Zach Snyder's Justice League

Released 18th March 2021, Zach Snyder’s Justice League tells the narrative of the Justice League uniting in the wake of Superman’s death. Sound familiar? Well, that may be because 2017 saw the release of Justice League; a hotchpotch attempt by Warner Bros to reshoot the film to their liking with minimal success. That said, we now have the original version of the film as planned by director Zach Snyder; the follow up film to Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film makes a grand push to establish themes of isolation, unity and self-worth; themes which are not as obnoxiously plastered as Man of Steel. Unfortunately, despite being helmed as the main character, Ben Affleck’s Batman doesn’t feel well-realised in his performance alongside ill-fitting moments of loftiness in his writing.

Gal Gadot and Jason Momoa do good jobs as Wonder Woman and Aquaman. While their characters are perhaps the weakest constant characters, their performances are solid and Aquaman receives moderate growth. For what we see of him, Henry Cavill does fine as Superman; due his minimal screen time however, you are never engrossed into his scenes as you might be for Cyborg or the Flash. Ezra Miller is hugely the loftier member of the Justice League who is also coming to terms with becoming a hero; a narrative thread which comes to a head in the final battle where he is the centre of a significant scene which will leave you in awe. Despite this, the absolute star of the film is Ray Fisher’s Cyborg. He is perhaps the most tragic character in the way he has to adapt from trauma and an unconventional powerset; Fisher is able to encapsulate every emotion you would want to apply to this character and more.

Surprisingly enough, Ciarán Hinds’ Steppenwolf is also a villain who is given sufficient depth. While his dialogue is typical villain-speak, he actually reacts like a living being in his facial performance; subtlest ques which make him engaging and enjoyable. The visual effects of the film are rather mixed; character models are generally quite good (with two exceptions); however, the landscapes don’t quite look right and subsequently suck you out of key moments. Junkie XL’s soundtrack is also an unfortunate downgrade from the previous films in this series with its overuse of Wonder Woman’s new theme and a few tracks which don’t feel very applicable to the scenes. Another aspect which is a bit frustrating is that the last 6 minutes feel tacked on and staggered compared to the denouement before it. Overall, Zach Snyder’s Justice League is a vast improvement over it’s estranged cousin, however, it still suffers from poor writing, technical misfires and a dissatisfying ending.