Will the SnyderVerse be restored?

A fellow comic book fan once suggested that the difference between Marvel and DC is this: Marvel is about everyday people pretending to be gods. DC is about gods pretending to be everyday people. This take is great to keep in mind when watching Zack Snyder’s sweeping epic. It’s hard not to be psyched for all the patient and vocal Snyder fans that have finally been granted their wish. If his approach to the Batman/Superman mythos wasn’t your cup of tea, this movie probably is not going to win you over. But it’s a fully realized version of his complex vision, and you have to respect that.

To say Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a vast improvement over its 2017 counterpart is an understatement.

The original release is a testament to all the flaws of the original DCEU. Rushed, unfinished, and soulless. Luckily this isn’t true of the Snyder Cut. Cyborg is the heart of this film, with the talented Ray Fisher breathing life into the robotic hero. After only a brief appearance in Batman V. Superman before this, Cyborg is given a full story arc that drives the movie’s plot. The same can be said of the other Justice League members, thanks to the film’s extended length. However, what this cinematic universe is sorely missing is a solo Batman film. Both derisively and affectionately referred to as ‘Batfleck,’ Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne serves as the mentor that brings this group together. But his world-weary, jaded Batman could use more development. His version is one we haven’t seen depicted onscreen before, and people unfamiliar might not understand the history behind his broken Batman.

The DCEU has thus far avoided Marvel’s rapid-fire one-liner shtick.

Aquaman and Flash provide some laughs in the scenes they’re in, but a lighter tone among the team might have helped get through the 4-hour runtime. That’s not to say the film is an impossible chore. DCEU fans will appreciate the mythological approach to the DC pantheon. However, a casual viewer might be put off by the lack of humor. But I think everyone will appreciate the lack of creepy Superman face CGI that plagued the original.

In the end, Zack Snyder’s Justice League provides closure to an epic arc that started with BVS. The epilogue contains many scenes that set up the future of the SnyderVerse that may or may not come to fruition. 4 years ago, this unprecedented Hollywood do-over seemed impossible. Still, if the Snyder Cut finally saw the light of day, anything is possible.