Zack Snyder’s Justice League has mainly been well received by fans of DC and Snyder’s visual style. But reception for the 4-hour-long film, also known as the Snyder Cut, has been more mixed elsewhere, including among reviewers.
For some review samples see further below.
The consensus though is that the Snyder Cut is an improvement upon the Justice League version finished by director Joss Whedon that was released in 2017.
Whedon’s shorter effort was mostly seen as a stinker, and despite Snyder’s 2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice itself also being a stinker, fans rallied for Snyder to make his version a reality.
It cost an extra $70 million to pay for the special effects, post-production and an additional five minutes of photography footage to make the Snyder Cut a reality.
The Snyder Cut has been available since March 18, 2021, via HBO in the US and through other streaming services internationally.
JUDGEMENT
‘Parents need to know that Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a darker, more somber cut than the original 2017 film, with more (gory) violence and stronger language. Unlike the theatrical release, Snyder’s edit is slower and more character driven, with greater focus on the severity of the challenge that the band of superheroes faces. The film does celebrate teamwork and great courage, not only among the superheroes, but also regular people, who put their lives on the line to save others. The violence is ramped up and heightened, with far more death and destruction.’ Stefan Pape, Common Sense Media
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‘Snyder has a tendency to be monotonous, which he understands, hence all the bad jokes told by the Flash. But he’s most comfortable when he is just pounding away at the audience, as if he’s doing a four-hour drum solo. After three hours of Snyder’s thudding “intensity,” I should have been pumped for the climax. Instead, I shut the movie off to take a break. When I turned it back on, it was more of the same. Heroes, villains, punch, kick. The movie isn’t terrible. It held my interest. But none of it made me think. None of it delighted me. None of it made me go, “Wow” or even “Oof.”’ Kyle Smith, National Review
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‘The recut — it feels more correct to call it a “restoration” — contains zero Whedon footage. It’s broken into seven chapters with titles, each of which has a serene self-contained quality, reminiscent of issues of a monthly comic (as well as old-fashioned episodic television; the Snyder Cut is as much of a medium-blurring, “Is it TV or is it a movie?” project as WandaVision, Small Axe, and season three of Twin Peaks). Only a sliver of what’s onscreen is wholly new, notably a forward-looking “teaser” conversation between Batman and the Joker; but Snyder generated so much material originally — much of it shelved by Warner Bros. without being properly finished by visual effects artists — that the totality still feels like a new work.’ Matt Zoller Seitz, rogerebert.com
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‘Typically for a Snyder movie, a big chunk of the hefty running time is spent in super slow motion. Sometimes, the director overindulges — a rescue involving a flying hot dog (no, really) feels overlong — but generally it’s used in the service of accentuating action beats. At times, it feels needlessly violent — Wonder Woman goes overkill on some terrorists in an early re-edited scene — but more often than not it feels satisfying, especially in a crowd-pleasing final act.’ Amon Warmann, empireonline.com
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‘There are definitely elements you could cut without too much detriment to the overall story, but for fans who had been calling for this version of the movie, there will be no such thing as too much. The six parts would work just as well as episodes if you wanted that approach, as each comes to a defined end. It almost goes without saying, but those who aren’t fans of Snyder’s style or his previous DC offerings won’t find anything to change their mind. There are copious slow-motion sequences, CGI-heavy and over-stylised set pieces, and the downbeat, muted tone rarely relents, although it might be a surprise to see some quips (especially those from The Flash) and gags were in Snyder’s original version.’ Ian Sandwell, Digital Spy
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‘The broad strokes of Zack Snyder’s Justice League feel very familiar to those who watched the theatrical cut. The story hits the same beats and, at least in summary, begins and ends in the same place. But in watching the new version, what strikes is how much more the story is allowed to breathe. Instead of a frantic dash from battle to battle, this new interpretation allows the audience to dive deeper into the minds of the characters and better understand the stakes behind all the action. And for the editors behind this project, this is exactly what it was meant to be from the beginning.’ Anhar Karim, Forbes
