A Reflection on Zack Snyder’s Justice League — One of the Greatest Superhero Movies of All Time
The road to Zack Snyder’s Justice League was not a smooth one.
Following the negative critical reception from critics on top of the audience backlash to 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. sought to quickly course-correct for the following film, Justice League, which was scheduled to begin filming immediately after Dawn of Justice’s release.
The voices coming through criticizing Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice were that the movie was too “grimdark” and that it took itself too seriously. In less than two months, Geoff Johns was appointed the head of DC films, promising to bring “hope and optimism” to the DC universe. These were the lessons Warner Bros. was taking with them — informing them on the next steps for the future of their films.
However, Zack Snyder was still the director of Justice League and his plans for the film had already been mapped out as the movie began production. Justice League would go on to experience an infamously troubled production.
During post-production of the film in 2017, Snyder dealt with the loss of his daughter. Warner announced that Snyder had stepped down from the director’s chair to deal with the family tragedy which wasn’t the entire truth.
The truth was that Snyder had to simultaneously fight against studio interference and deal with the tragedy at the same time. Both at once was too much for him to deal at the time — and he decided that he had enough.
“I just was kind of done with it. I was in this place of [knowing] my family needs me more than this bullshit, and I just need to honor them and do the best I can to heal that world. I had no energy to fight [the studio], and fight for [the movie]. Literally, zero energy for that. I really think that’s the main thing.”
“I think there’s a different world where I stayed and kind of tried. And I’m sure I could have . . . because every movie is a fight, right? I was used to that. But I just did not have the [energy]. There was no fight in me. I had been beaten by what was going on in my life and I just didn’t want to, I didn’t care to . . . that was kind of where I was.”
— Zack Snyder
After Zack’s departure, Warner Bros. hired Avengers director, Joss Whedon, to complete post-production, direct and write additional scenes, and oversee reshoots that Warner Bros. claimed were minimal. The reality was that Whedon’s work was significant, changing the entire soul of the movie.
Warner Bros. also claimed that Snyder himself had picked Whedon to finish Justice League, which Zack has said is false.
The finished product that released in theaters has been coined by fans as “Josstice League”.
The theatrical cut of Justice League became a box-office disappointment and a movie known across the internet for its poor quality and production troubles.
Henry Cavill, who plays Superman, came back for reshoots in the middle of shooting Mission Impossible: Fallout. Paramount did not allow for Cavill to shave his mustache, leading to Warner Bros. spending time and resources on digitally removing Henry’s mustache in Justice League. Viewers noted that the digital removal in some instances, looked downright atrocious, leading to the birth of a viral internet meme.
Joss Whedon’s cut of Justice League was a misfire for the studio, with an anonymous Warner Bros. studio executive telling Vanity Fair how Warner internally felt about the movie; “When we got to see what Joss actually did, it was stupefying. Everyone knew it. It was so awkward because nobody wanted to admit what a piece of shit it was”.
Whedon was both absent from the film’s press and silent about Justice League before and after it’s release, seemingly distancing himself from the project. While Whedon received a co-writer credit, Snyder retained the only director-credit on Justice League. The opening credits of the theatrical cut label Justice League a “Zack Snyder film” despite Snyder having never watched it years after it was released — additionally being completely unaware of subplots that are present in the movie.
Christopher Nolan and Snyder’s wife, Debbie Snyder, asked Snyder to avoid watching the theatrical cut as they feared Snyder would be heartbroken over what became of his movie.
Snyder expressed his thoughts when asked whether he would use Whedon’s footage in his version of the film;
“I would destroy the movie. I would set it on fire before I use a single frame that I did not photograph. I would literally blow that fucking thing up”.
It is crystal-clear that 2017’s Justice League is not Zack’s film and is not representative of his vision.
Fans caught on fast and immediately demanded for a director’s cut to be released.
The #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement was born.
For years, fans campaigned for its release, urging Warner Bros. to release the fabled “Snyder Cut”. Many naysayers thought it was an empty wish and both them and Warner Bros. claimed that a director’s cut did not exist.
Ray Fisher (Cyborg), Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), and Snyder himself however, asserted that it was real.
