Just how different is Zack Snyder’s Justice League from the theatrical release? We compare and contrast both versions to find out.
After four years of disgruntled fans demanding Warner Brothers and DC to “release the Snyder Cut,” and a very successful ad campaign over the past several months, Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) is now available in all its four hour extravaganza glory on HBO Max.
Whether it was worth the wait or worth watching is up to you – especially after reading the Bam Smack Pow! review. Yet considering how both critics and audiences maligned the original version of Justice League (2017), there’s only question which matters: “Does it make any difference?”
To answer this, yours truly all but sacrificed sanity and sleep patterns by watching both the theatrical and the director’s cut of Justice League back-to-back. This, of course, proved to be an interesting experiment and viewing experience unto itself, and the result proved more astonishing than anticipated. Because while Zack Snyder’s Justice League is different than the theatrical version, you don’t appreciate just how different the films are until you see one right after the other.
Those changes are what we will be going over, covering what effects they had on the narrative, characters, and even stylistic differences. Naturally, there will be plenty of SPOILERS, so it’s best to read this after watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Yet, I’ll also keep some of the movie’s spoilers to a minimum just in case.
The opening of Zack Snyder’s Justice League vs. the theatrical cut’s opening
In terms of the overall plot, both DCEU films are almost the same. Yet it’s also apparent that both cuts are very different movies. This isn’t just due to the films having different running times, or that the Snyder Cut has additional and expanded scenes, but how both movies edit and arrange their scenes that make all the difference. And these differences, and how they fundamentally alter the overall story, happens right from the opening frames of both versions.
In the theatrical cut, the movie begins with smartphone footage in which a group of awestruck kids interview Superman (Henry Cavill) for their blog. The scene then shifts to an undetermined time after Superman’s death in Gotham City. Here, Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) stops a would-be burglar and encounters a Parademon for the first time, a sequence clearly inspired from Geoff Johns and Jim Lee’s Justice League #1. Afterwards, we have montage accompanied by Sigrid’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” showing the state of the world after Superman’s death.
None of this is in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Instead, the Snyder Cut opens with Superman’s death from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), specifically showing how his death cries literally sent shockwaves around the world. It’s these very shockwaves which wake up the Mother Boxes, especially one that’s guarded by the Amazons on Themyscira. After this, we then cut to extended version of Bruce Wayne attempting to recruit Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa). Oh, and Bruce recognizes him right off without the help of a mural and speaks fluent Icelandic, thank you very much!
Thus in the theatrical cut, Joss Whedon places greater emphasis on Superman being a symbol of hope and how his death – and that lack of hope – affected the world. In the Snyder cut, Zack Snyder uses Superman’s death to drive the narrative forward while also making the movie a logical extension of Batman VvSuperman. It also sets up a grander sense of scale than the theatrical cut, telling its audience that this won’t be an Avengers-style redux with DC characters.
The action sequences
Another way showing how scene composition affects both movies are in their action sequences. Watching both versions, you can tell that most of the edits in the theatrical cut involved trimming the fight scenes. While this certainly helps makes for a shorter movie, it also robs what is Synder’s greatest strength as a filmmaker: That when it comes to hyper-stylized fight choreography, Snyder is second-to-none.
It also makes a huge difference when the score is composed by Tom Holkenberg, a.k.a. Junkie XL, instead of Danny Elfman. As good of a composer as Elfman is, his score doesn’t pump up the adrenaline the way Junkie XL’s does.
Thus, when Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) fights the terrorists at the London bank, the Synder Cut really sells just how powerful the Amazonian princess really is, and ultimately her sense of compassion towards the hostages. When Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) arrives to take the Mother Box from Themyscira, the Amazons’ desperation, courage, and self-sacrifice are even more pronounced.
Then there’s how each director approaches the film’s climax. In the theatrical cut, Whedon establishes that there are poor families settled around the derelict Russian nuclear power plant which Steppenwolf and his army use as a base of operations. Clearly, Whedon added this development as a way of raising the stakes while also giving the Justice League an excuse to engage in some lifesaving heroism and witty banter. Also, these scenes are shown during the daytime with a brighter color grade, which has an effect of making the movie feel “safe.”
