Zack Snyder’s Justice League review – a cut above the original

From the ashes of Joss Whedon’s 2017 Justice League, writer/director Zack Snyder has fashioned a brand new cut at the behest of a hashtag (#ReleasetheSnyderCut): a four-hour redux that is more representative of his true vision, after he originally left the production in the wake of a personal tragedy. It almost seems like a cruel joke that Zack Snyder's Justice League runs at four hours – has any director’s cut in history dared to more than double the length of its original runtime? Why, we have to wonder, was so much left on the cutting room floor in the first place? And why is this a four-hour film and not a miniseries instead?

Having been brought onto the movie with the aim of refashioning it in more of a Marvel house style, Joss Whedon's Justice League emerged as overtly quippy, hyper self-aware and was clearly the result of a rushed and troubled production process. It was also the kind of film that evaporated from your mind the moment you left the theatre; endless circles of CGI, uninspired gags, a sense that nothing happening really meant anything. But the forgettable nature of Whedon’s version actually works in this one's favour. Anyone who saw that inconsequential movie four years ago is now unlikely to remember what parts they've already seen, meaning they're able to embrace this edition as something brand new.

The elephant in the room, of course, is that colossal runtime. Here is a director's cut that takes two and a half hours to properly introduce Superman. The original cut of this movie was forty-five minutes shorter than that. You get the idea. But this it not so much a new cut as an entirely separate film, with all the original intentions of the production restored. You can feel that from the very first frame, with the addition of a new, superior score from Junkie XL, and a more sombre, mediative title sequence that refamiliarises us with Snyder's admittedly portentous filmmaking style.

But where the characters felt previously lost in the frenzy, shoe-horned into a fast-paced, semi-functioning irony machine, Snyder serves justice for his heroes. The plot still hinges on Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) as he attempts to unite the titular league against world-crushing evil. But Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is rightly restored as a figure worthy of respect and not just a target for countless “hot” jokes (her introduction is miles better, and a testament to the power of careful editing). Meanwhile, Cyborg (Ray Fisher) gets an entire backstory that allows him to feel like the fully-realised member of the team he always should have.

Yes, this is still a blockbuster about a generic CGI villain and an army of CG minions, who are trying to gather a bunch of infinitely magical items so that they can destroy the world. But the added time spent on explaining said villain's motives to the point of comprehension lends him a weight the previous cut had no interest in. I won't argue in favour of Steppenwolf, or much of the story here at all, which is still as basic as they come; but it does seem less generic and more purposely archetypal because Snyder fully leans into the mythical notion of his Gods-at-war premise.

[Read More: Every Zack Snyder Film, Ranked]

Each scene, whether it's slowed down or sped up, now seems to offer some intriguing detail or something worth considering. For the first hour – the movie's best – Snyder actually taps into a hypnotic, quasi-religious rhythm – the cinematic equivalent of a stained glass window coming to life. Here, it's possible to get an idea of his vision at large and what he originally set out to create. The middle hours are less focused and more about filling in details and exposition, but they do eventually justify themselves as they build to a rousing finale.

What makes all this worthwhile is the sheer level of sincerity on display. Chapters with overtly earnest titles like “All the King’s Horses” might initially provoke laughter, but there's also something to be respected in Snyder's decision to treat his material with the utmost seriousness. Say what you will about this bombastic filmmaker, but his works are – their many flaws considered – genuine and personal. This Justice League won't everyone's idea of a good time, but Snyder does, at least, achieve a kind of tonal consistency that was for the most part the undoing of Whedon’s Frankenstein’s monster of a cut.

What's more, while being unashamedly dark and sombre, this version is also infinitely warmer and heartfelt. Not surprising, perhaps, considering the footage is now being used as intended, allowing the once wayward material to finally feel at ease with itself. The boxy frame does initially appear unnatural for a superhero movie but somehow it works: Snyder wants us to experience a film that is basking in its own idea of ancientness and the choice of aspect ratio – though, in its own way, silly – certainly imbues it with the quality of something to be taken seriously. Every action scene has been reworked to the point of newness, CG-heavy scenes for the most part thrilling and easy to decipher.

There is no forgiving the four-hour runtime, of course, especially since the movie builds to what appears to be a rather ideal finish and then tacks on another half hour of scenes that have no real bearing to the plot. The result is a film that overstays its welcome in ways that would make Peter Jackson feel like a master of the succinct. And introduced so late into the movie, it’s Superman who feels less in sync with this picture than any of its other elements; Henry Cavill’s uncharismatic performance in which he is at first required to play very evil before joining the league doesn’t exactly help to endear him to us.

In the final moments Justice League builds to a note of genuine catharsis that feels connected to the recent, tragic events of Snyder’s own life. An epilogue that culminates in a montage of fathers speaking to their children, some from beyond the grave, musing on the restorative power of family, is deeply poignant in a way that can only be read as achingly personal, like Snyder reaching out to make peace with not only this complicated, unfinished work, but with his own personal demons.

Unless you're creating something intended for projection on a gallery wall, four hours is quite a statement to make in any form. The fact this cut exists is one thing; that it is for the most part pretty darn good is even more impressive. Fundamentally, Snyder’s redux is an insanely expensive curio – but strong enough that it manages what was made to seem impossible with the original cut. Against the odds, it gives you hope that this franchise could still actually go somewhere.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is now streaming in the UK on Now TV.