Justice League Zach Snyder vs. Justice League – review addiction

Hurrah! Good won, common sense triumphed – the semi-mythical “Snyderkat” saw the light! They were glad, clapped, exhaled. It’s time to find out what finally came out on small screens. In this article, we will not simply evaluate Zach Snyder’s Justice League, but compare it with the theatrical version of 2017. Let’s see what she spends more time on, what less, how she deals with the characters and how she tells the story. With spoilers, of course. However, if you are not ready to spend four hours on a film that you are not sure about, then perhaps our analysis will help you decide.

Story

The plot of both “Leagues” is the same: the ancient Mother Cubes wake up on Earth, the villain Steppenwolf arrives at their “call” (“Steppenwolf” in localization), Batman gathers a team of heroes, together they resurrect Superman and save the world from enslavement. In Snyder’s version there are no new global plot branches – the story follows the already familiar tracks. But the context of almost all events is different. For example, in the theatrical version there is an attempt to tie everything to an alien invasion: it is because of the appearance of parademons that the terrorists decide to blow up a London bank, it is because of the fallen alien that the sailor’s boat, who is being rescued by Aquaman, sinks, and so on. But at the same time, it is completely unclear why Steppenwolf and his army suddenly arrived on Earth. Why did the Cubes call them now and not before? The answer to these questions is given already in the opening shots of Snyder’s “League” – Superman’s dying cry spread throughout the planet and woke up devices from another world. And this is just one example.

Nearly all of the gigantic plot holes in the theatrical version have been patched in the director’s, simply because they were created in hasty reshoots and in a desperate attempt to turn a four-hour film into a two-hour one. Because of this, such absurd details have appeared, such as a rock painting with Aquaman and Mother Cubes in some Icelandic backwater, or the fact that parademons burn the image of Cubes on the wall at death. And also in Whedon’s film there was a storyline with a Russian family that lives in the local analogue of Pripyat and is attacked by aliens. She was probably needed in order to raise the stakes in the final battle. Snyder solves this problem differently: he simply shows in a short flash forward what will happen to the planet if the heroes lose.

Characters (edit)

Almost all the heroes are at least somewhat different from themselves in the other version. The only exceptions are Commissioner Gordon performed by J. K. Simmons – there is even less of him in Snyderkat than in the 2017 version, and Alfred performed by Jeremy Irons – he issues sarcastic comments everywhere, albeit on various occasions. The rest should be discussed in more detail.

Cyborg

Now it’s clear why actor Ray Fisher declared war on Joss Whedon and the WB leadership. In Zach Snyder’s Justice League, Cyborg isn’t just an important character – he’s almost a protagonist. We are finally shown his backstory with a football match that flashed in the first teasers, a fatal accident and a painful transformation. We learn that his disagreement with his father is caused not only by the fact that he turned him into a car, but that he is not at all sad because he cannot appear to people, as was presented in the “theater”. The “inner world” of Cyborg was completely removed from the 2017 version, where he colorfully visualizes all sorts of digital processes. Together with him, a touching scene in which Victor helps an unfamiliar single mother disappeared. But these are trifles compared to the fact that, in fact, his entire arch was put under the knife. In Snyder’s “League” Cyborg manages to master his superpowers, accept the first battle, make peace with his father, lose him, dare to feat and ultimately save the world. Yes, formally, everything was the same, except for the death of his father, was in the “League” of Whedon, but at such monstrous speeds that key events can be missed by blinking. From the most humane member of the team, Victor was relegated to the status of a walking exhibition.

Flash

Joss Whedon uses The Flash solely as a jester. He got all the most dubious humoresques, such as the brunch monologue and the reference to “Pet Cemetery”. Yes, even Barry Allen uses his abilities for the first time in the film in order to play a big guy who was rude to him. At the same time, in a conversation with Bruce Wayne, he utters a rather strange phrase about the fact that it is difficult for him with people, because they are too slow for him. You might think that he received his abilities not in adulthood, but somewhere in early childhood. Well, if in this way Whedon tried to explain the oddities in the character’s behavior, then this somehow neutralizes more serious reasons – his mother was killed, and his father was in prison. As for heroism, the only merit of Flash from the “League” 2017 is the salvation of that very Russian family.

Snyder, on the other hand, introduces Barry through the feat of rescuing a girl from a car accident. In the same scene, you can see how shy Allen really is, awkward in dealing with people and lonely. At the same time, sacrifice and determination are not alien to him, which can be understood both from the extended dialogue with his father, and from the final scene, where the scarlet runner saves the rest of the League. And one more important detail: Flash is a fan of Superman, and, in fact, it is he who pushes the team to resurrect the Man of Steel. So Whedon reduced the second most important character in the film to the level of a comedy episode.

