoretical shared universe. A new Batman film from director Matt Reeves was announced, Shazam! and Aquaman sequels planned, and Wonder Woman‘s follow up was already in production.
Then two things happened.
First, a movement for Snyder’s original vision began. #ReleaseTheSnyderCut became a phenomenon, bolstered by the films stars and hundreds of thousands of fans.
Second, allegations of racism and unprofessionalism against Joss Whedon were raised, led by actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg, notably the only major African American cast member in the film. Investigations began and ultimately, other actors from Whedon’s filmography came forward with allegations of abuse of power, and inappropriate behavior. Whedon departed (or as many have speculated, let go) from his upcoming HBO series The Nevers.
The Snyder Cut movement reached an unexpected resolution when Zack Snyder met with Warner Bros new regime and agreed to complete his vision as originally intended. On May 20, 2020, following an online watch party for Man of Steel, Superman himself, Henry Cavill, appeared with Snyder to announce that the Snyder Cut was coming to HBO Max.
Now, less than a year and $70 million later, Zack Snyder’s Justice League has been released to HBO Max, and the four hour epic is a different film.
As a lover of DC Comics and their characters, to see Snyder’s finished vision was a truly remarkable experience. In the words of Dr. Pretorius from James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein, “To a new world of gods and monsters!”
The film’s structure is still there, but it’s content is far different. Fisher’s Cyborg, who was little more than a token character in Whedon’s film, serves as this film’s emotional center. There is a rich history of the DC Universe, one that Snyder does an excellent job examining. Steppenwolf, who appeared in Whedon’s version, has gotten a CGI do-over and his mission is more clearly explained; assemble the three Mother Box’s hidden on Earth in order for his master, Darkseid to take over the planet.
Why now? Well, apparently Earth is now vulnerable since the death of Superman, which leads to the need to resurrect the Man of Steel.
The other team members, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Ezra Miller’s The Flash, as well as the supporting cast including Amy Adams’ Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons’ Alfred Pennyworth and Diane Lane’s Martha Kent all have more to do in this cut of the film.
At four hours, the film is a little long, but well instituted breaks makes viewing easier if you don’t want to watch it straight through. More than anything else, I’m struck by the optimism the film has.
Some of the new footage takes place in an alternate future, which had already been teased in Batman V. Superman; it’s dark, but there is a story set up there I want to see. It reminds me of DC Comics’ ongoing potential future storylines (The Dark Knight Returns, Kingdom Come, et. al).
The ending also provides a hint of what Affleck’s Batman film could of been, and finally the coda introduces another DC character that teases the continued optimism the series could have.
If you aren’t a fan of the DC Universe, this movie isn’t going to suddenly top your must-watch list. I went into this cautiously optimistic, but was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. I don’t know if this would lead to Snyder completing his trilogy and at this point, he doesn’t need to be vindicated. This release is enough.
Though if there were more opportunities for Snyder’s vision to be executed. I’m all in.
Up, up, and away…
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is now streaming on HBO Max
* * * * *
Produced by Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder
Screenplay by Chris Terrio
Story by Chris Terrio, Zack Snyder, Will Beall
Based on Characters by DC Comics
Directed by Zack Snyder
Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa,
Ezra Miller, Joe Morton, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane,
Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons, Harry Lennix, Ciarán Hinds, Jared Leto, Joe Manganiello