The Snyder cut removes this subplot entirely. Instead, the town surrounding the power plant is abandoned due to it being the site of a nuclear meltdown; in fact, it’s the very reason why Steppenwolf chooses this place as his base, with the residual radiation being what powers the Mother Boxes. In addition, the base changes with each Mother Box installation instead of all at once like in the theatrical cut. The climax is also shot at night when all three Mother Boxes have fused together, giving these scenes a greater feeling of impeding doom that the League must stop.
The characters
As stated in Bam Smack Pow’s review of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Steppenwolf and Cyborg receive the most improvement from the theatrical cut as characters. Aside from a complete design overhaul, Steppenwolf’s motives for obtaining the Mother Boxes are different, too. As he’s been exiled from Apokolips, his invasion of Earth is all about making amends for “betraying” his lord and master, Darkseid (Ray Porter).
Yes, Darkseid is better established as the even greater threat for the DCEU in the Snyder cut. Unlike the theatrical cut, it was Darkseid, not Steppenwolf, who led the first attack on Earth during the “Age of Heroes” flashback (which is also far more extensive and brutal). It also includes speaking parts for his henchmen, DeSaad (Peter Guiness) and a blink and you’ll miss it cameo of Granny Goodness. Also without getting into heavy spoilers, Darkseid’s motivation for wanting to conqueror Earth and the multiverse will be recognizable to fans of the DC comics, especially if they’re familiar with Jack Kirby’s New Gods.
As for Victor Stone/Cyborg, the Snyder cut recounts his origin and devotes much of his restored character arc towards the relationship between his father, Dr. Silas Stone (Joe Morton). One also can’t help but see a direct parallel between Victor and his father with that of Clark Kent and his father in Man of Steel (2013). Moreover, the Snyder cut does a better job in showing just how extensive Victor’s technopathic powers are, along with his connection to the Mother Boxes. In short, Cyborg is changed from a minor character into the film’s most important.
Barry Allen/Flash (Ezra Miller) also gets some extra attention, including a scene in which he saves Iris West (Keirsey Clemons) from a car accident. There’s also a greater emphasis on what he’s capable of doing involving the Speed Force, which the Snyder Cut shows involves time travel. It’s that later ability which also ends up being crucial during the movie’s climax, with Barry motivating himself with the very words his father, Henry Allen (Billy Crudup), mentioned to him earlier.
That said, many of Flash’s scenes from the theatrical release are no longer present. This includes Batman giving him advice about saving people, the post-credit scene of his race with Superman taken from Superman Vol. 1 #199, and that very awkward moment where he lands on top of Wonder Woman before quickly getting to his feet. Basically, the Snyder Cut maintains Flash as the “comic relief” of the team without going overboard with it like in the theatrical cut.
There are much more subtle changes, though, when it comes to Aquaman. Both films portray the future King of Atlantis as a cynical, rough-around-the- edges type, with an affinity towards outcasts since he feels like one himself. But the theatrical version doesn’t shy from making Aquaman the butt of some jokes. Hence we get Bruce’s “I hear you talk to fish” line, or the scene in which Aquaman reveals what he really thinks to his teammates after accidentally sitting on the Lasso of Truth.
Snyder’s version, however, makes it clear that the heir of Atlantis is closer to the X-Men’s Wolverine than he is the Avenger’s Thor. In fact, he’s the only member of the Justice League who thinks it’s a bad idea to use the Mother Box to resurrect Superman. Synder’s cut also does a better job in setting up James Wan’s Aquaman (2018). Not only does this version show that this is the first time he meets Mera (Amber Heard), but a scene with Willem Defoe as Arthur’s mentor, Nuidis Vulko, is also restored.
And there’s two other notable DC characters who have prominent roles. One of them is Silas’ assistant at Star Labs Ryan Choi (Zheng Kai), the third version of the Atom. The second character happens to be a signature member of the Justice League. In fact, this cameo appearance also changes the context of certain key scenes in both Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. Of course revealing who this person is, when they appear, and even the actor who plays this character, would also be too much of a spoiler to reveal here.
The Trinity
As far as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and their supporting characters, what’s really surprising is that the Snyder cut streamlines their story arcs. If anything, it’s the theatrical cut which added more material involving the big three, particularly Bruce and Diana.