Aquaman

In Zach Snyder’s Justice League, Aquaman openly despises the Atlanteans. In a conversation with his teacher Vulko, performed by Willem Dafoe, he calls them a primitive and superstitious people, with whom he wants nothing to do. Only later, having learned the importance of unity and mutual assistance, Aquaman somehow accepts his legacy.

We also learn about the state of affairs in Atlantis. It turns out that Prince Orme, Arthur’s half-brother, has already become king and is even fighting some rioters, and later intends to go to war on land. This is somewhat at odds with the plot of “Aquaman” by James Wan, but it is understandable – in fact, we are already facing an alternative DC Universe.

Superman

In turn, “Snyderkat” becomes the logical finale of the Superman trilogy – the story of the birth, death and resurrection of a hero. After the battle at the memorial, Clark does not immediately move away from amnesia, but gradually remembers his love, his home, his mother, and only then himself. The voices of both his fathers – Jonathan Kent and Jor-El – are heard in his head. And Clark, fulfilling their mandate, finally accepts himself as Superman, the man of tomorrow and the guardian of the world.

And at the same time, in the final, Sups does not drag the fight alone. Yes, he still beats Steppenwulf and even cuts off his horn with a laser, but he cannot do anything with the Mother Cubes – only Cyborg and Flash can cope with them. Here’s how to balance your team.

Batman

However, not in all Whedon loses clean sheets to Snyder. The main lover of biblical references uses the same Batman very ambiguously. According to his version, after the self-sacrifice of Superman, Bruce, let’s say, came to believe. He gathers the team not so much because of an obvious threat from space, but because of sentimental impulses – he took an oath at Clark’s grave. And when Alfred tries to dissuade him from trying to resurrect a Kryptonian, Wayne replies that he has relied on cold calculation all his life, it’s time to rely on faith at least once. Hearing this from the greatest detective on Earth is at least strange.

Joss Whedon’s Dark Knight is much closer to the familiar image. This is a moderately cynical stoic, ready to risk his own life and strangers, if the case requires it. He wants to return Kent not because he feels guilty for his death, but because the world needs Superman. And Batman, almost the only one among all, has an arch, or at least its semblance. In the final battle, he prepares to sacrifice himself, but then realizes that this is not necessary – for the first time in many years, someone is covering him. It doesn’t excuse all the bad jokes they wrote for him, but it’s still better than nothing.

It’s also funny that in two different versions, Batman uses two fundamentally different gadgets, announced during the course of the plot. In the film, Whedona is a signal emitter that annoys parademons, while Snyder has bracers that absorb energy.

Wonder Woman

Diana Snyder is also treated quite strangely. The director dumps almost the entire exposition and most of the action on the audience favorite. Both are done an order of magnitude better than in the “theater”, but the character behind all this is difficult to discern. It’s more of a function in the armor.

Whedon wrote her at least a couple of good dialogues with Bruce. In them, she admits that after the death of Steve Trevor, she hid from the world and remained in the shadows for too long. That she is afraid to be a leader, because it means sending people towards danger. This speech makes Diana much more human than the scene in Snyder’s, where after the incident at the bank, she very pathetic and Hollywood calms the girl down.

Lois Lane

Another stumbling block is Lois Lane. Both versions paint her in completely different colors. For Joss Whedon, Lois continues to work at the Daily Planet, albeit prefers reporting about cat shows to serious stories. She is certainly grieving, but, as they say, on her feet. In the film, Martha looks at the editorial office, and they communicate like good friends, sharing memories of Clark.

Snyder Lois is deeply depressed. She sits at home all day, sorting through the things of the late groom and every morning goes to the Superman memorial. Martha comes to her, it seems, for the first time and in the course of a heartfelt dialogue begs to return to life. True, later it turns out that it was not Martha at all, but the Martian Hunter, who in the previous two films was hiding under the guise of General Swanwick. Lois comes to the memorial for the last time, ready to let Clark go, but at that very moment he is resurrected. Remarkably, in “Snyderkat” she herself appears at the scene of the battle and saves Batman from Superman, thereby mirroring a scene from the previous film. And in Whedon’s version, Lois is literally Bruce’s “secret weapon”. Which of these two interpretations is more honest and respectful towards the character is difficult to say.

