The Synder Cut Released! : A Review of a near perfect movie that proves how toxic studio interference really is.

Zack Snyder’s cut of the Justice League is a perfect example of how an insipid studio’s interference can turn a classic gem into an archaic piece of coal. The Joss Whedon Justice League 2017 theatrical release and the HBO Max release of Zack Snyder cut are night and day. Look at the trailers for example:

2017 Original Release:

2021 Snyder Cut:

Notice the big difference between the two? The 2017 release shows neither Darkseid or the actual villain of that film Steppenwolf. Darkseid wasn’t shown and barely mentioned in that version at all and Steppenwolf’s CGI was noticeably unfinished as well as horribly underdeveloped as a character or as an antagonist. The Snyder Cut’s trailer however, gives you all the Darkseid you could want in all his evil glory(he also looks fantastic btw) and we also get a Steppenwolf sighting. The tones are also vastly different with the 2017 version being much more bleak while the Snyder Cut throws a bit more action and genuine stakes in the mix with Darkseid’s addition being the most helpful in that regard.

A great video by Youtube channel by New Rockstars that highlights every change made from the 2017 version to the 2021 version:

My Review:

Now what you’ve been waiting for…. This isn’t so much of a review as much as its a fanboy just fanboying. I. Loved. This. Movie! The film was four hours long but you just never feel the time. I couldn’t get enough of it and was surprised because I didn’t know if it would be worth the watch since it was supposedly just a restored version of a movie that already came out that left me feeling cold. But boy was I happy to be wrong! There was massive improvements from the Whedon version, not only in tone but also the cinematography, camera work, texture etc. of the film was far richer and more in depth than what we got before. Everyone knows Zack Snyder’s specialty is the long slow shots and man does he use it to excellent effect here. Check out the insane Flash saving Iris West scene:

It’s a crime that this was left out of the 2017 version because it really showed us what Barry Allen could do and was a perfect introduction to the character than what we got in the original release where they skipped past this amazing intro and just cut straight to Barry meeting Bruce Wayne:

Action\Fight sequences:

Man, oh, man. If you love the long fight sequences that pump you up to where you’re on the verge of jumping out of your seat and fist pumping the air then you’ll love this film for the action\fight sequences alone. While the 2017 version did have some of these exact same sequences, the Snyder cut gives us much more to enjoy and gives us just a more well rounded sequence than the former, such as the Steppenwolf vs. Amazons battle for example:

And the big Gods Battle between Darkseid and his army vs. Zeus, Ares, The Amazons, Green Lanterns etc was pure masterclass:

I remember how furious my father was with seeing this scene. Not that he didn’t love it because he LOVED it but because this masterful scene was completely cut out in the 2017 release. A true travesty and proof that what hurt the 2017 film so badly was the studio’s insistence on cutting out gems like this completely. Imagine seeing this whole scene in theaters? Yeah, I’m pissed just thinking about how we missed out on this too.

The Flash and Cyborg:

As I mentioned earlier The Flash got to show out in the Snyder cut with his first intro and was given far more character development as well, the same with Cyborg whose entire backstory and screentime was mercilessly minimized in the Whedon version. This film gave both characters much needed development and stand out moments that only elevated the movie:

Set up for the future:

At the end of the Snyder cut we got some real meaty scenes that showed the seeds of future storylines being planted for a sequel and beyond that gave the overall film a much richer sense of world building as well as getting us actually excited for what the Snyderverse has in store:

Final Words:

The whole point of this entire article is to just say how royally WB screwed up by taking away the glorious gift Zack Snyder gave us and butchered it up by slicing and dicing crucial scenes, cutting screentime and character development for crucial characters like Cyborg, Flash, Silas Stone, Steppenwolf, and completely cutting out such important characters like Darkseid and Martian Manhunter. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a triumph and proves the point that it’s best to let the artist control their own work and that the people giving the money should back off and trust who and what they paid for.

’Til next time, folks!