Justice League Snyder Cut: Should We Cut Whedon Some Slack? #Streamland

What’s the best movie – is it Joss Whedon’s 2017 Justice League or Zack Snyder’s 2021 Justice League? Victor makes the case for both of these directors and you be the judge!

In case you missed it by living off the grid or something, HBO Max just dropped a four hour movie called Justice League, which is sort of not a new movie?? .

Remember Justice League, that 2017 movie where Superman had a super effed up CG mustache? 

Hit play on our video and check out what we thought of the #SnyderCut and the great big Justice League debate.

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We also added the transcript below, if you’re in a hurry!

It’s actually a recut of that, with a different story pacing and some new scenes, based on the original director’s vision. Oh yeah, and it’s in an aspect ratio designed for IMAX, not your TV. Hello big black bars on the side of your screen. 

And if that’s not novel enough for ya, DC also wants to release this 2021 Justice League in yet another version – black and white.

But let’s see what happens with these two movies.

*image fades to black and white*

In one corner you have Zack Snyder, the man whose vision gave us The Watchmen and the best leg kick in cinematic history…aaaand that horrible Batman vs Superman thing.

In the other corner you have Joss Whedon, the man whose combination of dramatic moments and geeky jokes brought you the unforgettable Buffy and Firefly… aaaand The Avengers movies slash money-printing machines.

With Marvel ruling the silver screen, DC also wanted to make the money-printing machine go brrr, so they first hired Zack Snyder, then Joss Whedon, to work their magic on Justice League. 

*image goes back to full color*

So, if you open your TiVo, or what you use to keep up with your streaming ups, and saw these movies, you now see the answer to a very big question.

What happens when DC tries to recreate Marvel’s time-tested formula? You know, the one where you put all your superheroes in one pot and just have a 2 hour CGI fest, so the fans can spend the rest of their lives arguing which superhero is the most powerful.

I’ll tell you what happens…

The makers had to spend about 370 million to get 2 movies called Justice League to watch on your streaming apps – Whedon’s theatrical cut and Snyder’s Cut, plus some things for you to weigh in on.

1. Which director had the better movie? And 2. Which director actually failed?

Let’s see the arguments for the best movie.

Just kidding. There’s literally no defending the 2017 Justice League. Hit the like button if you agree!

This movie made little sense, aand they cut out the full origin  stories for Cyborg and The Flash…And speaking of The Flash, him falling on top of Wonder Woman cause you know, hehe, tension, was a total cringe fest.

If you want to see the full sequel to Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman, it’s Zack Snyder’s movie you should see, all four hours of it. Thankfully, HBO Max did put chapters in it, so you can watch a chapter every day, kind of like a mini series.

But still, I do think Whedon caught waay too much flak for this movie, because both sides have their issues.

Your honor, I’m here to present Whedon’s side: 

First off, Snyder was hired to make a 2 hour movie, and he had to make it waaay less dark than Batman vs Superman, which was, you gotta admit, not just bad, but also depressing. 

Did Snyder do it? Nope, he shot enough footage for 4 hours, killed all color until you had gray Superman and put in so much slow motion, *I think at least 20 percent of the movie is actually like this*.

Then, when he left the project, Joss Whedon, a director with a totally different style, had to step in and turn it into his type of story.

After all, execs wanted Justice League to be more like The Avengers, and that’s exactly what Whedon did, from the runtime to his funny one-liners.

Yes, 2017 Justice League cost 300 million and was a flop, but it’s not like Whedon spent all that money himself – he had to reshoot a lot of scenes and combine them with existing footage to make a new movie.

As for Zack Snyder, I think the last few years on social media showed who has the most support. 

Zack Snyder was the original director of Justice League, he also did the previous movies, so it was his movie at the end of the day. 

It took hundreds of thousands of people petitioning and supporting the ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtag, but Snyder did come back. Thanks to HBO Max and another cool 70 million, he finally presented his vision.

And now, lemme do a hot take: just because it’s the author’s vision, it doesn’t mean it makes for a good movie. 

From where I’m sitting, with my TiVo and my bucket,  Joss Whedon’s Justice League cut is just as flawed as the Snyder Cut – just in a different way. 

So, what’s your take? Who had it right and did Joss Whedon really tank this project? Share your thoughts in the comments, I’d love a debate.

Either way, I think the whole Justice League drama is a pretty cool insight into how movies get made and how important the right director is. Even if you’re not into superhero movies, I think you can spend a weekend checking them out.