Zack Snyder's Justice League

UK Release Date: 18 March 2021

Certification: 15

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast: Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Gal Gadot, Ciarán Hinds, Jeremy Irons, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa

Rating: 90%

"If you can't bring down the charging bull, then don't wave the red cape at it."

Review: 

First of all, I will try to keep my discussion as spoiler-free as I can but there are certain aspects that I can't talk about without spoiling a few scenes. 

In 2017, due to family tragedy, Zack Snyder had to leave behind his Justice League project and Joss Whedon was hired to help finish the movie. However, in reality the studio didn't appreciate the way that Snyder wanted to go and Whedon came in and made a completely different movie that in all honesty was a car crash and utterly disrespectful to Zack Snyder. This resulted in fan petitions demanding for the Snyder Cut and eventually Warner Brothers caved and listened to the fans resulting in Zack Snyder's Justice League.  

Zack Snyder's Justice League is now the definitive cannon. Everything about it is better than Whedon's Justice League. Similar to Avengers: Endgame, Zack Snyder's Justice League is more of an event rather than a movie - I'm more of a Marvel fan than a DC fan but I've been a huge defender of both the DCEU as a whole but especially Snyder's vision. The four hour runtime could feel a little unnecessary to an outsider but every scene is important and deserved, and despite the long run-time I believe that the movie is incredibly re-watchable. 

Every member of the Justice League is fully developed. I absolutely love Ben Affleck as Batman, I don't know whether he'll ever return as of course Robert Pattinson's solo movie is releasing next year. Affleck is in my opinion isn't as good as Christian Bale but I enjoyed watching his story. Having a Batman that is fully-fledged allows him to be by far the most vulnerable character that has seen the most the trauma but chooses not to show it which is so interesting to me. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman feels the least fleshed out but she already has two solo outings. Henry Cavill is great, although he doesn't get much more screen time than in Justice League. A lot of people don't see him as Superman but for me he's always been brilliant. There have been talks about a Superman reboot with Michael B.Jordan rumoured to portray Clark Kent but I would much rather see a Man of Steel sequel. 

But the three standouts are Aquaman, Cyborg and Flash - played by Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher and Ezra Miller respectively. Aquaman of course already has his own solo venture but he's by far the coolest character and I can't wait to see his sequel. Ezra Miller is much more of an awkward Flash rather than quippy for absolutely no reason which makes me hopeful for his solo movie, that without delays should come out next year. Ray Fisher had been petitioning for Zack Snyder's Justice League for quite some time and for good reason. Cyborg's arc was great and it made him both an important hero and an interesting character. 

Steppenwolf is hugely improved upon in Zack Snyder's Justice League. He looks a lot better and is much more imposing but mainly he's given a more impactful introduction. He's sympathetic and whilst I can't agree with the way he went about it, I do now understand his actions. 

After the success of Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame it was always going to be difficult to delve into and explore a very similar character in the DCEU. But similarly to how they set-up Thanos teasing him for 6 years, that's the route Zack Snyder takes in this movie with Darkseid. He's so menacing without seeing too much of him, Steppenwolf's whole arc is centred around trying to please Darkseid and when he finally talks to him and exposes his skin, becoming vulnerable, that's when we know just how powerful he truly is. 

Junkie XL's swelling score is excellent, especially Superman's theme. It just adds so much triumph to Zack Snyder's Justice League. And it ties back in perfectly to Man of Steel with both of Clark's fathers stirring him on. 

What frustrates me however, is that it's unlikely that we're going to see more of this vision. The movie does a great job setting up multiple sequels but I don't know if they're ever going to be explored. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor shows up discussing Batman's true identity with Deathstroke which was previously in Justice League. Following that reveal is my favourite scene in Zack Snyder's Justice League, the dream sequence. Whilst Jarod Leto was dreadful in Suicide Squad seeing these versions of Batman and the Joker meet is so rewarding and is some of the best dialogue ever seen between the two. Finally, Martian Manhunter goes to talk to Batman which felt a little off and was the only point in the movie where the CGI didn't look right. 

It was a strange choice for the movie to be shown on a 4:3 aspect ratio, especially since everyone is watching at home on a TV, but it's barely noticeable after five or so minutes. 

Zack Snyder's Justice League is simply a masterpiece. It would've been a much better experience at the cinema but I'm grateful I got to see this movie because I didn't think the Snyder Cut would ever come out. It's going to be really interesting to see where Warner Brothers go with the DCEU next because Zack Snyder can take this universe in so many places and I would love to see him back involved in some way. However, if he never comes back to work on the DCEU I'm grateful I got to watch his dream and even more thankful that I loved it.