Maybe this will teach the Warner Brother’s movie higher ups to allow their creators to create with trust and confidence. Maybe this will erase the memory of a messy and inconsistent film that reflected its patchwork pieces to come up with a pedestrian interpretation of a better film. Maybe this will open the door to a far different and more adult way of interpreting super hero films that might not be for every age, but becomes ageless. Enough of the maybes, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ does all of the above.
Breaking away from what is expected of super hero movies nowadays, ‘Zack Snyder’s Jusctice League’ provides a super hero film consistent with the original vision started with ‘Man of Steel’. It is dark, it is gloomy, but it is hopeful. I liken this film to the gothic stories of old wherein you have characters set in a situation that is near hopeless with that rare light at the end of the tunnel driving them to their destinations. For truly, wasn’t the reason Dante Alighieri’s Inferno came before Paradiso to make people face their own darkness first to better appreciate the light? That was the case for this film.
The story takes place directly after the events of ‘Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’, and you can see from the onset that this was a completely different film from the previous ‘Justice League’. Zack Snyder’s vision came to light with his setup of character buildiing of new heroes such as Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash while balancing it with previous character staples in Batman, Wonder Woman and even Alfred. The dramatic build up to the impending doom was just what the film needed to justify the gambit of reviving Superman from his eternal slumber. Never mind Steppenwolf. He’s small fry. When you’re going up against a threat like Darkseid, you truly need the hope that Superman gives on your side.
True, the film does not pit our Justice League directly against Darkseid himself. But, that’s more the case that they were able to prevent his coming in the first place, and not because they weren’t set to face him. For in all DC Comics lore, there are few greater threats than the Lord of Apokolips and his cronnies, Steppenwolf being just one among them. This raised the stakes to a worldly threat to an existential one. With Darkseid’s presence in ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’, we get to appreciate more the value of Superman to this story.
Let there be no mistake, this is a different film from ‘Justice League’ that came before it. Aside from the length, the treatment of the setting, characters and storytelling provide a better basis for the DC films that came after it. The vision is clearly set, and even sets the narrative up moving forward with what hopefully will be a proper continuation of this revived superhero franchise. Even the appearance of Martian Manhunter provides something to look forward to in future installmens of ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ as they move towards the power seven that is Justice League minus Green Lantern. However, elements of the film suggest that we might have a ring slinger making an appearance in the DC Extended Universe’s future. If not in this film, then maybe somewhere else.
All in all, ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ is a redemption film that reflects the true vision of the director. True, one might argue that the reshoots could be an afterthought of what worked in the previous film, and removing what didn’t work. However, that’s just pure cynical and insidious thinking. Zack Snyder loves these characters, and this story. Given a chance to show what he wanted, he would do so, and did so. What ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ provides us is an alternative way of telling super hero stories. Rather than be a super hero story, this film is a story about super heroes, and the difference can be seen in the end product.
‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ not only heralds the return, and highligths the importance of Superman. It also serves as a reminder of what happens when a creative genius is left to his own devices. Impending doom is averted, and hope in the future is restored.
Obskura And Then Some 