Holy throwback to a much simpler time, Batman! It’s Thursday, so you know what that means!
Hello, internet! (Trying to be more general because the last time I was actively posting I always mentioned “Steemians”, and we all know how that went…) Welcome to another installment of Thought Bubble Thursdays! This is actually the 20th entry to this epic saga, but since it’s been more than two years since I last posted the previous issue, allow me to refresh everyone’s memory, old and new. Huzzah!
Thought Bubble Thursdays (otherwise known as TBT) was a series of posts designed to discuss overarching themes between comics and comic book-related adaptations. As the series went on, it became more of the latter, but if I’m fortunate enough to gain some traction this time around, I’m planning to focus more on the underlying themes of the stories.
Basically, it’s my love letter to the media that helped tide me through to adulthood. Of which, I have a ton of backlog to get to, so I’ll try my best to make this a weekly thing once again so I can catch up.
Since the acronym for this series is TBT, what better way to mark its (official) first entry to the Hive blockchain than to run it back to the very first post of this series. Also, because of the rise of streaming platforms, what better time to post reviews of things that came out months ago?
SPOILERS ABOUND FOR ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE!
Oh, Justice League. Whatever criticisms that comes its way, you have to hand it to them. It’s a franchise that doesn’t know when to quit, which is good or bad depending on what side you’re on.
Recently, DC release the director’s cut version of the film. Affectionately called The Snyder Cut by many and officially called Zack Snyder’s Justice League by corporate suits, it’s a four-hour epic that fancies itself as the purest form of the Justice League film that was first released way back in 2017.
Since this post is basically the Snyder Cut version of the very first TBT post, I advise you to read that first (linked before the spoiler tag) so that I won’t have to write a novel for this one. I mainly want to focus on writing about the differences and the relevance of the Snyder Cut this time around. What I’m trying to say is, don’t expect a long post.
Who Made the Cut
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was made by the eponymous Zack of House Snyder. He was the man responsible for such hits as 300, Watchmen and most of the original Justice League film. I mean, he was still credited for it even if Joss Whedon (Buffy, Avengers) was ~made to look as the fall guy for all of the film’s negative traits~ responsible for wrapping things up. Zack had to pull out because of the untimely passing of his daughter, for which the Snyder Cut was dedicated. No jokes there.
The cast remain roughly the same, so that saves me the time of reintroducing everyone. This comes as no surprise, since the principal characters are pretty much a lock from a narrative standpoint.
What Made the Cut
When you have a movie that’s two hours long and you stretch it out to a little over four hours, you’re not going to have a lot of cuts. If anything, you’d have to add a bunch more stuff to fill the time, even the stuff that made the cutting room floor the first time around.
Of course they were able to flesh out The Flash and Cyborg’s backstories more since they have a lot more room to play with. They added more scenes with Darkseid and his goons, and they even had the space to introduce Martian Manhunter (a pretty big comic book character) who was apparently hiding under our noses this entire time.
With all of the new additions came a lot of problematic questions. Why didn’t Martian Manhunter help during any of the previous movies problems especially since his human form was a big part of Man of Steel? Was he okay with the Kyrptonians terraforming his adopted home? Along with a ton of other questions that I won’t bother going through.
TLDR: It’s a four hour movie, everything (and their grandma) made the cut. Well... except for one thing. Sadly, Henry Cavill's mustache still didn't make the cut.
Why Make the Cut
Money, I guess? Redemption, probably? A sense of accomplishment, maybe? Ultimately, what it boils down to is… I don’t really know why the fuck they bothered to release this. I’m sorry, but that’s the honest truth.
But, you know, I get it. Fans were clamoring for this for years, and it was talked about as if it’s going to rewrite how comic book movies are made for decades to come. It was going to be Snyder’s return to form, a saving grace if you will, especially with a string of duds ever since he took charge of guiding the DCU to the promised land. This was the film that was going to make you forget all about the MCU and launch DC back to its rightful place atop the echelon.
I was certainly curious enough to watch a rehash of a movie I watched four years ago, so I sacrificed an afternoon to take it all in. More importantly, I kept an open mind. As much as I enjoy the MCU and all of its offerings, it needs to have competition so that it would avoid complacency.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely… not.
This is the part where I should tell people that haven’t watched the redux to reserve judgment for themselves, but I strongly feel that it would be irresponsible of me to do so. If you watched the original and you enjoyed it, maybe you’d want to give this one a go for old time’s sake. But, if you were indifferent or hated it the first time, then this won’t change your mind. I implore you to not waste any of your time on this. Use the time to play with your children or tend to your plants instead.
Don’t listen to the hype about this being a way better version. The people who say that are either hopeless optimists or people who are detached from reality. I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with those people, I’m just saying that I’m happy that they enjoyed the film but I hope they don’t lead people astray.
Furthermore, this is a director's cut. A director's cut. By definition, everything should've been already filmed and the film was just edited the way the director wanted it, and not do countless of reshoots years after the initial film has been released.
It's like everyone's giving them a free pass to copy other people's exams, and for what? Just so they can catch up? They had years to improve based on the criticism and feedback, and even what other comic book films have done.
What did they do? They just threw all those chances away.
Sure, they were able to flesh out The Flash and Cyborg a bit more, but what did that ultimately contribute to the overall story? Nothing substantial. In the end, the whole conflict could’ve still been resolved by Superman alone. And, don’t give me that crap about the whole revised team-up thing in the end. They could’ve done without it, and you know it.
God I wish I can take those fours back.
I wish I can take the time it took to write this post back. Heck, I wish I can take the time it took for you to read this post back and give it back to you. But, feel free to leave a vote, if you’re so inclined ;)
I promise this isn’t what a normal TBT looks like. This film just infuriates me whenever I think about it.
Enough about me, how about you? What did you think about The Snyder Cut? If you haven’t watched it, have I persuaded you to not do so? Let me know in the comments down below!
No post credits scene for this one, let’s just cut to black.