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Zack Snyder’s Justice League Movie Storyline. Determined to ensure Superman’s ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.
The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad and Darkseid and their dreadful intentions.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League, often referred to as the “Snyder Cut”, is the 2021 director’s cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and the sequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)—as director Zack Snyder intended it before he left the production.
Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder’s Justice League follows DC Comics’ Justice League—Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and the Flash (Ezra Miller)—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), and their army of Parademons.
Justice League, released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2017, suffered a difficult production. Its script underwent major changes before and during production between 2016 and 2017. In May 2017, Snyder stepped down during post-production following the death of his daughter, and Joss Whedon was hired to finish the film, completing it as an uncredited director.
Whedon oversaw reshoots and other changes that incorporated a brighter tone and more humor, and reduced the runtime significantly in accordance with a mandate from Warner Bros. The theatrical version of Justice League received mixed reviews and was a box office disappointment, leading Warner Bros. to re-evaluate the DCEU’s future, and to focus on developing films around individual characters with less regard for a shared narrative.
Many fans expressed interest in an alternate cut more faithful to Snyder’s vision, which they and members of the cast and crew nicknamed the “Snyder Cut”. Industry insiders considered the release unlikely. However, Warner Bros. decided to move ahead with it in February 2020; in May, Snyder announced that the original cut would be released as Zack Snyder’s Justice League via the streaming service HBO Max.
It cost around $70 million to complete the visual effects, score, and editing, with new material filmed in October 2020. The release was originally planned as both a six-episode miniseries and a four-hour film, but the miniseries concept was scrapped in January 2021. The film is dedicated to the memory of Snyder’s daughter, Autumn.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released on HBO Max in the United States on March 18, 2021. Most critics considered it to be superior to the 2017 theatrical version, with praise for Snyder’s direction and improved characterization, but criticism for the film’s length.
Tom Holkenborg, also known as Junkie XL, composed the film’s score; he had previously worked on the score for the theatrical version of Justice League, before being replaced by Danny Elfman following Snyder’s departure and Whedon’s arrival. When Holkenborg was rehired to score the film in early 2020, he decided to restart and make a brand new score for the film, which consists of fifty-four tracks and is three hours and 54 minutes long.
The length of the score broke the long held 3-hour record of 1959’s Ben-Hur by nearly a full hour, becoming the longest musical score in film history. Holkenborg described the score as “fully electronic [at times], and at other times fully orchestral”, incorporating elements of rock and trap. The album was released via WaterTower Music on March 18, 2021, the same day as the film’s release.
Two tracks from the film’s score, “The Crew at Warpower”, and “Middle Mass”, were released as singles on February 17, 2021 and March 12, 2021, respectively. The soundtrack also makes use of a couple of songs; the beginning of the movie features a traditional Icelandic song “Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu” by Yong Aus Galeson, while later scenes use the songs “Distant Sky” and “There Is a Kingdom” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; none are included on the soundtrack. Allison Crowe’s cover of the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah” plays during the end credits as a tribute to Autumn Snyder.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons
Screenplay by: Chris Terrio
Production Design by: Patrick Tatopoulos
Cinematography by: Fabian Wagner
Film Editing by: David Brenner
Costume Design by: Michael Wilkinson
Set Decoration by: Dominic Capon
Art Direction by: Beauchamp Fontaine
Music by: Tom Holkenborg
MPAA Rating: R for violence and some language.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: March 18, 2021
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