In fall of 2017, Justice League was released. During production of the DC Extended Universe movie, the daughter of director Zack Snyder passed away. Snyder understandably stepped down as director of Justice League, and Joss Whedon took over as director. When the movie was released it was not well received. Thus, DC fans started a movement on social media called #ReleasetheSnyderCut, demanding that Warner Brothers allow Zack Snyder to direct his version of the movie once and for all when he is ready.
Less than a month ago, on March 18th, the highly anticipated Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released. One aspect of this movie is very unique in that it was of course released because of a fan movement that wanted to see Zack Snyder’s version of the movie.
The NECC Observer spoke to three local experts (two of which are current NECC students) ahead of March 18th, regarding their thoughts on the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Glenn O’Leary, owner of The Comic Book Palace in Haverhill, was not planning on watching the Snyder Cut, and also had a strong opinion on the movie’s excessive runtime, “If you can’t do a movie in two hours, then you’re really not a good story teller.” O’Leary also noted that since Joss Whedon’s cut of the movie was “not good to begin with,” that’s another reason why he will not watch it.
Ian Shea, current NECC student, and owner of his own website, Your Favorite Nerd (yourfavoritenerd.com), says that Zack Snyder’s take on the DC Universe is too dark, “Even though the movies have been financially successful, people haven’t liked them. If you look at box office numbers for DCEU movies that Snyder’s directed, there’s been a huge decline in sales in the second week.”
Shea also mentioned that Snyder’s movies not doing well is part of the reason why certain actors don’t want to reprise their roles in the franchise, “There’s a reason Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck have said they won’t reprise their roles. DC needs to cut ties with Snyder and start from scratch.”
NECC student Zach Cutter appreciates the fact that the Snyder Cut was made because of the fan movement, “It’s a case of quality over quantity. It also shows the power of the fanbase wanting change and pressure the studio to do better or to listen to them and hear them out.”
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is now available to stream on HBO Max.
