Film Review: "Zack Snyder's Justice League" (2021).

"'You said the age of heroes would never come again.' 'It will. It has to.'" Here comes Zack Snyder's Justice League. This superhero film directed by Zack Snyder, written by Chris Terrio and based on the characters created by DC Comics. It is the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). In Zack Snyder's Justice League, determined to ensure Superman’s ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad, and Darkseid and their dreadful intentions. 

Immediately after the critically and commercially-panned theatrical release of Justice League, fans created an online petition to release the "Snyder Cut" that gained more than eighteen-thousand signatures. The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement was ignited by the negative reviews of the theatrical cut, as fans knew that Snyder left directorial duties and the final cut of the film in the hands of Whedon; thus, they assumed that Whedon created an inferior film. The circumstances have been compared to the situation of Superman II (1980). Both involved a director who was replaced before completion, which led to a second director coming in and making substantial changes. Richard Donner had been able to complete his Superman II cut in 2006. Some assumed that an alternate cut of Justice League was inevitable because some of Snyder's films have been re-released in extended cuts for home media (such as Watchmen (2009) and Batman v Superman), which some critics see as superior to the theatrical versions. Members of the Justice League cast and crew showing support for the Snyder Cut's release included actors Jason Momoa, Ciarán Hinds, and Ray Fisher; photographer Clay Enos; storyboard artist Jay Oliva; cinematographer Fabian Wagner; and Ben Affleck's stunt double Richard Cetrone. On the two-year anniversary of the theatrical cut, cast and crew voiced support through social media. Other film- and comic book-industry figures not related to Justice League have also supported the release of a "Snyder Cut", including filmmaker Kevin Smith; television producer Steven S. DeKnight, and comic book writers Rob Liefeld, Robert Kirkman, and Jerry Ordway. Other figures were less optimistic such as chief analyst for Boxoffice Pro Shawn Robbins and writer Mario F. Robles. Throughout the movement, members of the media referred to the Snyder Cut as "fabled" or "mythical". Members of the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement engaged in acts of fan activism to promote it. In June 2018, fans reached out to executives at AT&T following a merger between the company and Warner. In June 2019, they reached out to new Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff, who replaced Tsujihara after his resignation, following that up a month later with a mass letter-writing campaign. In July, they reached out to the parent company of Warner Bros., WarnerMedia, after the announcement of its new streaming service HBO Max. Ahead of the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, a fan launched a crowdfunding campaign with half of the funds to be spent on an advertising campaign and the other half to be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). For a similar campaign at the 2019 New York Comic Con, the movement purchased ad space on two billboards over Times Square featuring quotes from members of the cast and crew. In December, the movement rented another flying banner ad, this time passing over Warner Bros. Studios and directly asking Sarnoff to release the Snyder Cut. In January 2020, the movement bought four minutes of ad space advocating for the film's release on a digital banner wrapped around the interior of Riverside Stadium during the FA Cup. Their efforts garnered praise from Snyder and from the AFSP. However, members of the movement have also been described by members of the media as "toxic" for harassing, threatening, and cyberbullying those who express opinions about the Snyder Cut that are contrary to their beliefs. Among these critics included Yohana Desta of Vanity Fair and Brandon Katz of The New York Observer. In September 2018, former DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson deleted her Twitter account after substantial online harassment by members of the movement. Warner Bros. telephone operators, inundated with regular calls about the "Snyder Cut", were trained to treat these inquiries as prank calls. However, in late May 2020, Snyder announced during a Q&A after an online watch party of Man of Steel that his cut of Justice League would be released as Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max in 2021

The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Amy Adams, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons, Ciarán Hinds, Joe Morton, Joe Manganiello, Amber Heard, Harry Lennix, Kiersey Clemons, Peter Guinness, Ray Porter and Jared Leto. All of the performances are so perfectly acted and the characters are more realised this time round.

This version of Justice League is a triumph of intention, sending the imagination soaring again over this new angle on a very big question mark. Like so many other director's cuts, it is finally more of a complete work than an appendix: Snyder and co. really did a phenomenal job this time around. Our popular culture will owe so much to this Snyder masterpiece. What we lack today is the boldness and confidence to trust the characters and world we've set in action. However, the film suffers somewhat from an absurdly overlong running time that often threatens to negate its more overtly positive attributes. But it is a magnificent comic-book picture maintaining a high level of technical and artistic brilliance which only sheer exhaustion - it lasts almost four hours - prohibits from whole-hearted admiration.

Simon says Zack Snyder's Justice League receives:

Also, see my reviews for Justice League and Wonder Woman 1984.