Why the Justice League Snyder's Cut Was Worth the Wait
- A Lifestyle Affair
- Mar 19, 2021
- 9 min read
I have been waiting for this movie for so long and I can't believe 4 hours just flew by so fast. The movie and superhero geek side of me was jumping up and down in excitement when I finally saw the release of this in HBO Go. But it wasn't without difficulty. HBO Go crashed so many times that I had to wait an extra hour more after it was released to finally watch it.
I stayed up on March 17th and waited for it to hit 12 A.M. because I was so excited for it to be the 18th. Stupid me thought that it would be released by then but I suddenly remembered, it wasn't 18th in the U.S. yet. It was only the 17th! I had to wait an extra day!
I think one reason this movie was highly anticipated because of the disappointing movie that we got from the 2017 version. But we can't put all the blame on Whedon for that. He had to squeeze the movie down to 2 hours and I know he had a hard time doing that because so many events took place in the movie: Batman's search for the heroes, Steppenwolf's quest in finding the mother boxes, having to show the backstory and powers of all the heroes, the revival of Superman and the final battle for humanity. Compressing that all into one 2-hour movie is no easy feat and that's why fans should stop being so hard on Whedon. The important thing is, we got what we wanted -- the Snyder cut.
There are so many things that I love about Zack Snyder's version and I thought 4 hours was sufficient for it to satisfy the fan in me but no. I want MORE. I want so much MORE. I can't do this in paragraphs so let me list down the things I loved about this movie that made it worth the wait (these are in no particular order).
(Note: This article showcases my personal feelings and opinions about this film. If you don't agree to any of it, make your own blog and write about it there. Lol)
WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!
DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED SNYDER'S CUT!
1. The Amazon Chapter
This part literally gave me goosebumps. I cried, I cheered, I cursed because this was honestly one of my favorite parts of the movie. I thought the 2017's version was good but when I saw Snyder's version of the amazon chapter, my gosh did it blew me away. Snyder's version made me realize what was lacking in the 2017 cut -- EMOTIONS. The Amazons showed no remorse for the death of their sisters in the 2017 cut and at first that made sense to me. But after seeing Snyder's version, it felt different. They felt more human. Form Hippolyta showing anguish for the sacrifice of her fellow Amazonians up to the daughters of Themyscira dauntlessly protecting the motherbox no matter what, this part in the movie was filled with so much emotions and power that one can only applaud at the direction of it. Let's not forget the chilling part when Hippolyta shouted "Daughters of Themyscira, show him your fear." and her sisters shouting "We have no fear!", literal chills. The fact that Joss Whedon cut that out of the 2017 Justice League movie is such a poor, poor choice.
2. Barry Allen's Power
Whedon's version portrayed Barry Allen as somewhat weak and sometimes a liability rather than an asset. One example is when Batman had to save him from falling. That always disappointed me because Barry doesn't deserve that. He's not just some humorous fast guy. He's the fastest man alive and with that he can even alter the course of time. That is why nearing the end, when he used his power to 're-do' the event, I cried. Again. I don't get emotional in dramas but when I watch superhero movies I cry so many times it's crazy. Lol. That just shows how much of a geek I really am folks. Haha. This is really ambitious of Snyder because showing this creates a lot of expectations to fans. Now, fans are already expecting a Flashpoint adaptation (Which we deserve btw). Anyway, I am happy that Barry finally has had the justice he deserved. He deserves to be shown as a powerful hero that is capable of standing next to Wonder Woman and Superman.
3. Wonder Woman's Energy
There is not one doubt in my body that Wonder Woman is my fave female hero. Ever since I was a kid, I would squeal with glee every time Diana Prince would pop up on the TV when I was watching Justice League. And how could you not love her. She's strong, beautiful, has a heart of gold, brave, noble, honorable, etc. I could go on but this article would be like a novel. Lol. I just loved Diana's energy in this movie. Compared to the 2017 version, I felt like her character here was stronger and more compelling. I think this has something to do with the extended version on how she saved the children in the beginning. In Whedon's version, we got the brief cut with Joss opting to cut out Diana's interaction with the little girl but I felt that it was a wrong move. Upon seeing it, I saw a more authentic side of Diana. Wonder Woman is supposed to be inspirational and she serves as a beacon of hope to all women and children that feel that they are weak. And that's why I feel appreciative to Snyder for keeping it in his cut.
4. Batman's Reality
Batman will always have a special place in my heart. He's one of those characters that I would always want to protect. And one of the main reasons is that he's got no special powers. He's a trained vigilante with a costume specially made to withstand and protect him from rigorous battles, much like Oliver Queen (Though obviously the two are not the same). But what I really liked about this film is that it didn't stray from the reality of Batman's boundaries. They didn't make Batman fight Steppenwolf. And it's for a good reason: Batman's human! They made sure Batman only did what he was capable of and only pushed him to the limits that are realistic. In this film, Batman became a vital piece in assembling the Justice League and without him and his ambition for forming a team, I don't think anybody could take his place. Each superhero played a vital role in the team and just because Batman doesn't have a super power doesn't change the fact that the team needs him.
5. Cyborg's Story
Unlike the 2017 version, we saw way more of Cyborg's backstory here meaning we got to know him a lot better. As a result, I started to like his character better. In the original cut, they didn't put much effort into making us like Cyborg or his character. They didn't show us enough of his humanity for us to sympathize with him. In other words, his character wasn't that much likeable in the original film. But upon seeing Snyder's cut, I got to connect with it more. Snyder's version made him more humane to balance out his android nature. I know I'm not the only that is going to be demanding a Cyborg backstory film or even a standalone film starring Ray Fisher. It's only fair he gets his own movie (every hero deserves their own movie in my opinion).