Steppenwolf

And here there can be no doubts – Steppenwolf in the Justice League 2017 is disgusting and ridiculous. Who approved this redesign? Who decided that some guy in a horned helmet who looks like an intermediate boss in a Korean MMO would be a worthy opponent for DC’s most all-star team? He is not charismatic, not formidable, he has no normal motivation, except to get Cuba and take over the Earth. All he has is the distorted voice of the respected actor Kieran Hinds and strange phrases about “mother” addressed to (sort of) inanimate boxes.

In the “League” Snyder Steppenwolf was made what he was originally supposed to be – a ferocious chalky monster in cool alien armor made of movable particles. He seemed to have stepped off the cover of a metal album, which is right – this is how a native from the planet Apokolips should look like. And he even has motivation. Yes, simple – to curry favor with Darkseid, whom he once betrayed. But this is already better than what it was. Oh yes, there is Darkseid, the god of evil and terror in the DC universe. He appears in just four small scenes, but in each he shines with his own infernality. “Warners” definitely missed the villain, who, with the right approach, could leave Thanos far behind.

How it looks and sounds

One of the most controversial decisions of Zack Snyder is to release a film with a square image, sharpened for IMAX. The picture is no less from the sides – it is larger from above and from below. And if you are already accustomed to black stripes, does it really matter which side they are located on? Be that as it may, the eye gets used pretty quickly. But with special effects, the situation is difficult. They were being completed in the midst of a pandemic, besides, specialists had to work for the most part with material filmed several years ago. No edits, no additional filming – what is, then process, and in a short time and with a limited budget. The result is … patchy. In some places, the new “League” looks awesome, even now send it to the theaters. But already the next scene may resemble a cutscene of the PS3 era.

Впрочем, почти самое можно сказать и про фильм Джосса Уидона. Его тоже доделывали на коленке, из-за чего иные сцены вышли до неприличия мультяшными. Но в той «Лиги справедливости», в отличие от версии Снайдера, не видно единства стиля. Дабы никто вдруг не посчитал ленту мрачной, яркость цвета выкручена почти на максимум, без учёта освещения, декораций и дизайна костюмов. Из-за этого передний план частенько расходится с задним, а картинка кажется искусственной.

Ощущение мультяшности версии Уидона добавляет и саундтрек за авторством знаменитого Дэнни Элфмана. Увы, старинный друг Тима Бёртона в 2017-м выдал одну из самых проходных своих работ. Ни одна мелодия не усиливает сцену, ни одна не цепляет сама по себе, всё слишком обыденно и слишком по-элфмановски. В память врезается лишь пара моментов, когда композитор цитирует собственную тему Бэтмена, а также тему Супермена за авторством Джона Уильямса. Скорее всего, на качество материала повлияла спешка — ведь Элфмана буквально в последнюю минуту позвал Уидон, с которым они работали над «Эрой Альтрона», и композитор сочинял треки, зачастую не имея под рукой видеоряда.

Верный Снайдеру Том Холкенборг, более известный как Junkie XL, расстарался куда как больше именитого коллеги. Его саундтрек для «Лиги» — произведение поистине оперного размаха. Пафосное, торжественное, драматичное и полностью соответствующее духу фильма. Ну а женский хор, который запевает каждый раз, когда Диана вступает в бой, и вовсе пробирает до мурашек.

Как это ощущается

При том Снайдер не уходит с головой в мрачняк. Из всех его фильмов этот едва ли не самый духоподъёмный. Да и юмор в нём есть, много юмора, только шутки куда уместнее и органичнее вымученных гэгов в «Лиге» Уидона. Там отдельные юморески не разряжали обстановку, а попросту ломали тон сцены.

Для кого это снято

Что касается «Лиги справедливости» 2017 года, то её трудно кому-либо рекомендовать, особенно теперь. По задумке боссов WB, это должно было быть кино, рассчитанное на самую широкую аудиторию. И в каком-то смысле оно со своей задачей справляется. Там есть пара забавных шуток и не самый дурной экшен, так что если вам по большому счёту плевать на всех этих персонажей, да и на сюжетные дыры вы не обращаете внимания, то за этим фильмом вполне можно скоротать вечер. Обидно оттого, что некоторые сцены и некоторые диалоги, придуманные Джоссом Уидоном, не так уж и плохи. Кажется, если бы он с самого начала создавал проект, а не калечил бы творение Зака Снайдера под корпоративные нужды, получилась бы отличная «Лига справедливости». В конце концов, Уидон карьеру построил на историях про разномастные команды.