Zack Snyder's Justice League Review: 7 Ups & 6 Downs
3. The Exhausting 4-Hour Runtime
While on one hand it's commendable that Warner Bros. and HBO Max granted Snyder the freedom to release a titanic four-hour version of his story, there is also something to be said for restraint, especially for a filmmaker as self-indulgent as Snyder.
As a result the Snyder Cut is certainly an overlong enterprise, and though it's sensibly chunked into seven chapters, there's the unmistakable feeling that Snyder included every single piece of usable material he shot for the film.
And so, the Snyder Cut includes at least a few lengthy slow-motion musical montages too many, ensuring that if viewed in a single sitting, it ends up feeling like a bit of a slog.
It's still hugely preferable to the extreme alternative we got back in 2017 - a bare minimum two-hour superhero dud - but the saying "kill your darlings" exists for a reason.
Few films reach their greatest form by including everything, and sometimes a little executive oversight isn't a bad thing (though given WB's tendency for interference, Snyder has probably earned a pass here).