Review: Zack Snyder’s Justice League
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Director:Â Zack Snyder
Writers: Zack Snyder, Chris Terrio, Will Beall
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Jason Mamoa, Jeremy Irons, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, J.K. Simmons, Joe Morton, Ray Porter
Reviewed by: Steven Brown
Summary
Having his faith in humanity restored by the sacrifice of Superman, Bruce Wayne joins forces with Diana Prince against an ancient threat. Allying themselves with beings of otherworldly powers these heroes will have to put aside their differences and work together to save the world from destruction.
Positives
I honestly don’t know where to start. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is an outstanding movie from start to finish. From the beginning, where we meet the Amazons on Themyscira, Steppenwolf’s presence is way more terrifying here than in the previous Justice League movie. Although this movie is four hours long, with six different chapters, it really felt like a two and a half hour movie. The action is insane and every member of the league proves their worth here. If I have to pick a specific favorite it has to be Batman, however. In the previous Justice League directed by Whedon, I was so disappointed in how comical they made him. Everything from the conversation with Aquaman, to even the final battle was horrible with Batman. Zack Snyder took a entirely different approach and I loved it. Here we find a Bruce Wayne who’s still serious, but has more faith aligned with his reason now. He knows he can’t save the world alone, and he knows he needs Superman. I was impressed with how much preparation he takes in the film, from his gauntlets to his troop carrier, we actually see Batman doing his homework and preparing for the invasion.
Negatives
Negatives? Where? Not in this film. If you want to give me something to complain about then there are some scenes where the slow motion was a little too much after awhile. However, if that is my only problem with a film, then I’ll take it.
More Positives
Snyder pulls no punches with his version of Justice League. Make no mistake, this movie is definitely darker. The loss is immense and I felt every moment of it. A particular moment that comes to memory is the invasion of Themyscira by Steppenwolf. So many Amazons die in defense of the Motherbox here. I literally screamed when I saw Steppenwolf pick up an entire horse with one hand and hurl it at a troop of Amazons like a baseball. Although they were courageous, there wasn’t much they could do against the assault, and the villain eventually takes his prize.
Verdict
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is an instant epic, in my opinion. I really don’t know what WB was thinking when they released Joss Whedon’s Justice League. I actually went out and bought that on DVD to add to my DC collection and I must admit–now I want my money back! This version gives us more action, more story and more backstory to the characters that actually do them justice. It doesn’t feel like a bunch of people with superpowers meeting at random in the street like Whedon’s. Instead we actually see Bruce and Diana search for their teammates, we feel Bruce’s frustration at making this team work, and we see characters like Cyborg and Flash finally show their true potential.
Even at the end of the movie, Snyder doesn’t hesitate to give us fan service in the form of the “Epilogue”, the last chapter that gives us a darker view of a potential future of the DC Universe. Although talks of a sequel are currently flat, WB at least needs to do the fans the service of a DVD/ Blu-ray release. I’m already replacing my copy of Joss Whedon’s Justice League as of yesterday.