The ongoing fan demand for the “Snyder Cut” was very vocal and persistent. In need of content for their streaming service, HBO Max, a decision and announcement was made by Warner Bros. in 2020 that the “Snyder Cut” would officially be happening.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was originally planned to be released as a miniseries on HBO Max before plans were changed and it became a four-hour film. Snyder volunteered to complete the project without pay, with new scenes being filmed, a new score from Junkie XL, and additional editing and visual effects work being done to complete the movie.
The release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League crashed HBO Max. The film would later go on to chart at the top of digital and physical copy sales charts.
The theatrical cut of Justice League is a strange, Frankenstein of a movie.
In contrast, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a massive four-hour epic. The film is representative of a director’s original vision and his immense love and passion for some of the biggest characters in all of comics history.
Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg. These are beloved, iconic characters that have occupied a large space in pop culture.
In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, each member of the team gets a moment to truly shine. The superheroes are used to explore different aspects of humanity and different themes in heroism.
At the heart of the film’s emotional center is Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. Cyborg, a.k.a. Victor Stone, is a star athlete that experiences a strained relationship with his father. His father, Silas Stone, is too focused on his work at S.T.A.R. Labs to concern himself with his son’s interests and be present at his games.
After a tragic accident kills Victor’s mother and leaves Victor with serious life-threatening injuries, Silas uses the power of a Mother Box to save his son in the body of a powerful cyborg.
Having lost his body, his mother, and his future, Victor struggles to accept the cards that he has been dealt in life and struggles to accept himself. For the rest of his life, Victor will have to live in the body of a machine.
Each member of the team — Clark Kent/Kal-El (Superman), Bruce Wayne (Batman), Diana Prince (Wonder Woman), Arthur Curry (Aquaman), Barry Allen (Flash), and Victor Stone (Cyborg) are all outsiders in their own way with immense potential for greatness. To become heroes and form the Justice League, each of them have to answer the call to volunteer themselves to a life of servitude and fight for justice.
Even before the accident, Victor sought to help those in need, boosting a classmate’s marks when their academic performance suffers after losing their house.
As Cyborg, Victor realizes he has become one of the most powerful beings on the planet — being able to access and tap into any digital interface. But the first thing Victor does with his powers is not something for his own gain. The first thing that he does with his powers is an act of heroism.
Victor takes notice of a struggling, hard-working mother raising two kids on her own who is unable to make enough to support her family. She is unable to make purchases from the discount aisle and faces eviction. Her account balance reads a total of $11.92. The woman is overjoyed when she sees the balance in her account rising dramatically, screaming in joy while in the rain.
Similarly to Victor, Barry Allen, a.k.a. the Flash (played by Ezra Miller), and Arthur Curry, a.k.a. the Aquaman (played by Jason Momoa), have a strong sense of justice and are also searching for purpose and belonging.
Barry is a young, inexperienced man who is unemployed and hasn’t quite found out exactly where he needs to be in his life. He has been haunted by the wrongful conviction against his father of killing his mother. Barry is obsessed with proving his father’s innocence despite his father’s pleas for Barry to move on with his life. Barry’s heart has always been in the right place — from a young age Barry has wanted to protect the innocent and bring justice. Barry’s journey revolves around him learning, discovering how to use his gifts, and making his own path.
Arthur Curry, being half-human and half-Atlantean, doesn’t feel like he belongs to either the underwater world of Atlantis or the surface world of human civilization. Rather than feeling he is a member of both, he sees himself as an outsider and belonging to neither.
He chooses to isolate himself from others, carrying a gruff exterior that prevents people from getting close to him. But inside, Arthur has a strong heart and the desire to do good in the world.
Arthur, Barry, and Victor begin to find themselves when they join the Justice League, becoming a part of something greater than themselves and using their abilities to help others.
Ben Affleck’s Batman takes it upon himself to assemble the Justice League in response to emerging threats. During Batman v. Superman, Bruce Wayne was a world-weary, cynical man scarred from the trauma and darkness he experienced throughout his life. Bruce didn’t trust anyone and chose to believe that darkness always corrupts those in power. This became a self-fulfilling prophecy as this cynicism corrupted Bruce and pushed him into becoming a hateful man who almost killed Superman.
Superman’s sacrifice in Batman v. Superman reminded Batman that men can be good, and that those who are must find each other to confront the darkness that always rises to threaten mankind.
