DC_Comics_519
Zack Snyder's Justice League (colloquially referred to as the Snyder Cut) is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League, the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and an immediate sequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), presented the way originally intended by director Zack Snyder prior to departing the production. Like the theatrical release, it follows the DC Comics heroes Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) as they form an alliance and are joined by a revived Superman (Henry Cavill) in an attempt to stop the catastrophic threat of the interdimensional conqueror Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) and his army of Parademons but this time in order to defend Earth from his overlord Darkseid (Ray Porter), the despotic ruler of Apokolips.
Justice League, released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2017, had a difficult production. Its script underwent major changes before and during production between 2016 and 2017. In May 2017, Snyder stepped down during post-production following the death of his daughter, Autumn Snyder, and Joss Whedon was hired to finish the film, completing it as an uncredited director. Whedon oversaw reshoots and other changes that incorporated a brighter tone and more humor while reducing the runtime significantly in accordance with a mandate from Warner Bros. The theatrical version polarized critics and was a box office disappointment; this resulted in the direction of the DCEU being re-evaluated, with Warner Bros. opting to develop future films around individual characters instead of works set within a wider shared universe.
Many people expressed interest in Snyder's version of the film, which they often referred to as the "Snyder Cut". Although industry insiders considered its release unlikely, Warner Bros. decided to move ahead in February 2020; in May, Snyder announced it would be released as Zack Snyder's Justice League as a HBO Max Original Film. $70 million was spent to complete the visual effects, score and editing, with new material being shot in October 2020. The release was originally planned as both a six-episode miniseries and a four-hour film, with the former concept being cancelled in January 2021 in favor of releasing it as the latter. The film is dedicated to the memory of Autumn Snyder.
Zack Snyder's Justice League was released on HBO Max in the United States on March 18, 2021. It became the fourth-most-streamed film debut on the platform that year. The film was generally better received than the 2017 theatrical version, receiving praise for its direction, musical score, action sequences, performances (particularly Fisher's), improved characterizations, and balance of emotional weight and humor, though some criticized it for its runtime.
|
|