Well, well, the fans have spoken. After the controversial "Man of Steel" and "Batman v Superman", both directed by Zack Snyder, Warner Bros sought course correction. During the filming of "Justice League", Snyder suffered a family tragedy and left the project (also, WB apparently planned to axe him anyway). Joss Whedon was brought in for reshoots, resulting in a crossover that not only bombed financially, but was just average, which, for freaking JL, is embarrassing. For years, fans demanded to see the original version, whose status bordered on legend. 4 years later, WB delivered via HBO Max. While I wasn't super hyped, it garnered my attention. Did it live up to the hype?
In general, Snyder's JL is better. Characters are fleshed out more, especially Cyborg who not only expresses more emotion but goes through a solid arc about accepting his change and forgiving his father. In fact, he's basically the main character given the amount of focus he gets. Flash's jokes are less cringy and he's generally more useful to the team while Aquaman is given greater depth and emotional attachment to the League. Batman is more effective in combat with a few new tactics/gadgets to give him a needed edge and his reasoning for bringing together the team is given further justification. Wonder Woman doesn't do much new, but is still well-acted, kicks plenty of alien butt, and being the team's voice of reason. Lois' grief over Superman's death is expanded on, which leads to a bigger emotional payoff later on that's given time to truly breathe. Not only does the villain Steppenwolf look much better with a monstrous design and shifting armor, but he's given substantial pathos, motivated by redemption rather than blind conquest. For what little screen time he has, Darkseid is suitably menacing with a cool voice to boot. The function of the Mother Boxes is explained further, being sentient supercomputers with powers beyond reckoning and at times challenging the heroes rather than being simply plot devices. Action scenes are longer, allowing characters to go further with their skills/abilities, though this time there's blood and stakes that feel impactful. The music is also slightly more memorable, the standout being the Amazon theme which has a lady choir singing (which does get overused).
This version isn't without faults. The big overarching issue is that it tends to be self-indulgent. Snyder's love of slow-motion is excessive; scenes like the Flash going fast are called for, but other times like Hippolyta simply running it's unwarranted. It makes the first half especially very tedious to get through. The 4-hour runtime is pushing too far as there are moments and even entire scenes that could've been cut out or cut down such as the post-apocalyptic epilogue (Joker is annoyingly out of focus most of the time), WW fighting British terrorists, and creepy Icelandic women singing to honor Aquaman. The muted color filter makes it look almost black-and-white sometimes; works for Batman, whom Snyder clearly loves, but not as much for the other heroes. Elements like Aquaman's origin conflict with what's established in films diverging from Snyder's vision. A few plot holes/gaps in logic aren't fixed like an aspect of Flash's power, Steppenwolf's teleportation, and Darkseid somehow forgetting both the film's MacGuffins and the supposed one planet he lost to. The dark/evil Superman gimmick is so overplayed these days I'm sick of it and how it's used here still makes little sense. Another hero is introduced, which, while well-designed and casted, is pointless to the story. Oddly, there are parts the theatrical version does better like certain dialogue exchanges and Lois' arrival to stop a rampaging Superman. The Snyder Cut also does a lot of sequel baiting, leaving plenty of elements unexplored/unexplained, which, given how much the DCEU is struggling to get a foothold as of now, are unlikely to be paid off.
All in all, Snyder's JL is an interesting experience, especially when compared to the theatrical version. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but if you were to ask me which is ultimately better, then that would be the Snyder Cut.
In general, Snyder's JL is better. Characters are fleshed out more, especially Cyborg who not only expresses more emotion but goes through a solid arc about accepting his change and forgiving his father. In fact, he's basically the main character given the amount of focus he gets. Flash's jokes are less cringy and he's generally more useful to the team while Aquaman is given greater depth and emotional attachment to the League. Batman is more effective in combat with a few new tactics/gadgets to give him a needed edge and his reasoning for bringing together the team is given further justification. Wonder Woman doesn't do much new, but is still well-acted, kicks plenty of alien butt, and being the team's voice of reason. Lois' grief over Superman's death is expanded on, which leads to a bigger emotional payoff later on that's given time to truly breathe. Not only does the villain Steppenwolf look much better with a monstrous design and shifting armor, but he's given substantial pathos, motivated by redemption rather than blind conquest. For what little screen time he has, Darkseid is suitably menacing with a cool voice to boot. The function of the Mother Boxes is explained further, being sentient supercomputers with powers beyond reckoning and at times challenging the heroes rather than being simply plot devices. Action scenes are longer, allowing characters to go further with their skills/abilities, though this time there's blood and stakes that feel impactful. The music is also slightly more memorable, the standout being the Amazon theme which has a lady choir singing (which does get overused).
This version isn't without faults. The big overarching issue is that it tends to be self-indulgent. Snyder's love of slow-motion is excessive; scenes like the Flash going fast are called for, but other times like Hippolyta simply running it's unwarranted. It makes the first half especially very tedious to get through. The 4-hour runtime is pushing too far as there are moments and even entire scenes that could've been cut out or cut down such as the post-apocalyptic epilogue (Joker is annoyingly out of focus most of the time), WW fighting British terrorists, and creepy Icelandic women singing to honor Aquaman. The muted color filter makes it look almost black-and-white sometimes; works for Batman, whom Snyder clearly loves, but not as much for the other heroes. Elements like Aquaman's origin conflict with what's established in films diverging from Snyder's vision. A few plot holes/gaps in logic aren't fixed like an aspect of Flash's power, Steppenwolf's teleportation, and Darkseid somehow forgetting both the film's MacGuffins and the supposed one planet he lost to. The dark/evil Superman gimmick is so overplayed these days I'm sick of it and how it's used here still makes little sense. Another hero is introduced, which, while well-designed and casted, is pointless to the story. Oddly, there are parts the theatrical version does better like certain dialogue exchanges and Lois' arrival to stop a rampaging Superman. The Snyder Cut also does a lot of sequel baiting, leaving plenty of elements unexplored/unexplained, which, given how much the DCEU is struggling to get a foothold as of now, are unlikely to be paid off.
All in all, Snyder's JL is an interesting experience, especially when compared to the theatrical version. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but if you were to ask me which is ultimately better, then that would be the Snyder Cut.