The Snyder Cut - Adventures In Cautious Optimism.
“It will be an entirely new thing” claims Zack Snyder, director 2017’s D.C. Comics superhero demolition derby Justice League. Now, don’t get me wrong- my love of superhero flicks goes back to Batman ‘89 and undoubtedly kicked off my love for superheroes years before picking up my first comic book...but, how much will this cut actually change the film’s reception itself?
I will put it out on the table early so you don’t have to investigate- when it comes to films based around “The Big Two” comic names, I’m all Marvel with the exception of the aforementioned Michael Keaton romp and Shazam. So, yes I’m biased to Marvel movies, but with what I feel is good reason. I am a VERY passionate Batman fan...but to me at least, the D.C. cinematic continuity is the equivalent of throwing a racquet ball as hard as you can against a wall in a 4ft x 4ft closet. There’s NO build-up...it’s just there.
“HERE WE ALL ARE. A TEAM. A LEAGUE...OF UH...JUSTICE.”
It took a DECADE to build a universe around Marvel’s characters, bringing The Avengers together with The Guardians Of The Galaxy...but D.C.? Oh. They’re all together already.
We get Batman V. Superman which still to this day I can’t get behind, and the damage it did led me to walk into JL with apprehension. That being said, I will go on record to say that JL is leaps and bounds more palpable than BvS, but with the lack of buildup for multiple characters it simply felt hollow. I really want the Frank Miller-era old and grizzled, tired broken down Batman movie that is JUST A BATMAN MOVIE. Give me that. Don’t shoehorn him and everyone else in. It was SUCH a tease to see Jason Todd’s suit in BvS and then nothing in Justice League. Apparently there was a disagreement where DC Comics wanted to keep the Robin/Nightwing characters in the animated series, which isn’t dumb at all...but ok.
I will say this. I am indeed optimistic about the JLSC...but I’m nervous because I care. The studio is spending $20m to “make it right” and listen, if it’s a 4.5hr action-packed knock-’em sock-’em DC Comics movie that helps us move on to maybe establish a better continuity and future(or past) for the DCEU, I’m all in…
...but for now this is the face I’m making while waiting. Excited...but worried.
Paul Brown is founder of Kulture Popped and owns/operates Spotlight Marketing Solutions, LLC a full-service web design and marketing agency out of Atlantic City, NJ.