Zack Snyder's Justice League - Review

Directed by: 

Zack Snyder

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill,

Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher,

Ciarán Hinds + many more

Rating: 6 of 8

Zack Snyder's 

Justice League 

Almost everyone deserves a second chance. A chance to do things better, to do them differently - and to make things right. It took nearly three years, a massive amount of fan campaigning and a pretty new streaming service, but now Zack Snyder finally gets a second chance to see his Justice League vision realized. But the question is, is it worth it?

You can tell a great deal about anything from it's opening scene and so is the case with Snyder's League, as the film opens with Superman's death - but instead of simply showing us that and moving on, we instead get to see the hero's dying scream reverberate from one place to another. It really goes some way to show just how big an impact such a man's death would really have. Given just how big an impact it has on the film, it's fitting that it opens with it.

Like a number of other director's cuts, Snyder's adds a lot more than it takes away. After seeing it, it's hard to believe just how much was cut out of the theatrical release. There's swathes of scenes and characters present here that were either cut down in the original, or completely removed. While I can understand studios being reluctant to release a film with such a lengthy runtime, I just look back at 2019's Avengers: Endgame and given that's film's incredible success, I don't think they needed to be worried.

One such character is Darkseid, master of Apokolips - (Ray Porter, Argo) and though he doesn't appear much, when he does, he definitely makes his presence felt. His design's pitch perfect and his voice's suitably inhuman and brims with a commanding power. It's unclear just when/if we'll get to see his Darkseid again, but whether it's sooner or later, I'd certainly welcome it, especially with how it ends.

Though I already liked him in the original, Ray Fisher's Cyborg here not only gets a lot more screen-time, but a lot more to do. Not only do we get to see how Vic Stone became who he is now, we also get to see just who he was before - and a greater sense of just why there's such a wide chasm between him and his father. We also get a sense of just how much power is really at his fingertips and, because of both it and the moral dilemma it presents, I can actually see some potential in a Cyborg movie.

Ben Affleck (Batman) is as fantastic as he was in Batman v Superman and a significant improvement over his portrayal in the original Justice League, largely because it's played a lot more seriously here and given the gravitas it deserves. Aquaman (Jason Momoa) definitely get more to do here and, thanks to Snyder et al, has some truly epic shots, which are nicely enhanced by the roaring ocean. 

Here, Batman and Wonder Woman's relationship's got a lot less tension and is instead filled with a lot more camaraderie and kinship. Throughout, Diana carries a lot of pain and responsibility, though as an early scene shows, she still has a strong sense of compassion and care for those she protects. Ezra Miller's Flash is just as quirky as he was in the original, if not moreso, though he still gets a chance to show other elements, like his love for his Dad, or his adoration of Superman. He also gets a lot more opportunities to show Flash's incredible speed and another awesome power.

Much like the original, we don't get a lot of Henry Cavill's Superman, though what we do get is really good and just goes to show why he's such a great choice for the Man of Steel. Though we get some great examples of the hero's power, one of his best scenes is one showing just how much his fathers really loved him, which really shows just what the most important part of Superman really is.

Overall, Zack Snyder's Justice League is simply fantastic and an incredible improvement on the original. It's packed with thrilling, brutal action and simply brims with one word: epic. My few complaints are over Ciarán Hinds OTT Steppenwolff voice and an OTT performance from a villain in a later scene. Other than that, the film is simply amazing, one that I'd heartily recommend to JL lovers and critics alike.