First things first. The four hour long director's cut of "Justice League" is a significant improvement over the 2017 version. The tonal clashes are mostly gone, and all the characters are much more fleshed out and well-developed, especially the villain Steppenwolf and the new superheroes, Cyborg and Flash. Zack Snyder is fully in control here, and indulging in all his favorite bits of stylistic indulgence - slow motion, awkward needle drops, and desaturated visuals. The bleak, joyless atmospherics are actually kind of nostalgic.
The theatrical cut of "Justice League" had the fundamental problem of being a half-finished project that was overhauled by Joss Whedon, a director with completely different sensibilities from Zack Snyder. Even if I still prefer Whedon's punchier take on some of the material to Snyder's, the directors' cut is a better experience because it's finally something cohesive. The four hour run time doesn't feel overlong, because the whole thing has been restructured into serialized chapters. The characters gel better. The plot points are set up better. There is actual suspense and buildup to the big, stupid fight scenes. And make no mistake that the fight scenes are very big and very stupid, but that's what we're all here for, right?
What surprised me the most about the new version is how much of "Justice League" has been entirely reworked. There must be at least an hour of completely new and restored footage, including a mostly different third act, and additional scenes to set up Aquaman, Flash, and Cyborg. Remember that this was the movie that introduced Aquaman? Warners didn't skimp on the budget, so all the effects and creature animation look stellar. Superman's CGI upper lip issues are gone. The villains, Steppenwolf and Darkseid, are still cartoonish and half-baked, but they look amazing. Another big change is the score, supplied entirely by Junkie XL instead of Danny Elfman, keeping everything moody and grim.
Despite all the improvements, this version still has many problems. It's ponderous, overserious, and downright gloomy at times. Roy Fisher looks great, but is stuck with one scowling expression for the whole film. I miss some of the laugh lines from the theatrical version. I don't like the extended epilogues at all, and think they're easily the worst part of the film. A lot of scenes feels tacked on, especially the cameos from other DC characters. Some of the more fundamental issues, like the angsty depiction of Superman, still carry over from the previous installments. I'm sad to say that Amy Adams and Henry Cavill still seem utterly disconnected as Lois and Clark. And Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne gets more screen time, but not any more depth.
I know that everyone has complained about Snyder's use of slow-motion to the point where it's kind of a given, but good grief, he really overdoes it here. It's gotten to the point of parody, especially combined with the self-serious music and certain aesthetic choices. I can already see the spoofs involving a certain sesame seed, a photograph of Kevin Costner, and the already infamous "ancient lamentation" tracks. Still, I have to admire Snyder for doubling down and committing to this. I mean, if it's going to be "Zack Snyder's Justice League," he might as well go full Zack Snyder.
A film the size of "Justice League" getting a redo is practically unheard of, and I'm happy that Snyder made good use of the opportunity. Considering all the story trouble that his previous DCCU movies have had, I wonder if the problem has been that he doesn't function so well under the intense pressure of blockbuster filmmaking's usual constraints - the rushed schedule, limited screen time, and crazy expectations. On the other hand, the longer version of "Batman v. Superman" didn't do that film any favors. Or maybe, it just wasn't long enough.
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