For better or worse, filmmaker Zack Snyder treats superheroes, especially those from the DC Universe, not as human beings with relatable problems, but as gods and mythic archetype figures that have to carry the burden of humanity on their shoulders. His films are grandiose in that regard, epic in scale, but also consequently melodramatic, solemn, and sometimes thunderingly overwrought. To that end, there are great myths to dispel about the near-legendary Snydercut, aka “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.” This infamous director’s cut—demanded by fans for several years until Warner Bros. finally acquiesced last year—has seen itself at the center of the online culture wars. The home team puts Snyder up on the same type of pedestal of god-like reverence, idolatry, and worship that he places his heroes. The opposition, often irritated by the slavish loyalty and toxic fandom surrounding the film’s discourse, is often derisive and mocking. So, likely to the disappointment of both warring tribes, rooting for opposite outcomes (though both will claim victory regardless), “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is neither masterpiece nor disaster. At four hours in length, the film is obviously overlong and self-indulgent. But it is more coherent and watchable than its original iteration and is at least not unbearably grim and overblown like “Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” nor as risible and incoherent as “Wonder Woman 1984.”

Read more…

Leave a Reply