Whedon vs Snyder

​Well, it was bound to happen and why not? Everyone else is doing it. I even hear that Great Clips is offering an HBO Max tie-in appropriately titled The Snyder Cut (can you add about two hours to the sides). So, here we go, in honor of all of that and, because everyone else is doing it, my thoughts on The Justice League, the Snyder Cut.
 
Before we perform a ceremonial pig-pile on Joss Whedon (yes, I think referencing a pig is quite appropriate), I want to state that I was a fan of some of his earlier work. Some episodes of Buffy the Vampire Killer are some of the finest television ever written. And Firefly, well, I was late coming to the short-lived series but eventually became a huge fan. The first Avengers is groundbreaking and opened up the whole genre of filmmaking. But as Patton warned, all glory is fleeting and the first in the series was followed by Avengers: The Age of Ultron and was as bad as the other film was good. I’ll leave out the Shakespeare at the Hollywood pool party which literally is Much Ado About Nothing, so, there you have it. Fan to not, quicker than you can say Marvel: Agents of Shield.
 
From what I have read, Warner’s (Warner Brothers to the uneducated and to anyone who has never been invited onto the lot), decided that they did not like Snyder’s version and were looking for a way to can him. Like the rest of his super-hero films, his version of the story was too hooty snooty (their words not mine) and needed to include more fun. You know, like The Thin Man or, say, The Hangover Part III. And this caped crusaders as gods bit. That definitely had to go. Keep the sermons to Sunday, brother, So, when Snyder’s back was turned with a family tragedy the boom was lowered and he was let go. Apparently, Dorothy Parker wasn’t available, so the studio turned to Whedon to turn what they already had into Justice League: Smart, good looking and sassy. They reshot some major footage, added a metric ton of quips, digitally erased a mustache and turned Synder’s black Superman suit into a more fitting and cheerful red and blue. The result is just what you would expect and is what I suspect of starting the whole pandemic that we find ourselves in, henceforth to be referred to the Whedon flu.
 
Now, onto the Snyder cut which is divided into 6 chapters (which is the exact number of Christ’s apostles cut in half, get it?), and runs shortly over four hours. Despite the running time, the movie has clear goals and accomplishes most of them. Characters that seemed a bit thin in the original have been fleshed out, and the story itself seems to make a bit more sense. I watched the film in increments, and it seemed to work. I stayed interested and found the additions compelling. The addition of The Martian Manhunter, Darkseid, Deathstroke made sense with only the multiple worlds, Joker scenario and the Lord of the Rings when is this going to end not really working for me. But, with all that, I think it is the superior version and definitely worth a look or three. I will be revisiting, just to see it in black and white.