Zack Snyder’s Justice League is one of the most curious “premieres” of the year

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is one of the most curious “premieres” of the year. It can be seen from midnight on Thursday 18 (at 11:59 p.m., to be more precise) on DIRECTV, Apple TV and Google Play in Argentina , and on HBO Max in the rest of the world. The quotes in the first line are due to viewers already watching a Justice League in 2017, when it originally premiered. So the story comes more or less known: after Batman vs. Superman, with the hero of Krypton dead, Earth is invaded by Darkseid’s hosts. Meanwhile, the overcast Gotham recruits other superheroes (Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg) to face the threat. Although that version was mostly directed by Zack Snyder, his daughter’s suicide led him to walk away at the end of the project and then the Warner Bros. producers did their thing: they called Joss Whedon (who was just breaking it with the iterations of Avengers in the Marvel franchise) and put scissors in his hand.

With the film released, Snyder protested : those two hours of tape were far from “his” vision of the characters and the story. Meanwhile, reports appeared of complaints from the actors about the treatment that Whedon gave them when filming some passages of the film (the most notable protest was that of Ray Fisher, interpreter of Cyborg, whose role was greatly reduced in the Whedon version) . The controversy became so far-reaching that Warner’s offices finally decided to give him free rein to film additional scenes and capture his look at the most famous of the superhero teams in the cartoons: the Justice League. Among these additional scenes there are some added characters, which reinforce the film’s allusions to the contributions ofJack Kirby to the DC universe.

If 25 years later the fandom is still divided around the bat-nipples of the batarmors that Joel Schumacher put in Batman Forever , it is easy to foresee that the controversy between the versions of Snyder and Whedon will also last a long time, more considering that the works will be available and counterfactual exercises will not be necessary to analyze them. Still, many fans have already decided if they love or hate the Snyder’s Cut . Because if Marvel movies are sometimes questioned for their adolescent spirit, DC movies are criticized for the opposite.The dark and at times visually oppressive aesthetics of the former are far from what characters who supposedly inspire hope, such as Superman or Wonder Woman, should convey. This bias about the treatment of color is a holdover from Batman vs. Superman , despite the fact that the director had already commented that his intention was to make the image clearer and clearer as the movies go by. This intention is evident in this version of the story.

Snyder took note of the complaints of the fans – and the quarrels of the Warner producers – and here he appeals to a less melodramatic palette. It is sober, it does not have anywhere near the shrillness of the other overcast franchise, but it is not oppressive or distressing, as it happened in previous incarnations of the characters. In fact, several pivotal scenes occur in the morning , which is a subtle but important indication of the director’s intentions. This has two immediate effects: first, it makes it possible to cope with the four hours proposed by Snyder much better (against 120 minutes, half of what Whedon had done at the request of the producers). But in addition, and much more important, it accentuates the fact that Snyder narratesa rebirth story both literal (superheroes seeking to revive Superman) and metaphorical. Zack Snyder’s Justice League tells the return to the era of heroes, to the years when humanity was protected by the gods (and the odd extraterrestrial) of yesteryear.

In 2017, Warner’s producers called the first version of Snyder “unbelievable.”The result of 2021 is more than enjoyable, as long as the viewer is willing to go through the four hours of duration. But the pace is good and something is always happening that pushes the story forward. The hows and whys of the story are, yes, much clearer than in 2017, and the characters are also better developed. It is true that to do so it takes twice as long and that could make those who analyze any cultural product with cold equations and structures uncomfortable (the famous “have 20 minutes to spare”, “could have counted the same in 10 pages”), as if an artistic expression of any kind is defined only by its efficiency in the development of its plot. But at the same time,Aquaman and the two Wonder Woman – can come close to their motivations.

This article does not include spoilers. There are plenty of those on the Internet and Snyder himself was in charge of sliding them while handling the premiere (astute work there, Zack). But it is worth anticipating that the film does not have post-credits scenes, but it does have an epilogue with 25 minutes of love affair in which the director reveals his love for the characters and the DC multiverse, and also his desire to do more with this characters. In a franchise that is often criticized for appearing to slap drowning in every executive action, like someone who throws noodles at the wall to see which one gets stuck, it might be a good decision to give Snyder’s vision another shot.

Known supernames

The film that integrates a complete staff of emblematic characters from the DC factory presents interpreters who have already paraded on the screen (and who, in the case of Gal Gadot, finds a double presence before the premiere of Wonder Woman 1984). Ben Affleck takes on Batman again – and for the last time – along with Henry Cavill (Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Exra Miller (Flash), Jeremy Irons ( Alfred) and Ciaran Hinds (Steppenwolf). The production ran by Deborah Snyder and Charles Roven, while the script had six hands, those of Chris Terrio, Will Beal and Zack Snyder himself.