[Review] Zack Snyder's Justice League(2021) {8/10}

Directed by Zack Snyder with a screenplay from Chris Terrio, the film stars Ben Affleck (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Henry Cavill (Clark Kent/Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Gal Gadot (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), Ray Fisher (Victor Stone/Cyborg), Jason Momoa (Arthur Curry/Aquaman), Ezra Miller (Barry Allen/The Flash), Willem Dafoe (Nuidis Vulko), Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor), Jeremy Irons (Alfred Pennyworth), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Connie Nielsen (Hippolyta), J. K. Simmons (James Gordon), Ciarán Hinds (Steppenwolf), Zheng Kai (Ryan Choi), Amber Heard (Mera), Joe Morton (Silas Stone), Karen Bryson (Elinore Stone), Kiersey Clemons (Iris West), Ray Porter (Darkseid), Harry Lennix (J'onn J'onzz/Calvin Swanwick/Martian Manhunter), Peter Guinness (DeSaad) and Jared Leto (Joker). The movie is often referred to as "The Snyder Cut" and is dedicated to the memory of Snyder's daughter, Autumn.

The plot follows Bruce Wayne aka Batman(Ben Affleck) who after being fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's (Henry Cavill) selfless act, enlists newfound ally Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to face an even greater threat. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to recruit a team to stand against this newly awakened enemy. Despite the formation of an unprecedented league of heroes -- Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash, it may be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

This is the Justice League movie that the fans have been waiting for. It is far superior to the 2017 film and is in fact a completely different movie. The story and script by Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio is the perfect combination of a Lord of the Rings story told in a very Shakespearean way. You will feel the mythology of this world in a way we have not seen before in any live-action Comic Book Superhero movie. The action sequences are amazing which feels even more grandiose due to the epic score provided by Junkie XL aka Tom Holkenberg. The cinematography by Fabian Wagner is breath-taking. Unlike the 2017 movie, the stakes are higher this time. Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) is much more menacing and has a purpose of his own. Kudos to the VFX artists as they crafted the shots beautifully in a very less amount of time. There are character arcs for each and every character, especially Batman. Ray Fisher's Cyborg is truly the HEART of the movie and he more than anyone, deserves his solo movie. His whole character arc was butchered in Joss Whedon's Justice League movie which is straight-up racism. Ezra Miller's Flash is much better than 2017's Josstice League. Thank God Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman actually behaves like an Amazonian Warrior instead of...whatever she was in Wonder Woman 1984. Aquaman takes responsibility and behaves like an Atlantean Warrior instead of a thief. Jared Leto finally proved everyone wrong and delivered one of the best scenes of Joker. The conversation between Batman and Joker will give you goosebumps and is one of the best Batman-Joker interactions in live-action. The history lesson gave the epic Lord of the Rings vibes. There are no cringey jokes. The Flight 2.0 of Superman will give you chills. You will cry, you will cheer and you will notice that the film flows so smoothly that it will feel like a 2 hour 30 minutes movie instead of a 4 hour epic.

The only problem I have with this movie is that the script lacked the deep and impactful dialogues that are present in Zack Snyder's other movies like Watchmen, BvS Ultimate Edition and Man of Steel which is understandable considering the rewrites that Terrio and Snyder had to go through because Warner Bros. found the original script "Too Scary and Dark". You can clearly see the difference in the Knightmare scene as it was written by Zack Snyder for additional photography and was sent to Terrio for a few tweaks which thankfully Warner Bros. has not interfered. Other than that, the movie is everything you have ever imagined and will leave you craving for more. I have zero faith left in Warner Bros. regarding the DC Properties and hopefully Warner Media and HBO Max will restore the snyderverse and give the DC Fans the cinematic universe they deserve because Warner Bros. under the leadership of Walter Hamada and Toby Emmerich, clearly has no vision for the DCEU whatsoever.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is now available on VOD and HBO Max.