**TL;DR – Snyder's original version of the Justice League is significantly better than its theatrical release. Although it's a 4-hour long film, it really shows us what the 2017 Justice League could've been without all the post-production changes under Joss Whedon.** The original justice league that hit theaters in 2017 was considered a critical failure in the box office, with critics scoring the film at a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes 45% on Metacritic. However, after nearly three years of protest and petitioning from fans for the release of the original Justice League envisioned by Zack Snyder, it was finally released last week through HBO MAX, and it certainly did not disappoint. The four-hour and the 2-minute film was a stark difference from the 2017 theatrical release with a much darker and grim tone, a complete change to the plot, newly added scenes, improved special effects, and additional storyline developments to characters like Cyborg, Steppenwolf, and Flash. Overall, the film has mixed reviews over its length and grim tone but significantly improved with a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. Snyder was the original director up to post-production of the film but had to step down after his daughter's death, resulting in Joss Whedon taking over the role of director. Fans and the Justice League cast were highly critical of Whedon's (involvement and changing several aspects of the film)[ https://variety.com/2020/film/news/ray-fisher-joss-whedon-justice-league-1234695831/]. He rewrote the script, added reshoots and other changes that added a brighter tone with more humor, and cutting the runtime down to 120 minutes. Warner Bros executives ordered these changes to make the film more [watchable and sellable]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_League_(film)#Post-production). However, this resulted on the contrary since the film didn't break even at the box office. After much protest by Snyder and fans, the film's original cut was released along with additional footage. The film has an unrestrained Snyder tone: desaturated visuals, using slow motions to emphasize action scenes and iconic imagery, and exploring the tragic nature of heroism through a gloomy perspective on superheroes. The film could be considered the opposite of the more light-hearted Marvel films. Although logical plots is not Snyder's style, it was an overall improvement from the plot presented in the theatrical release.

The Snyder Cut in Justice League is an improvement to the theatrical cut is an improvement, at least in terms of providing a more complete story. Snyder's vision for the DC Universe has been brash with impetuous storytelling that leaves its viewers feeling overwhelmed by its saturation of a genre that is meant for to be pulp entertainment. Some people like it, and they have every reason to. Everyone has their personal taste. But Zack Snyder's films, which currently comprise "Man of Steel", "Batman v Superman", and now "Justice League Snyder Cut", have proven to be a nettlesome corner in the larger scope of superhero films that dominate Hollywood. Snyder's vision equates superheroes with literal Gods through its slow, gritty montages of superheroes using their powers. Comparisons between superheroes and heroes of ancient mythologies are valid, since they both deal with humans doing superhuman feats that have fascinated its readers. But the heroes of ancient mythology were meant to help citizens judge morality and philosophy. The story of Odysseus, for instance, and his journey home is meant to embrace courage even in the face of fear (sometimes literally). Comic book superheroes were created purely as escapist entertainment as the United States became plagued with the Great Depression of the 1930s. The original, which I will refer to as The Whedon Cut despite that it's a messy cobbling of two artists of opposing views on superheroes as it was rushed into production, had it's fair share of narrative problems. Most particularly of a lack of screen time for most of its main characters such as The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg. The problems for these are rooted in its running time, which was two hours, compared the Snyder Cut's staggering four hours. There is only so much a single director can do with multiple main characters in a two hour film. Furthermore, only Superman, Wonder Woman, and to a lesser extent Batman, were given their own movies prior to its release. One of the reasons The Avengers became a success was that it had all its main characters introduced in their own movies (well, except for Black Widow and Hawkeye). Joss Whedon, at the point he assumed directing duties once Zack Snyder exited the picture, came with an understanding of comics' campiness. He wrote X-Men and Runaways comics and wrote and directed the first two Avengers movies. Despite Whedon's vision, he tried to maintain Snyder's vision while employing his own vision. The result was a Frankenstein monster of a movie with jarring shifts in tone, whereas Snyder's cut stuck to a single tone through its run. Fans of Snyder's vision felt betrayed and launched a campaign for Warner Bros, the film's studio, to let Snyder finish his film. The eventual result would be a film that brazenly spends it time setting up its characters, their entire origins, why they need to come together to face a threat, and the threat itself, along with moments of minor characters going about their daily business, a shoe-horned in cameo appearance of Martian Manhunter, and (very) lengthy epilogue setting up potential sequels. There exists such an amount of material that drags its pacing to a point that leaves its viewer with unbearable agony. It is of course, the same movie as the Whedon cut, but it's a different flavor. That means some of the weak narrative choices that dragged Whedon's version also drag Snyder's vision. The whole crux of the film revolves around the superheroes preventing the main villain, Steppenwolf, from obtaining three motherboxes that, when put together, will incinerate the world. The macguffins as a plot device are notoriously dull; they are over-emphasized in their importance that it drains the audience's patience. The main villain is also still extremely dull. Without a compelling villain, then the story has little to offer its audience, or its characters, a compelling reason to care about its conflict. The lack of interaction between how the characters interact further leaves the audience weary. One of the most fascinating moments in The Avengers was not seeing the superheroes save the world, but watching how the characters overcome their grievances for each other, such as Captain America and Iron Man's dueling viewpoing on whether superheroes are made or built, to achieve a common goal. Their lack of interaction leaves no chemistry that leaves its audience no reason to be entertained by seeing them work together besides having obtained prior knowledge that they are popular characters coming to share the big screen together. At four hours, there is no reason for a film as ambitious as Snyder's Justice League to be this dull. Then again, it is no surprise at this point how Snyder handles superheroes, so for there is little disappointment for avid moviegoers and comic book readers. Nor is there anything inherently wrong with a director being able to finish an unfinished project. And people who enjoy his viewpoint have every right to do so. But the Snyder Cut of Justice League proves that Snyder's vision will always be a controversial corner of the superhero genre. Film critic Alonso Duralde characterized Snyder's films as the "black licorice of cinema"; those who like it cannot understand why people do not, and those who do not like it find it unbearable. CITATIONS Duralde, Alonso. “‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ Film Review: There’s a Whole Lot More to Love – and Hate.” TheWrap, 18 Mar. 2021, www.thewrap.com/zack-snyder-justice-league-film-review-hbomax-snyder-cut-batman.