This fantasy hero-action film and 5th instalment in the DC Extended Universe, was produced by DC films, RatPac-Dune entertainment, and 2 others, released by Walt Disney in 2017, and directed by Director, Zac Snyder. Although Joss Whedon directed it’s post-production for the 2017 release.
Just to warn you before I begin, I will probably be using a lot of the word “probably” in my write-up about this film. When Justice League first came out, it didn’t get as much noise as it probably should have. I think it is probably safe to say that people are not as into or excited about DC films as they are Marvel.
Justice League - 2017
As the world still mourns the shocking but devastating death of Superman aka Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds), a monstrous being from a dark world, along with his parademons, unleashes himself on earth in search of 3 powerful Mother Boxes in order to destroy and claim the earth as a prize and make atonement to his Overlord and master.
Bruce Wayne aka Batman (Ben Affleck), with the help of the Amazonian demi-god, Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) join forces to build a formidable team to defend earth and fight against the deadly and powerful threat.
When superfast and witty Barry Allen aka Flash (Ezra Miller), broody half-man, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry aka Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and part-man, part-artificial intelligence, Victor Stone aka Cyborg (Ray Fisher), sign up, an unlikely but quite powerful league is formed. However, the threat to humanity and planet Earth was proving to be a very tough one, and the group might need a lot of help, possibly from a certain dead super hero…
There is a lot involved in the movie as we are delved into the lives and scenes from the world of Atlantis and Amazon, as well as the lives of each main character. A huge effort was put into, and there is a massive spotlight and focus on the heroes and their super abilities, strengths, and skills. There were some great jaw dropping, exhilarating scenes with the Amazonians, Wonder woman, and Flash.
The special effects were enough to deliver the right visuals, and it was a pretty good film. Sadly, though, not being able to quite pinpoint exactly why, it wasn’t a very memorable one. There was something lacking and not quite fulfilling about it.
Zack Snyder’s Cut -2021
Director Zack Snyder, who was initially directing the 2017 film, but later withdrew during production for personal reasons while Director Joss Whedon took over, probably felt the same way. Having directed famous cinematographic movies like 2004’s action-horror film - Dawn of the Dead, and 2006’s historical epic movie- 300, as well as other similar blockbusters such as 2009’s - Watchmen, 2013’s - Man of Steele, 2016’s Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, he was desperate to give Justice League the acclaim he felt it deserved. He decided to rework the movie with his own cut, which was later released in 2021.
As I stated in my Amazon review. It was definitely better than the first one. Snyder re-edited some scenes, added alternative footages that were previously edited out, brought in more details, and expanded on the actions and scenes. The visuals were pretty on point; practically the whole movie was CGI. His work made things a lot more vivid and drew things out a lot more. He certainly gave the movie a bit more noise and added more oomph to it.
However, I thought some things were a bit overdone; a number of scenes and actions were dragged out and slowed down to an annoying, and almost frustrating pace. This probably explains why the film was over 3 hours long!!! There were many slow motion scenes that were way too slowed down to have delivered the effects they were intended to deliver. I will be honest, I got really fed and annoyed at certain times, I just wanted them to get on with it.
While I loved Flash, as his cute and fun humour gave the film the serious comic relief it needed, Cyborg was a bit too angry-macho for my taste. Batman sounded like his over-muscled suit was squeezing the breath out of him; he just sounded too breathy. And was it Bruce Wayne or Ben Affleck’s face that seemed pumped full of Botox? In addition, I did not like the awkward, boring, and somewhat irritating last couple of scenes in the film. I thought they were pointless and did not need to be added.
Overall, Snyder went all out with this; great visual/special effects and CGI. The film was captivating, exhilarating, and exciting. It delivered... probably a bit too much. Kind of like a great pizza with a bit too many toppings - delicious but could probably have done with a little less on the top.
If I rate Justice League 7.2 out of 10, I rate Snyder’s cut 8.2 out of 10.
Currently streaming on Amazon Prime
Further information
Director
Writers
Screenplay
Played Clark Kent / Superman
Played Bruce Wayne / Batman
Played Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
Played Barry Allen / The Flash
Played Arthur Curry / Aquaman
Played Victor Stone / Cyborg
Played Steppenwolf
Played Queen Hippolyta: Diana's mother and the Amazonian Queen of Themyscira.
Played Silas Stone: Victor Stone's father and head of S.T.A.R. Labs.
Played Alfred Pennyworth: Wayne's butler
Played Lois Lane
Played Mera: An Atlantean
Played Commissioner James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department
Played Martha Kent
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