Okay, Fine, I Admit It -- I Liked the Snyder Cut
A Begrudging Look at Zack Snyder's Justice League (SPOILERS)
So, I’ve made a bit of a name for myself — both on the internet and among my friends — as an advanced, high-ranking Zack Snyder hater. I came about it naturally; Batman vs. Superman was one of the worst cinema experiences I’ve ever had, and I stand by my vehement, visceral hatred of that film. It is not a good movie. I’ve got nothing against Zack Snyder as a person, and my heart goes out to him for the loss of his daughter during the original filming of Justice League, but our opinions on filmmaking and DC Comics could not be more different, and I assumed that would never change.
Thus, I was more surprised than anyone when I finally sat down to watch Zack Snyder’s Justice League — which I’ll refer to from now on as the Snyder Cut — and actually liked it. It’s not a perfect film — in fact, I think it has a fatal flaw — but I genuinely enjoyed it nonetheless. Given all the Snyder hate I’ve spewed over the past few years, including towards this movie before it came out, I feel like I owe it to him swallow my pride and dish out a little praise too where praise is due. So then, let’s talk about the Snyder Cut.
PART 1: THE CONTEXT
I didn’t always hate Zack Snyder’s movies. I saw Watchmen in theaters and was one of the few people who actually enjoyed it, despite fully recognizing that it was a flawed adaptation1. I thought 300 was dumb, but to be fair, I thought the same thing about the source material. Snyder’s first DC film, Man of Steel, was a mixed bag for me; I had major issues with some of the characterization (such as Pa Kent’s infamous tornado moment and Superman’s equally infamous murder of Zod), but I really liked the cast and thought the special effects and action sequences were breathtaking. I remember having fairly fond memories of it for a year or two after its release, until future installments soured me.
It really was Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice that turned me against Snyder. I don’t know if I’ve ever hated anything as much as I hate that movie. Immediately after getting home from seeing it in the theaters I wrote a 2000 word screed (which I then emailed off to my editors at the time, who wisely ignored it2) that did nothing to dispel my anger. The lead characters, especially Superman, were written as stupid, unheroic to the point that they’re practically villainous, and entirely unlikable. The action was poorly choreographed and obscured by bad angles and even worse effects and filters. The world building was rushed, forced, and wholly underwhelming. The “Knightmare” sequence is one of the most jarring and confusing moments I’ve ever witnessed on screen; my friend sitting next to me literally yelled “What is happening?!” out loud in the middle of the theater, and people around us just nodded. It seemed perfectly reasonable to conclude, after having viewed this film, that Snyder and I had inherently irreconcilable views on these characters.
2017’s Justice League was meant to be the next entry in Snyder’s DC Canon, but it quickly ran into speed bumps. Understandably, Warner Brothers had concerns about the film after Batman vs. Superman’s poor critical and fan reception. Moreover, at some point near the end of filming, Snyder’s daughter Autumn passed away, leading to Snyder leaving the project. Joss Whedon — of Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly fame — was brought in to finish the film. Though it was never stated aloud, this was clearly Warner Brothers’ attempt to catch up to Marvel by hiring the man behind their breakout movie, while also hoping to win back fans alienated by the relentlessly grim and dour BvS with that patented Whedon/Marvel quirk. It didn’t work.
Whedon ended up creating a Frankenmovie. There’s a jarring contrast in tone between Snyder’s scenes and Whedon’s, which leaves the movie feeling unsettling and often thematically inconsistent. Infamously, Superman actor Henry Cavill was filming a Mission Impossible movie when Whedon called him back for reshoots, and MI wouldn’t let him shave off his mustache, meaning that Whedon had to go in and digitally erase Cavill’s mustache in every new shot, leading to a Cavill who always looked just a bit “off” throughout the movie. It was eerie, and not in a good way.
Justice League released to a resounding meh. At the time I was just happy to have a movie where Superman actually smiled, and I saw it twice in the theaters, but a few months later I had completely forgotten it even existed; I rewatched it a few weeks ago in preparation for the Snyder Cut and found it far more dire than I remembered. It left zero cultural footprint, and DC scrambled to readjust their movie output moving forward, which, surprisingly, they seem to have pulled off; Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Shazam!, and Birds of Prey were all quite good, but also largely stand-alone films that didn’t try to tap into the interconnected universe they were attempting to create before Justice League faltered.
Meanwhile, Zack Snyder fans began a “campaign” begging for the release of Snyder’s original cut of Justice League. I don’t want to be too hard on these guys cause, given the film’s relentlessly troubled production, I get why they wanted to see what could have been. The problems were 1. that their “campaign” mostly consisted of harassment and 2. that Snyder never finished his cut of Justice League. There was no Snyder Cut, there never had been, and as far as anyone could tell, there never would be. After all, what studio would throw millions of dollars at a director to finish his version of a much maligned film just to appease some internet trolls?
