Zack Snyder's Justice League: 10 Issues That Hold It Back From Greatness
Well, at least it's better than Wonder Woman 1984...
After years of fan campaigning and anticipation, it’s finally here. Zack Snyder’s cut of 2017’s Justice League – which once looked like it’d never see a release – is now streaming on HBO Max.
It’s safe to say that this was one of 2021’s most anticipated film releases, but is it any good? Was all that campaigning just for yet another DCEU disappointment?
Thankfully, not at all.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a thoroughly satisfying alternative version and a more coherent and developed work than the solid but messy original cut. It benefits hugely from Zack Snyder’s terrific direction, strong performances, solid storytelling and an admirable sense of ambition, making it a fascinating and engaging superhero epic.
At the same time though, it’s far from perfect. It does still have some of the issues that plagued the earlier DCEU films and come to think of it, not all of the problems with the theatrical cut are fixed either.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is 100% worth seeing, but if fans go in expecting a masterwork they’ll be disappointed all over again. They will find this a far more satisfying viewing experience if they keep their expectations grounded, and here’s why…
10. It Still Suffers From The DCEU's Rushed Development
What is the biggest reason, aside from the hellish production, that the original Justice League didn't work better? The answer is that it was made far, far too soon.
The DCEU was in no way ready for the Avengers-level event, since the producers hadn't figured out exactly where the franchise was going and half of the Justice League hadn't even received solo movies yet. Zack Snyder's Justice League might be a radical recut of the original film, but it can't quite escape these issues.
The team-up and finale still feels somewhat unearned since the franchise's over-arching story was so rushed - after all, most of the plot points seen in Justice League had only been established in one other DCEU film (that being Batman Vs. Superman).
Another huge problem is that the death of Superman (Henry Cavill), seen in Batman Vs. Superman, happened far too soon in the DCEU timeline and this really undermines Snyder's Cut, since the film spends too much time focusing on his resurrection. It also kind of defeats the point of the movie.
The message of the film initially seems to be that these heroes, united together, can defeat Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) but then the team are talking about how they can only defeat Steppenwolf with Superman there, which heavily undermines its supposed message.