Batman v Superman hinted towards some possible romantic chemistry between Bruce and Diana, and the Snyder cut has a scene suggesting this as well. But for the theatrical cut, Whedon filmed additional dialogue scenes between Bruce and Diana that underscores this even further. There’s also moment in which Diana argues against bringing Superman back, to which Bruce counters that she’d be in favor of this if it were Steve Trevor. The theatrical cut also adds an additional reason for Bruce forming the Justice League, in that because he’s no longer in his prime, he’s passing the torch of leadership off to Wonder Woman.
As none of this is in the Snyder cut, Batman’s motives for forming the League and bringing back Superman are more clear cut. In addition, it allows Diana to have more interactions with the other members, particularly Cyborg and Aquaman. There’s a different dialogue scene between her and Alfred (Jeremy Irons) than the one from the theatrical cut, which also shows just how fussy Bruce’s British butler is about making the perfect cup of tea. Diana also doesn’t have foreknowledge about Apokolips’ previous invasion of Earth as she does in the theatrical cut. Instead, she learns about this history from a secret Grecian mural hidden under the Temple of Artemis – the same temple that Queen Hippolyta shoots the flaming arrow at to warn Diana about the impending invasion.
As for Clark Kent/Superman, there’s no uncanny valley lips, as the theatrical cut had to digitally remove Henry Cavill’s mustache as he was also on set for Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018). But the Snyder cut still did some CGI manipulation when it came to Superman’s suit. That’s because in this version, Clark dons an all black costume after his return, a clear nod towards the Death of Superman storyline from the original comics. There’s also a moment which echoes his first flight from Man of Steel, complete with voice overs from Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner).
The real changes when it comes to Superman all involve Lois Lane (Amy Adams). The Snyder cut shows that Lois is incapable of moving on from Clark’s death to the point that she’s stopped working at the Daily Planet. This also means we get a different scene between Lois and Martha Kent (Diane Lane) which is more heartfelt and, thankfully, doesn’t have an awkward “thirsty” joke. But there’s also a twist to the scene which, depending on your point of view, may be a cool Easter Egg or completely unnecessary. There’s also a hint Lois might actually be pregnant, which may tie into what Zack Snyder originally planned for future Justice League movies.
The Epilogue
Finally, we come to the ending, for which there’s about as many in the Snyder Cut as there were in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). When it comes to closing montage, it’s not a voice over from Lois like in the theatrical cut, but Silas. It’s not the same wording, either. Whereas Lois’ narration in the theatrical cut was about the celebration of heroes, Silas’ narration is about achieving one’s potential, which not only ties into the film’s larger themes, but also Cyborg’s story.
Then there’s the Legion of Doom teaser with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello). As explained in our “Justice League ending” article, this scene in the Snyder cut is identical to the one from the theatrical cut except for certain key lines of dialogue. It not only sets the stage for Justice League 2, but Ben Affleck’s version of The Batman that ended up being scrapped in favor of Matt Reeves’ upcoming reboot.
And then we get a new vision of Batman’s “Knightmare,” which also has the much reported on return of Jared Leto reprising his role as The Joker. And no, this is not Batman having a hallucination; the Clown Prince of Crime has indeed joined the Caped Crusader alongside Cyborg, Flash, Mera, and Deathstroke in a very uneasy truce. It actually does make sense in context and also feels reminiscent (but not quite the same caliber) as the interrogation scene between Christian Bale’s Batman and Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight (2008).
In fact, including the “Knightmare” scene from Batman v Superman, this is the third vision of the future in which Darkseid takes over the Earth. That’s because earlier in the movie, Cyborg experiences a possible vision of the future from the Mother Box seconds before the League resurrects Superman in the Kryptonian ship. In short, it confirms that Snyder did have a greater plan in mind for Justice League sequels and the DCEU. As to what those plans were, well that’s for another article.
As for which version is better? Again, I’ll leave that up to you, but I will say this. When Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) first showed in theaters, critics at the time panned it. Then came the director’s cut in 1992, and what was once considered a box office flop didn’t just transform into a science fiction masterpiece, it became the only way to see the movie. I wouldn’t go as far as to call Zack Snyder’s Justice League a “masterpiece,” but it’s definitely the only version of Justice League in my mind.
What did you think of the differences between the original Justice League and Zack Snyder’s Justice League? Leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!