What studio indeed? All it took was a perfect storm: Covid shut down movie theaters, Warner Brothers needed a big release for its new streaming platform, and Snyder had a vocal, loyal fanbase begging to be mobilized. Suddenly throwing those millions at Snyder to finish his magnum opus didn’t seem like such a bad idea. A few months later, here we are; the Snyder Cut is out there for the entire world to see, and given everything that led up to its release, it’s a miracle that’s watchable at all, much less enjoyable to boot.
PART 2: THE GOOD
The Snyder Cut is a whopping four hours long. That should be a problem, and it would be if this was a theatrical release, but the straight-to-streaming release makes that time feel far more manageable, as does the choice to break the movie up into six parts, giving viewers natural spots to pause, grab a snack, use the bathroom, and maybe even take a nap before picking back up.
Thus, the massive running time actually ends up being the Snyder Cut’s greatest advantage. The biggest problem the theatrical cut kept running into was that it just didn’t have enough time. Introducing three brand new superheroes at once would be more than most movies could handle alone, and that’s without the massively expanding mythology, especially concerning Darkseid and the New Gods, that Snyder was attempting to introduce. Say what you will about Whedon and his contributions to the theatrical cut, but the two hour runtime Warner Brothers enforced on him all but ensured his failure.
It’s honestly astounding how much this movie benefits from just having a little room to breathe. With enough room to fully explain it, the plot makes far more sense. The Flash and Cyborg go from being underserved to the MVPs of the film — Flash has room to actually contribute, and Cyborg goes from practically a cipher to the heart of the film, and perhaps even one of the more compelling takes on the character out there. I actually want that Cyborg solo film now. Steppenwolf still isn’t a great villain, but the Snyder cut gives him motivation and even a bit of pathos that was missing in the theatrical, not to mention a more interesting design, meaning he’s not the abject failure of a villain he was in the theatrical cut either. The extra space allows some of the minor battles — such as Steppenwolf vs. the Amazons or the Ancient Armies of Earth vs. Darkseid — enough space to feel epic and full rather than rushed. Even minor emotional beats benefit greatly from the extra time — in the theatrical cut, Barry showing his father that he got a job in the crime lab feels like a perfunctory beat in his story, but the Snyder Cut has room to flesh out Barry’s father a bit more and show his overwhelmingly overjoyed reaction to Barry’s accomplishment, transforming the moment into one that’s charming and essential. Little transformations like that blossom throughout the film.
I’m also fascinated by the major effects even minor changes can have. This feels most notable in the scene where Batman and Flash first meet in Barry’s apartment. Aside from removing Whedon’s infamous “brunch” line, Snyder’s treatment of the scene is identical, except for the score. Snyder’s score is tense and suspenseful, compared to Whedon’s more jovial take, and it does wonders for the scene. Flash is still funny, but you can take the scene more seriously than before; there was a bit of danger present even when I knew how the scene was going to play out.
Also, I just said that Flash was still funny, and he is, consistently! Despite bearing nearly all the trademarks of a Zack Snyder film, for much of its runtime the Snyder Cut doesn’t feel like a Zack Snyder film. Man of Steel and BvS had prepped me for a dour, relentlessly humorless mope-fest, but Flash, Aquaman, Alfred, even Batman himself are funny! I can see now a plan at work throughout Snyder’s DC films — BvS was so grim because it was purposely, in-universe, a low-point for these characters, and even Snyder had originally planned for Justice League to be lighter and more heroic as the heroes looked to redeem themselves for the mistakes of their past. I don’t think it’s a great storytelling decision if I’m being honest, but it’s at least a plan, and I can respect that.
Overall, with just one cook in the kitchen, the film’s tone feels far more coherent and competent. Snyder’s more understated, character-based humor works better than Whedon’s forced, tonally jarring quips. The Snyder Cut actually feels like a movie! I guess I knew all this going in, but I just didn’t realize how powerful of an effect it would have on the finished product, how high this basic level of competence would elevate the basic building blocks of the movie. I told friends “The Snyder Cut will be more coherent and consistent, sure, but that doesn’t mean it will be better than the theatrical cut.” I guess it’s nice to be proven wrong sometimes.
PART 3: THE BAD
So, some of these are just nitpicks. I still despise the filter Snyder puts over his films, this one included; the Snyder Cut often looks like I’m watching it through a sandstorm, or with a beer bottle in front of the camera. It’s a bad, bad aesthetic decision. Also, as much as I like what this film does with Cyborg as a character, I hate his design and the CG used to bring him to life. The practical effects and prosthetics used to create Joivan Wade’s Cyborg over on the Doom Patrol series look exponentially more convincing than this multi-million dollar CGI incarnation. Superman donning his black suit for the final battle was also a weird choice. It’s done solely because that’s what Superman wore when he was resurrected in the comics with no in-movie explanation; we even see Superman look at his original costume then decide to wear the black one instead, but there’s no meaning, either character or metaphor driven, behind this choice.