6. Darkseid's Appearance
Snyder showing Darkseid often made a LOT more sense to be honest. Steppenwolf saying "For Darkseid" did not make any sense since Darkseid wasn't even shown in the first place. Furthermore, he wasn't mentioned anymore after that. Steppenwolf was introduced there as the destroyer of worlds and nothing was mentioned about Darkseid. Darkseid's appearance and existence in the Snyder cut brought a lot of clarity and added more stakes to the heroes' lives.
7. Emotional Ramification
I was surprised by the amount of emotional scenes that the Snyder cut had. Considering that the 2021 version is Rated R, I was expecting that there were no emotional scenes at all but I was blown away at how perfect the emotional scenes meshed with the tone. It's emotional ramification was just right for the theme of the movie and I know it's not hard achieving that right mix of humor, drama, and action that's why I got to give props to Snyder on that one. Great job.
8. Questions Answered
I'm not gonna lie to you guys. When I saw the 2017 cut I was hella confused. Mainly because the transitions were sloppy (much like Suicide Squad), some things made no sense at all and some were just plain confusing period. So many of my questions were answered because of the Snyder cut and I am so so thankful for that. So many scenes made way more sense in Snyder's version and everything became clear to me. The terrorists' motives in the beginning where Diana saves the people were finally understood. Joss opted to cut the conversation between the terrorist and Diana that's why we didn't get to understand it in the first place but thankfully Snyder didn't leave it out. Secondly, the parademons that feed on fear made completely no sense to me. Also, in the beginning of the 2017 version where Batman hangs a burglar over the edge of a building to lure a parademon to his trap made absolutely zero sense because where the hell did that parademon came from in the first place? Did it just drop down from the sky? Like whaaaat? Unlike Snyder's version in which the parademons came with Steppenwolf when he first descended into Themyscira and then released the parademons unto the world to find the other two motherboxes. THIS MADE SO MUCH MORE SENSE! Thirdly, the nuclear plant being abandoned due to its high amounts of radioactivity which Steppenwolf harvested definitely made absolute sense rather than Whedon's version of having civilians live around the nuclear plant which by the way is absolute idiocy. The civilians present in the final fight scene in the 2017 version were an unnecessary distraction of the superheroes. Lastly, in the final scenes of 2017's version after the fight with Steppenwolf, unknown species of flora and fauna started to grow. Big question mark there. I felt Snyder agrees with my thoughts too that's why he took it out of his cut.
9. Comic Book Justice
I always love it when a live-action remake stays true to what inspired its production. I have been disappointed by some of the live-action remakes lately in terms of the way they tweaked it and changed some elements like Riverdale and Winx live-action remake. But in their defense, they wanted to make it into something different. But that doesn't stop me, a fan, from being disappointed. Anyway, back to the main point. Since I didn't grow up reading D.C. comics (I became a fan of D.C. when I was little by watching Justice League Cartoons in CN), I asked a close friend who was a fan of the comics to justify this bit. His comment on the matter is stated down below.
"The Snyder cut gave justice in some way it stayed true to narrative that was supposed to be told. It stayed true to the story Zack wanted to tell us, he read the comic books, made some allegorical references such as the Devil no longer coming from the ground but from the sky. The Snyder Cut provided us some clarity on the confusing narrative of the 2017 film, there are numerous scenes, dialogues and events in the trailer that did not make any sense when the film hit the theaters. Obviously, they used the original storyline and concept of Chris and direction of Snyder but they botched it when Joss intervened to place his "input" on the film because the edited version or Joss' input didn't made any improvement to the film as how the WB Execs wanted it." - Vincent, D.C. comics fan
10. Potential for Sequels
If I'm being completely honest guys, when I saw J'onn J'onnzz, a tear escaped from my eye and I squealed like a little girl. I think that's because when I saw him, my expectations that they will also bring John Stewart's Green Lantern and Shayera's Hawkgirl reignited. I am still not losing hope. I am still holding on to the hope that they will bring the two to reality. Watching the series as a little girl, I loved their romantic arc. But not as much as I loved Batman and Wonder Woman's romantic tandem. Which leads me to point out another potential sequel or another potential film which we all NEED -- Ben Affleck's very own Batman film. Ben Affleck's Batman, Jared Leto's Joker and Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke is a fan's dream right now. Batman and Joker's interaction at the end was golden and it ignited fans' passion and determination to ask/petition for that movie to happen. Snyder's film also paved way for a potential Justice League vs. Injustice League sequel. The thought of having Lex Luthor, Joker, Cheetah, Bane, etc. fight against the heroes are making the little fan girl inside of me pray hard for Warner Brothers to make it happen. Obviously the things I've stated here are just some of the potential sequels and films that this movie has paved its way for. Whatever happens, it's up to the execs at Warner Brothers to make the decision of returning the Snyderverse.
If they don't, they'd be pretty stupid obviously. The Snyderverse is obviously a potential money maker. Let's just hope the people up there aren't stupid. Or if they are, let's hope they'll get replaced by people who are sensible enough to return the Snyderverse.
This is my first time showing the geek side of myself by publishing an article that I am clearly passionate about. Lol. I should do it more often. Hmmmm... Anyway guys, I hope you enjoyed the Snyder cut too and in support, it doesn't hurt to tweet #RestoreTheSnyderVerse in Twitter. Lol. The petition for the Snyder cut worked so let's not lose hope guys.
Signing off fellow geeks,
- Anne D. ♥️
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