Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) Review

After 4 years, a social media campaign and countless trailers we finally have Zack Snyder's Justice League in all of its 4 hour glory. It is crazy that a social media campaign really convinced Warner Bros to release this film and I am glad after his personal tragedy that Zack Snyder got the chance to make this film they way he wanted. I watched the film today and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a group of people with remarkable abilities coming together in order to save the world from an ancient evil. 

Main Character

I have always said that I really like Ben Affleck as Batman and I think he is great here. He is back to being a more serious character but you see more clearly here how the character has progressed since the events of Batman V Superman and Affleck does that well. He isn't given a real standout action scene but he is given a consistent amount of decent action and Affleck still has the physicality of Batman to make that seem realistic despite being the only member of the team without powers. Gal Gadot is back as Wonder Woman and I think anybody disappointed by Wonder Woman 1984 will be very happy to see her being a real star here. Gadot is a real glue that holds the heroes together and she does it really well and she really shines in the action scenes, she is the main one who shines in the action scenes and that is a real highlight. 

Supporting Characters

In the original version of Justice League, I thought Ray Fisher did a decent job as Victor Stone/Cyborg but he is so much better here and is easily the best character in the film. He is the real heart of the film and we learn so much more about Victor and the pain that he has and continues to go through in his new form. His role is larger and provides some real depth and delving into his personal life does a great job in telling his narrative. Ezra Miller is Barry Allen/The Flash and he is a fun member of the cast, he is clearly the comic relief of the film but he never becomes too much and unfunny, he has his serious moments but he works well as part of the group and is a nice addition. Jason Momoa is back as Aquaman and he is also a lot of fun here, we get a bit more of his backstory and it does work better here and make him feel like he has some development that links to his solo film. Henry Cavill is also back as Superman and he is okay, honestly he isn't in this film that much but he has some really standout moments and though he is less charming then he was in the theatrical cut he is still good here. The real surprise though is Ciaran Hinds as Steppenwolf. In the theatrical cut he was such a dull villain but here is a terrifying physical presence that has an interesting character arc and he was a great opposition for the Justice League here. 

Story 

The overall story isn't too different to the theatrical cut but it is handled much better here. The characters are just given way more development time here and it does make you care about them and the way they develop as a group. The film has a much larger scale and for the most part it does work, it doesn't feel too shoehorned in and fits the overall feel of the film and what could have been the future of the DCEU. 

Script

The script is good, there is plenty of drama here and we see the characters go through some things that especially with the longer runtime makes you care. There is also humour sprinkled in here mainly from Miller, Momoa and Jeremy Irons as Alfred which does lighten the film at times when it very much needs it. 

Style 

The one thing you can say about Zack Snyder is that he makes great looking films and this is another one of them. The action scenes are great and filmed really well to really encapsulate the epic nature of the characters and the film that we are seeing. Now the one major glaring issue is that this film is 4 hours long and it really shouldn't be, I appreciate the majority of the new content but there are clear parts of the film that could have been cut and it would have provided a better pacing, 3 hours is surely long enough, Avengers Endgame did it and I think this film could have done it. 

Overall

Overall, this is a fantastic film and a Fantastic experience. This is a much improved version of Justice League and what it does is make me want to see more of Snyder's vision for the DCEU. 4 hours is a big commitment so I think only fans will do it but I would say give it a chance, it is a lot of fun. 

Rating - 9/10