Superhero films have become a staple in the past decade with both Marvel and DC releasing many well known films over the years.
With Marvel releasing new series and films during a new phase of the cinematic universe, DC has also been at work with releasing new films in their cinematic universe such as the recently released Wonder Woman 1984 and upcoming films such as James Gunn’s reboot of Suicide Squad, Aquaman 2, The Batman and more.
During the month of March, an extended cut of one particular film in the DC film universe has seen the light of day.
First released in 2017, Justice League was the fifth film in the film universe which followed after 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Originally directed by Zack Snyder, who previously directed 2013’s Man of Steel and 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, production of the film was taken over by director Joss Whedon after Snyder stepped down from the film due to the tragic death of his daughter in 2017.
After the film’s release, it had garnered mixed reception from both fans and critics alike, with criticism ranging from the pacing of the film to how rushed the plot of the film was.
And of course, no one can forget Henry Cavill’s CGI moustache.
After the film’s release, it has been revealed that the film had hours of content that was part of Snyder’s vision that never made it into the final cut.
Due to Whedon’s cut not living up to the standards of what fans wanted, they have since demanded for the original cut by Zack Snyder to be released and after over two years has come to fruition due to high demand.
Titled as “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” the film delivers the cut of what was originally going to be released based on Zack Snyder’s directorial vision.
Although the plot of the movie remained mostly the same, it has not only extended its runtime into a four hour movie with unreleased scenes and extra content, but has also made changes to the characters and the pacing of the film as well, making it flow far better than the original cut.
One example of these changes was through the character Steppenwolf, the supposed main antagonist of the original cut of the film.
Steppenwolf had gone through a tremendous change and was given an even larger role in the extended cut, but this time he was not the main antagonist.
The role of the main antagonist in the Snyder Cut was given to Steppenwolf’s former master Darkseid, one of the most powerful villains in the DC Comics Universe.
Other examples of the film’s change through the extended cut include the change to the beginning of the film, scenes that include backstory and lore behind the mother boxes, the mythology of the universe and characters that weren’t originally in Whedon’s cut of the film.
There are even more changes to the film in which fans of DC and comics altogether must witness themselves for the experience of seeing what Justice League was originally going to be.
The Snyder Cut of Justice League is a far superior version over the original and showcases many improvements that viewers of the original cut will appreciate.
The film is now available to watch exclusively on the HBO Max streaming service.
Once again, the film is four hours long so a lot of bathroom breaks are to be expected, luckily the film is divided into six parts so when viewers need to stop watching they will know where they left off.
Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League is the true way to watch the film, with it having a far more fleshed out story, extra scenes that were cut from the original film, the live action debut of Darkseid and even more lore and content to the story, DC fans and fans of comics in general are sure to have an enjoyable time with this film.
Although the extended cut is currently not canon to the DC Extended Universe, many fans have pushed to have it canon, and only time will tell if Warner Bros. will answer that call.
With the massive positive reception the Snyder Cut has received, there may be hope for DC’s cinematic universe yet.