The Snyder Cut may somewhat salvage Steppenwolf, but I still think he’s a poor choice of a villain to carry an entire movie. His appearance, motives, background, and powers are similar to Darkseid’s, except not as good, which is especially notable with Darkseid himself running around in the background. I’m not saying Snyder needed to go straight to Darkseid in the first film (though it’s always smart to assume you won’t get a sequel), but there had to be a way to set him up without just making Darkseid-lite the villain in his place; instead of building Darkseid up, it just makes Steppenwolf less interesting by contrast (and Steppenwolf wasn't very interesting to begin with, so it’s not like he had much to spare!).
There’s very little of the footage Whedon added to the theatrical cut that I regret losing — mostly a line or quick exchange here or there — but I do miss his work on humanizing Superman. The theatrical cut not only presented a Superman who’s a little more human, who actually smiles and doesn’t always just float there stiff as a board with a thousand yard stare, but did more to show how the world had been damaged by his death as well. In the Snyder Cut, aside from a guilt-ridden Batman, the League seems to want him back mainly because they need his firepower. Looking at the differences between these two cuts did help me solidify that I just plain dislike and disagree with Snyder’s view on Superman, even in a film I otherwise enjoyed. A running theme in Snyder’s DC movies is fear and distrust of Superman, a suspicion that his power could be turned against humanity at any moment. That’s not a new idea, but one that’s usually held by the villains; it’s been part of the reason Lex Luthor fears and hates Superman for decades. What’s weird about Snyder’s films is that he seems to believe it himself. Part of the point of Superman in his best stories is that, as dangerous as his powers could be in the wrong hands, Clark Kent can always be trusted with them. He’s the best humanity has to offer. Maybe Snyder will prove me wrong at some point — he has before — but I don’t get the impression that he has that trust in Clark. In these films the danger Superman presents is constantly highlighted, even in sequences like Clark losing himself and turning on the League when first revived, and especially in the visions of the possible “Knightmare” future timeline where Superman has turned on humanity and joined with Darkseid after the death of Lois Lane. Snyder’s obsessed with the danger Superman presents to Earth but never really explores the benefits of having Superman around, which is just a take I’ll never be able to enjoy.
The Snyder Cut also suffers from ending fatigue. I mean, it ends brilliantly, with a grand action conclusion and a surprisingly affecting coda, but then it just…keeps going? First is a scene with Lex Luthor and Deathstroke on a boat that was clearly meant to be a mid-credit stinger (and, in the theatrical cut, was), but then comes the nearly 15 minute “Knightmare” sequence. I hate this. We’ve now had two movies and six years with zero explanation why the super-powerless, non-psychic Bruce Wayne is having visions of the future, which is unforgivable. The premise of this possible future is one that’s been done dozens of times in the comics and even other Superman TV series. Alternate timelines can be fun in the comics where you have the time and space to devote to them, but these movies only come once every couple years and you only have the actors for so long; spending time on alternate timelines or possible futures rather than the world you’ve actually been building feels like a waste to me. Ultimately the sequence is purely set-up and feels poorly placed at the end of an already four hour film, and unlike the rest of the film, it plays into all of Snyder’s worst traits as a director (faux-edgy dialogue, awful filters, overall just unbearably grim). It also ended up being my introduction to Jared Leto’s Joker, and he’s as bad as I feared. Joker should either be so darkly humorous that you love him despite yourself or so singularly awful that you despise him (or, preferably, both simultaneously!), but Leto’s Joker is just trying way too hard to be edgy; he’s an exhausting frat boy who makes me sigh and roll my eyes. This whole sequence is self-indulgent; maybe that’s the theme of the entire project, but this is the first time it really hurts the movie, in my opinion.
And then the movie goes onto its final sequence, a short scene where Martian Manhunter (after skulking around in the margins of Snyder’s films) reveals himself to Bruce Wayne. What a nothing of a scene. Ben Affleck clearly just didn’t give a shit here; the same character who nearly killed Superman out of xenophobic paranoia suddenly has a psychic shapeshifting alien come out of nowhere and give him a vague introduction and fly away, and Wayne just greets him with a sleepy indifference? This didn’t need to exist. I really enjoyed watching this movie, but the indulgent final twenty minutes or so undermine the film a bit; it had a perfectly fine ending and didn’t need to keep going.
PART 4: THE BROKEN
I mentioned early in this piece that the Snyder Cut has a fatal flaw. Technically, I suppose, it has two, but they’re inextricably connected, and surprisingly, neither one is really Zack Snyder’s fault.
