Zack Snyder’s Justice League had a unique and troubling development period. As the director left the project due to personal reasons, the studio hired Joss Whedon in order to patch up the movie and release it in theatres. The result was a film that garnered a mixed reception across fans and critics alike.
As a result of fans pushing for it, the Snyder cut eventually surfaced in HBO Max and is considered by many to be an improvement over the original. However, while they are both different movies due to content, some elements are still shared between the two versions. Several elements from the theatrical cut have remained and many elements from the Snyder cut were vastly improved.
Same – The Team
Fundamentally, the characters that were introduced from Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and expanded upon in the Justice League are still present. How everyone is recruited in the film is fairly similar although there are some minor changes.
The roles that were given to the characters have also been largely intact, however, some characters are offered more thanks to the extended run time. It allows the viewer to see more of their personalities and their respective backgrounds.
Improved – Team Dynamic
Arguably thanks to the extended runtime, the characters are able to have more team synergy with each character having more to do while also helping each other in an expanded way compared to the theatrical cut.
Several fights that were shown in the theatrical cut have been improved and scenes that were initially cut allow the characters to flex their abilities further. Although their chemistry isn’t as fleshed out as it could be, their team synergy has improved significantly.
Same – The Threat Of Apokolips
The main villain Steppenwolf is a character from the New Gods lore. As a result, the threat of Apokolips is still present within both cuts. However, as shown in the Snyder version, the threat of Apokolips seems to have more weight.
In the theatrical cut, Apokolips is still present but in a more limited portrayal in comparison. Despite this, neither cut introduce new villains that would weaken the Apokoliptic link.
Improved – More Context
The benefit of having the Snyder cut existing on HBO Max is how it offers more context. For the majority of the theatrical cut, aspects of the film felt somewhat disjointed or don’t offer a scope as big as its roster.
The four-hour runtime allows the film enough time to offer clarity with each member of the Justice League and their abilities. It also allows aspects such as Apokolips and Darkseid to give the film a needed boost in scale.
Same – General Structure Of The Film
The majority of the Snyder cut still offers the general film structure that fans should expect from the theatrical cut. How Steppenwolf obtains the mother boxes are still roughly the same and the locations where the characters fight are also intact.
However, filler aspects such as the family from the theatrical cut have been removed completely. That being said, the main villain is defeated and the proper Justice League has been formed at the end of the day.
Improved – Steppenwolf
A universal improvement that fans and critics have agreed upon was Steppenwolf. His design has been dramatically changed in order to make him appear more alien. His armor is also more unique and his build keeps him as a threat. H
is motivation and how his plans started to unfold were expanded upon. This allows viewers to become more engrossed in him and offered reasons for him to be feared.
Same – The Justice League Succeeding
Despite the countless additions that were made in the film, it still ends with the characters triumphant against Steppenwolf with the villain defeated and the characters going on with their lives.
Outside of an epilogue that focuses on the Knightmare timeline, every character in the film has more incentive to do more. That includes heroes such as Superman returning to Metropolis or the Flash having a new lease on life.
Improved – The Flash
One of the largest improvements that the Snyder cut has made was expanding on The Flash. Originally just comedic relief in the theatrical cut, he has more depth in the Snyder cut, allowing him to be more in line with the tone of the film.
Not only that, but his powers and abilities turned out to be instrumental in the success of the Justice League. It allowed them to win when it seemingly appeared that they failed entirely.
Same – Powerful Superman
One of the most exciting moments in both cuts of the film was the return of Superman. Within both iterations, the character simply defeats Steppenwolf without much of a challenge and acts as a pillar of strength and faith to the rest of his colleagues.
However, in the Snyder cut, they made Superman not only powerful but also dangerous. In the theatrical cut, Superman appeared to be powerful but also toying with the villain. But in the Snyder cut, he demolishes Steppenwolf in a way that it almost seems like he could kill him with ease.
Improved – Cyborg
Arguably the biggest improvement and change besides the Flash was Cyborg. Compared to the theatrical cut, Cyborg in Snyder’s vision almost acts as the heart of the story. He is also the character who has the deepest connection to the Mother boxes.
His character arc was also expanded to show that this is kind of his movie first and foremost. This made it so the character could not only come into his own but have far more depth than what he received in the theatrical cut.