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman is one of the heroes that Bruce/Batman finds a strong ally in; a fierce Amazonian warrior that has stepped out into the limelight once again to protect those in need.
In Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Steppenwolf lives underneath the heel of Darkseid, trying to get in his master’s good grace by forming the “Unity” through assembling the three Mother Boxes on Earth. Once assembled, the planet will be terraformed, transforming the earth and allowing Darkseid to conquer and rule.
All of the action here, in the Snyder Cut, works. The film successfully captures the epic scale and the action of a comic book, showcasing the cinematography of Fabian Wagner and Snyder’s mastery of stylistic flair and visual storytelling.
Each member of the League additionally brings their own unique skillset and combat style to the film;
Batman is a human brawler who also relies on his vehicles and gadgets.
Wonder Woman is an incredible warrior who makes use of her strength, speed, sword, shield, and lasso.
Aquaman wields his mother’s Quindent and showcases some of his powers in the water.
Cyborg is able to tap into digital interfaces and morph parts of his cyborg body into weapons.
The Flash displays his incredible speed which comes in handy when getting people out of harm’s way and saving the world.
Finally, Superman is the powerhouse superhero who can fly, punch, and shoot heat rays out of his eyes.
The powers of each hero are used in clever and very satisfying ways, supported by a fantastic score from Junkie XL who returns from co-scoring Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice with Hans Zimmer. It is a treat to see all of these different heroes brought together for the first time in live-action as the Justice League.
With such strong character work done throughout the film’s runtime, the fight against Steppenwolf and the Parademons is entertaining and engaging as you become invested in these characters, get to know these characters, and experience the joy of seeing their team dynamic.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League successfully balances joy, fun, and humor with seriousness and world-ending stakes. The humor present in the film is more natural and subtle than many other superhero films, refusing to throw in jokes that takes away from the gravity of a situation or pulls the viewer out of the film.
The Mother Boxes serve as both the plot devices in Zack Snyder’s Justice League and in providing a strong link and insight into the rest of the DC universe. Humans, Atlanteans, Amazons, the Old Gods, and the Green Lantern Corps — all of them are tied to the history and backstory of the Mother Boxes.
The world that has been established in Zack Snyder’s Justice League is so grand in scale that it is very distinguishable from standard superhero stories. This is an epic tale set in a rich, massive universe. Snyder noted Lord of the Rings as an inspiration behind his take on the DC universe, and he successfully emulates some of the style while making heavy use of DC Comics’ mythology. The world-building elements are excellent, and what’s established in the movie elevates Justice League to a superhero epic fantasy adventure film as opposed to being simply a generic standard superhero team-up.
By the end of the film, the Justice League have successfully defeated Steppenwolf and his army of parademons. But Darkseid is still out there and promises to return for what he wants to claim as his.
Justice League was originally intended to be Part 3 of a 5-film saga, with two films following it and concluding the story. With Warner Bros. no longer working with Snyder and the studio executives calling Zack Snyder’s Justice League a “storytelling cul-de-sac — a street that leads nowhere”, it is currently unlikely that we will see a follow-up to the film.
The release of the “Snyder Cut” however, may have been more unlikely, and it still managed to happen.
Warner Bros. is currently developing Batman and Superman live-action films without Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as Batman and Superman; it is possible that Warner wants to stay on this direction using new actors and different incarnations of the characters.
Ben Affleck will be returning as Batman in 2022’s The Flash but a rumor suggests that Ben Affleck’s Batman will be written out of the DC cinematic universe and be replaced by another version of Batman. Time will tell the fate of Snyder’s versions of these characters.
Even without a follow-up to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Zack has managed to complete a trilogy of films that have generated a large and very passionate fanbase. While not every idea may have been explored, the trilogy still tells a coherent story — the introduction of a superhero to the world in Man of Steel, the challenges of navigating a world of darkness in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the formation of the ultimate superhero team in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
The story still ends with the Justice League being formed, gearing up for the future battles that await them. That’s what heroes do, because the war is never truly over.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League at its core is a simple story of heroes coming together to protect the world against a great evil. Yet it tells that familiar story with great depth and against the backdrop of the larger DC universe, making full use of the comics’ rich mythology. It stands as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time.
