One of the most damning aspects of last year’s Justice League was its lack of identity. Thanks to a cacophony of studio reservations, the stepping down of Zack Snyder, and excessive reshoots, the film that was supposed unite the original comic book supergroup on the silver screen in spectacular fashion ended up an arid directionless disaster. Fan reaction was decidedly mixed, though even those that defended the film’s quality conceded hunger for a Snyder-cut of the film. Warner Bros. claimed a Snyder-cut does not exist. However, don't forsake the possibility just yet, as Snyder himself might have hinted at the contrary.
A few days ago, Screenrant reported that a Snyder-cut of Justice League was "more complete than you realize." The article detailed several accounts that claim that a Snyder-cut of the film exists, though the report hastened to say it had yet to be verified by an official statement from ether Warner Bros. or Snyder. While Snyder has yet to speak out about the matter formally, he did like this article on the social media site Vero, which many fans eagerly interpreted as a gesture of confirmation from the withdrawn director.
This may very well be the case, but I’m confused by the feverish yearning for the Snyder-cut. I recall when Batman V. Superman was released, both the theatrical cut and director's cut received a severe beating from fans.In fact, there was a petition drummed up to remove Snyder from future DC projects.
I understand wanting Justice League to work—the film debuts characters that are dear to many of our hearts. But the fact of the matter is the film is fundamentally broken. The tone was uneven, the acting was shotty, and the CG was poor, but irrespective of all that, the story simply doesn’t work. In fact, I’d argue a Sydney-cut of Justice League is potentially worse, or at best only marginally better than the version we got. I like the guy more than most, but the foundation of DC Films has always been feeble. Sorry, let’s hope Aquaman turns things around.
