3/18/21 - Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) - 4+/10

Unlike this film, I won’t make you trudge on through overwrought extravagance or grimdark metaphors and give you the gist: Snyder’s Justice League is a better film than Snyder/Whedon/Johns/studio film. It is more tonally coherent, plot intelligible, and character forward. It is impossible to truly separate the two, and if one must have them duel for supremacy, ZS’s fanboy godsend topples its competition.

That said…

It damn well had to have, given all the hype, all the money, and the interminably long runtime. This isn’t exactly apples to apples, but more a rotten mango compared to an overripe DC vodka filled watermelon. They are both unpleasant no matter how you slice them. Just because it is a better film certainly doesn’t make it a good one. It is still a generic and flawed plot, often hints of character rather than actually development, unnecessary tossed in Easter egg characters/plot bits, and an insane subplot that would make no sense to anyone but hardcores. It is a refined and intentioned mess now, but still a mess..

Some positives from this film:

It begins with the end of BvS, which ties the two together for a seamless vision. Of course, it is all done in camera spinning 360 CGI slow motion gluttony, but I suppose it is good to remind your audience of what just happened.
I feel as though it highlights the more mythical nature of these DC heroes and how important to the people these heroes are. These are not just gods playing around. In doing so though, they also sacrifice subtlety, but something about beggars and choosers…
The look of Steppenwolf, the main villain, is much better in this film. Much more alien, with his shifting needily armor. It makes the otherworldly technology feel more of a piece and, practically, it is shielding all but his eyes & mouth giving you less room for error. That said, he also looks like a weird horned human pig dog. Shoulder shrug.
Many of these similar plot points seem all through more grande here. To the film and Snyder’s credit, he loves bold bombastic scenes, leaving nothing to ponder or decipher. This works well with our large godly entities and doom swirling apocalyptic conflict. It also does a much better job of telling a coherent story with connective dramatic tissues. The time was uses well in this sense, but rarely should anyone need 4 hours to push forward such narratives lucidly.
Ok. The Atlantis scene is much better in every way. It is actually quite cool and enjoyable.
This film is much more diverse, from the ancient warriors on the battlefield, to the learned minute scientists, to the average symbol of the everyman; it is expansive culturally, racially, and in gender. Bravo.
I can’t say that I remember every moment from the other one, but this film doesn’t feel as “male gazey”. The scantily clad body builder hammerZons aren't highlighted in an unnerving way and there isn’t the sexy bump of Flash into Wonder Woman. On the whole, it feels sexless and equal; which come off as positives here.
Along with feeling weightier, the characters actually somewhat become characters. Not all, but you are actually given time to develop a personality and an arc...kind of. But, if you need 4 hours to do that and tell your story, you are doing it wrong.

Ok. It is a more fervent and idealized vision that rose above the gutter sphincter of its mishmashed predecessor. Now for the less enjoyed shards of this flawed gem.

I'm pretty sure you would cut a half hour off this film if it wasn’t all dramatic slow motion. These things work well when used for emphasis, not ALL THE TIME. To that point, it is obviously Way. Too. Long. Editing here seems nonexistent. I think all available material went right into the cut. Sure, it does tell a story...but one of a bloated monstrosity.
It’s official: he has the most on-the-nose and worst choice of music in all of moviedome. I can’t stand how blatant or how weirdly cross emotional (his sick desire for bellowing string filled dramatic ballads during slow motion action scenes) his musical choices are. Cringey eye-rolls every time. (side note: Can’t get away from Hallelujah, which again just doesn’t work here, but it was his daughters favorite so I guess that gets a pass. Plus it was in the credits.)
Yes, it is a desaturated color palette, everything in grays and blacks, unending fight scenes, and bleak material - it’s a Zack Snyder film. But the level to which this is much more gruesome and super melee intensive felt like what a 13 year old would think is “mature”. Things like CGI blood splatter on the camera from a random death is overkill. The need to mutilate, impale and dismember your foe is transcendently grisly for these fairly squeaky clean god heroes. And the “f*cks” - oooh, how edgy. Batman saying “I will f*cking kill you slowly” not only is antithetical to the character, its simply gross.
Wonder Woman’s powers are the most “whatever necessary for the moment”, varying wildly from scene to scene and film to film. Certainly stretches my ability to care.
Do you think maybe not giving your 20 year old god power over our entire world and all those in it would be a good idea? It definitely gives his character more depth, but it is also wildly irresponsible. Also, Vic’s acting is not wooden but steely. Perhaps it is for the character, struggling with his humanity, but if you only have half a face to emote with, maybe try and utilize that? Just a thought.
I will always be of the opinion that casting the man who played Miles Dyson in T2 (the man responsible for creating terminators) as the father/creator of Cyborg is not inspired but lazy. It’s truly a sign of Snyder’s cultural philosophy - instead of creating just piggyback off of established media moments, narratives, and symbology. Capitalizing on the shared knowledge of others work is just another instance of his penchant for shallowness and heavy handedness.
Saintly butterfly living Supserguy before he becomes the savior in God’s light. Yawn.
Time travel. Throwaway time travel at that. Harumph.
This Batman’s faith...how unBatmany
The intro of the big new character was just...hokey and shoved in. Superfluous.

The most apt metaphor for this film: From the beginning, Batman is working on trying to get this plane to fly. It’s special for some reason (Kryptotech maybe?). Anyways, there are multiple scenes of he and Alfred tinkering and toiling. It is a fools errand, not meant to fly. Finally, with the help of his buds, they get it in the air. It IS meant to fly. And, on its big and built up first flight, it crashes limply and instantly. All sound, no fury. A drawn out, bloated, chore of promise that looks vaguely cool but doesn’t really do anything. But I guess it got to fly eventually and perhaps that is all ever really needed; to be complete and free but for a moment.