Stockwell review: ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ goes deep

While I mainly teach film appreciation, I have a passing interest in history, and I often find those two subjects have a lot in common. While some events are not directly related to movies, I often connect the films of a period to something that happened during that time. In looking at March 25 back in 1919 at the Paris Peace Conference, the League Covenant was adopted and formed the League of Nations. In 1967, The Turtles’ hit song “Happy Together” reached No. 1 on the charts.

What do these two items have to do with movie reviews? Well, before I get to that, I want to know if you know which superhero is the best at baseball?

Batman, of course.

Why is Superman the only one allowed to swim at the public pool?

Supervision is required.

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (2021)

Back in 2017, the original “Justice League” was released in theaters to mixed results. Most of it had to do with the script and later production issues. Though it is not uncommon to rewrite and rework a script (even once filming begins), the majority of the film was rewritten and then rewritten again. When director Zack Snyder had to step down during post-production to handle a family tragedy, Joss Whedon was brought in, who promptly wrote new material and reshot several parts of the film.

When it was revealed there was a different cut of the film (meaning a different version of the same movie), there was a push to have that one released. Warner Bros., who has been lagging behind Disney and Marvel, was very reluctant to redistribute a film that already had caused a bit of a stir. HBO Max thought it would be a good idea to stream it, possibly breaking it into a mini-series. Eventually, it was set to be a feature film, which came in at a whopping 242 minutes (a couple of ticks over four hours), making it the longest comic book movie in American cinema history.

The film opens with an explanation of the three “Mother Boxes” and their power. There is a battle sequence in multiple venues that leads to moving them to hidden places around the world. Darkseid, a god from Apokolips, wants them and dispatches his uncle, Steppenwolf, to retrieve them so he can build “The Unity,” eventually leading him to the “Anti-Life Equation.”

Now, at the end of “Batman vs. Superman” (spoiler), the man of steel dies as a result of the battle with Lex Luthor as a metahuman version of Zod. Because of this situation, the Mother Boxes have begun reactivating, leading Steppenwolf to Earth. When he arrives, it alerts Bruce Wayne who believes (correctly) that a battle is coming. He needs some fellow superheroes to help stop the invasion. Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman) is already on board; he then adds Arthur Curry (Aquaman), Victor Stone (Cyborg) and Barry Allen (The Flash).

After an initial confrontation with Steppenwolf, the group realizes they need more help. It is decided that since one Mother Box can restore life, they need Superman. Of course, using it will alert Steppenwolf to its location, but it is a risk they have to take if they are going to stop him from turning the world over to Darkseid.

OK, the film does have some very good points to it. I preach the value of the story in my class, and the 2017 film was disjointed and incomplete. This time, Snyder builds a more logical story, though very similar to … oh, I don’t know … maybe “End Game”? Honestly, that isn’t as bad as one might think because there are really only a handful of basic story lines anyway (an often debated seven). It didn’t really “steal” it from Marvel because this was his original vision anyhow. We also have to remember that the film was released a good two years before “End Game,” so I will give Snyder a pass on that.

There is more character development this time around. Yes, Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) have their own films, but Aquaman’s (Jason Momoa) was technically after this one. Their character arcs are not all that drastic, because it is The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) where Snyder spends most of his time. Using an excellent mixture of visuals and dialogue, both get appropriate screen time as well as logical purpose.

Overall, the acting is very good, too. Affleck gives a grizzled look to the Caped Crusader, but when one realizes he is supposed to be older and weighed down by years of punishment to his body, his portrayal is fantastic. Gadot is her usual stellar self, so when on screen she is nothing short of mesmerizing. Same goes for Momoa, who makes you think he is part human, part Atlantean. He plays it cool and confident, is independent yet joins the league when it appears inevitable.

Miller is fun as The Flash, really the only one with a humorous disposition. He is young and spunky, his lines are delivered with a lot of charm. He is endearing to the audience because of his persona. Fisher plays Cyborg with a strong performance, too, a broken soul (and human) who tries to wrap his head around what is going on. He arcs the most, giving viewers a look into how he became who he is, and you feel for him. His development makes sense and even is believable if you accept the premise of the movie.

Superman (Henry Cavill) is where the film stumbles. Not in casting (Cavill is as much a physical specimen as a refined actor) but in the writing of the character. He is supposed to be this compassionate protector, but when he is brought back to life, he is borderline evil. He doesn’t arc much other than deciding to help after an interaction with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and his mom (Diane Lane), not enough to bring him back into good graces.

Snyder has been criticized for his action sequences, for he tends to use (and overuse) slow-motion. This film actually benefits from the method, because Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash are so much faster than everyone else, slowing it down allows the audience to experience what they are doing without getting lost in the visual effects.

Outside of its length, the film is certainly an improvement over the original, and taking an evening to watch it is worth it. It is still dark and foreboding, lacking any real levity (other than Flash), and so it is different from Marvel films, but a good step in stabilizing the DCEU. It is a treat to see the visual effects, and the suggestion of future members (a goosebumps-inducing exchange near the end) may just have turned the corner for the franchise.

HBO Max is streaming it right now. Overall, bringing the superheroes into this film may have been rough, but I think we can agree we’re happy they’re together.

• Jim Stockwell is a tenured instructor of film and broadcast journalism at McHenry County College, teaching Introduction to Film, Advanced Film and Introduction to Public Speaking.