I’ve got a lot to say about the Snyder Cut. If that means nothing to you here is a good primer on the subject.
Also, by “modern superhero blockbuster” I mean all the Marvel movies post the Ed Norton Hulk, all the DC movies post Nolan, and like half of the X-Men movies, but I’d have to specify which ones. Basically any big superhero movie intended to be part of a larger universe.
PICTURE OF THE CAT
WHAT I WATCHED YESTERDAY
It’s time to talk about the Snyder Cut, which means it’s time to talk about the modern superhero blockbuster. The modern superhero blockbuster is one of the least auteurist modes of filmmaking. It’s storytelling by committee. Each film must fit into a larger universe, and visually adhere to a house style.
It’s ironic then, that when we look at the past decade and a half of modern super hero films we find that they make a decent argument for auteurism. The most successful modern super hero films (at least artistically, although there is at least some box office correlation) are the ones with a single clear vision, often at the expense of the larger universe. The weaknesses of the auteurist super hero films are the parts that seem most studio mandated — the overlong fight at the end of Wonder Woman, or the dull color palate of Black Panther. No matter how good any of the modern super hero movies are, they are not fully in the service of their creator’s vision. There is always some higher power demanding scenes that set up the new movie, or that everything gets shot in a parking lot in Atlanta. At least until now.
The Snyder cut is the first time in ages that a director has complete control of a modern super hero blockbuster. He had complete control over what we saw on screen, possibly the most freedom a director has ever had playing with such iconic characters on such a large scale. The final result is only middling — a competent film that’s too long, bloated with Snyder’s signature slow motion shots, unfortunately grey to look at. But all the plot points get hit, and it mostly holds together. This wouldn’t be impressive if Snyder’s first two DC movies weren’t such horrible messes. Man of Steel and Batman v Superman barely feel like movies. The pieces fundamentally don’t hold together. The Snyder Cut is deeply flawed, but still a real movie, and there’s something weirdly thrilling about that?
I didn’t see the original cut of The Justice League, I only know its reputation as a misshapen, tonally disjointed catastrophe. The Snyder Cut is deeply self-indulgent, and makes a lot of visual choices that I don’t enjoy, but it does what it set out to do more than competently. Competency is such a low bar, I shouldn’t be excited by it, but I am because Snyder’s vision is so specific, and so absurd. I don’t like it, but I’m awed by it. It’s a four hour long R-rated superhero movie. Is that a good idea? It doesn’t matter. I’m just amazed this movie exists. It’s not the take on these characters that I want, but I kind of have to sit back and marvel at it. Will I ever watch it again? Probably not, it’s four hours, and kind of bad. But I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.
Some specific observations about the movie itself, not the state of superhero blockbusters writ large:
Apparently one of the biggest changes between the Snyder Cut and the old version is that there’s more Cyborg, and he gets a real character arc now which he didn’t before. The idea of this movie without Cyborg at the middle is absolutely absurd. I don’t see how they could have made it work, and apparently it didn’t.
I cannot believe they decided to make this movie about Darkseid. I’m a real nerd, and I’ve read a ton of DC events, and the stuff with Darkseid very rarely makes sense. This film is throwing us motherboxes, and the anti-life equation, and expecting us to keep up. I have no idea how that works for people who aren’t already familiar with the world. I imagine not well. Also, I hate seeing the New Gods used in something so dour. Darkseid has been used as a big bad often enough, but his origins in Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Saga is the opposite of grim and gritty. It’s peak joyously weird super hero adventures, and seeing him here reminds me of how sad it is that we never get to see that tenor of superheroing on screen.
One of the common weaknesses of the superhero blockbuster is the perpetual need to set up the next movie. Snyder was free of this here, but he still lays the groundwork for two possible sequels. Those movies will likely never be made, but apparently he envisioned this as the middle chapter of a five film cycle, and he wanted to be honest to that vision. I enjoy how shaggy the ending is, and honestly, I want to see what those films would be. He introduces Deathstroke in the last half an hour, and sets up Martian Manhunter joining the league. There’s also an extended dream visit to a parallel world, which brings Jared Leto’s joker back for a single scene that is more compelling than anything in Suicide Squad (admittedly a low bar). Snyder wove the parallel world stuff through Batman v Superman as well, and I would have liked to see how that plays out.
I like Jeremy Irons as Alfred so much. I like how he has lots of pockets, and is always working on the batmobile. This feels like a really smart rethinking of English butler tropes that have felt out of date for a long time.
To make one final point about auteurism in superhero blockbusters, it’s worth looking at the character of Mera, and how she changes from this to the version we see in James Wan’s Aquaman. Her hair goes from barely-red in a grey color scape to a vibrant candy apple that fits into Aquaman’s rainbow fantasy aesthetic. The vague euro accent of this movie gets completely ditched. Both versions of the chapter are in tune with the film they’re a part of. One of the major concerns of shared superhero universes is the need for consistent characterization. I got into a debate with a friend recently who thought the way to fix shared universe filmmaking would be put someone in charge of characterization across properties, and really make sure that things are consistent and done well. I think that would fix some things, and could have stopped some of the more insufferable fuck ups of the MCU. But I also think in solving the problem of inconsistent characterization it sets up a system that will likely wind up with more boring films. I’m not excited by the possibility of more vigorous serialization, where each film operates more like another episode of television than it’s own story. I would much prefer a greater acceptance of the fact that things won’t fit together perfectly. I’m fine with shifts of characterization across different films as long as each film makes sense on its own. Shared universes were fun, for like a second, but not if they make the individual films worse. As a comic book reader you learn to accept that Batman is going to feel different in a Justice League book vs Batman vs Detective Comics vs popping up for two pages in Birds of Prey. These books exist in the same timeline, and don’t directly contradict each other, but they all need the freedom to tell their own stories. If we can reach a point where we accept this as film audiences it opens so many more possibilities.
SONG OF THE DAY
Zach Snyder put two Nick Cave songs in this movie, and it was kind of too much, and kind of on the nose, but also who doesn’t love Nick Cave?
MARCH 19 — modern superhero blockbuster auteurism
❤️Nick Cave’s voice.