First, the entire approach Warner Brothers and DC took in building up to Justice League was flawed from the start. I spoke about this in more detail in a piece about shared universes last summer, but these companies were trying to compete with Marvel’s cinematic universe without putting the work into building it. Marvel spent five films establishing its characters before throwing them together in The Avengers (even the villain, Loki, was introduced in a previous film), allowing the film to hit the ground running. DC skipped straight to Justice League without bothering, burdening the film with an impossible amount of set-up. They were dooming the film from the start in their rush for profit.
As I mentioned earlier, the Snyder Cut (amazingly) manages to make this work, but only because it’s four hours long, and that’s where we run into the second flaw: this cut would never have actually made it to the theaters. Warner Brothers just were not going to release a four hour, R-Rated Justice League movie in the theaters, it just wasn’t gonna happen. If Snyder had never left the original film, if Whedon had never been brought in, if BvS had a great reception, even if everything had gone exactly to plan, the film we all watched and called the Snyder Cut would not have been the film that made it to theaters.
And I suppose that’s to the Snyder Cut’s benefit as, if it had been released in theaters back in 2017 instead of Whedon’s cut, it likely would have been hacked down until it was unrecognizable and unwatchable. The Snyder Cut wound up being a really enjoyable superhero film, but it only ended up that way — it only got the chance to be the best possible version of itself — because of its previous failures. I suppose it’s not a fatal flaw per say, but given the discourse around this film and Snyder in general, it feels important to emphasize. The success of the Snyder Cut on HBO Max is not proof that a Snyder Cut would have succeeded in the theater. In fact, given everything I’ve just laid out, I think it proves the exact opposite.
PART 5: THE FUTURE
Even with my trepidation (slash apathy) towards the “Knightmare” future that no doubt would have made up at least one of Justice League’s sequels, I’m interested, perhaps even eager, to see a sequel to the Snyder Cut. It isn’t just curiosity as to whether Snyder can keep making superhero films that I actually enjoy (though I’m legitimately curious about this); I genuinely want to see what happens next in this story and to these characters, and that may be the Snyder Cut’s greatest success of all.
Will we get a sequel? The Snyder Cut has taught me to never say never, but it seems unlikely. Cavill and Ben Affleck have apparently moved on from these characters, and Cyborg actor Ray Fisher has burnt all his bridges with DC and Warner Brothers and likely would not be welcomed back either (I don’t mean that as a criticism — I respect Fisher standing up for what he believes in and attempting to hold people in positions of power accountable3). If the Snyder Cut is bringing in dollar signs for HBO Max that might change things, but it’s going to be an uphill battle.
I think we’re just going to have to appreciate the Snyder Cut for what it is; a surprisingly good superhero film that only exists because of a once-in-a-lifetime combination of hindsight and opportunity.
PART 6: THE PLAGUE
Okay, so obviously, I’ve ripped off the Snyder Cut’s six “part” structure for this piece, but I’ve said about all I have to say about the movie, so for my last part, I instead wanted to pass along a little bit of good news: I’m getting my first Covid vaccine on Friday! Given that I finally bit the bullet and started up my own newsletter because of Covid and the quarantine in the first place, it feels like a full circle kind of moment.
I’ll be sure to let you know what it feels like when the nano-machines rewrite my DNA next week!
ABOUT
“Do You Know What I Love the Most?” is a newsletter from Spencer Irwin about his relationship with the stories he loves. Spencer is an enthusiast and writer from Newark, Delaware, who likes punk rock, comic books, working out, breakfast, and most of all, stories. His previous work appeared on Retcon Punch, One Week One Band, and Crisis on Infinite Chords, and he can be found on Twitter at @ThatSpenceGuy. If you like this newsletter, please subscribe and share with your friends!
Logo by Lewis Franco, with respects to Saves the Day.
The various “heroes” actually being good fighters who got highly fetishized, slo-mo action scenes goes against the entire theme of Watchmen, but at least it looked good and stuck close to the plot of the comic. Also, this is a hot take that I’ve gotten into arguments about more than once, but I think the movie’s take on the attack on New York — an explosion blamed on Dr. Manhattan — is a far more logical and narratively economical choice than the comic’s psychic squid. Feel free to @ me about that.
But it’s still buried in my email somewhere, so if anyone wants to see my extensive, exhaustive, in-the-moment thoughts on Batman vs. Superman, reply back to this email and I’ll dig it up for you.
Fisher’s allegations against Joss Whedon — and other Justice League executives — have been both extensive and vague until literally yesterday, when Hollywood Reporter finally dropped a tell-all interview with Fisher about the situation that should absolutely be required reading for anyone even slightly interested in the behind the scenes nightmare involved in making this movie. While we sort through that, it’s important to note that it took Fisher likely self-destructing his career to bring to light decades worth of skeevy, unethical behavior on Joss Whedon’s behalf, and that’s a bold move on his behalf that should have never been necessary.