Prologue: The first nine minutes of the film make it very clear that this is a Snyder film in all of its glory. I especially love the claim that the 4:3 aspect ratio is necessary for Snyder's "creative vision". I won't deny it was a bit distracting at first, but I got used to it quickly since I own a whole bunch of games that use a smaller aspect ratio like that. Otherwise, I like how it established where all of the major players and MacGuffins are, but it went on far too long for my liking.
Don't Count On It, Batman: Pacing-wise, the first chapter of the Snyder Cut is probably the weakest. There are so many unnecessary scenes, instances of slow motion, and shoe-horned musical numbers. Why did we need to have a scene where a village sings a folk song for Aquaman while someone else sniffs his sweater? It made me so uncomfortable, I wanted to quit right there and then! I was surprised to find that the scene where the city mourns Superman's death was cut. I actually kinda liked that scene and thought Snyder shot it, but oh well. I was also surprised to find just how much of the dialogue was brought from the original! Where those lines actually written by Snyder or did he just have to carry them over? The action scenes were definitely an improvement, the special effects felt less cartoonish, and the slow motion did add tension to certain moments. The music was also way more intense, though some of the audial cues were annoying as hell, especially for Wonder Woman. It's a mixed first chapter all around.
The Age Of Heroes: This chapter was alright? The titular Age Of Heroes was a noticeable extension from the original, and definitely an improvement. A bit of special-effects overload, but it was really cool to see Darkseid in action. It actually felt like a large-scale battle and a scene of its own rather than random flashback nonsense. We also get to meet DeSaad and learn more about Steppenwolf's motivations to redeem himself in Darkseid's eyes. It's a pretty predictable motivation and still makes him a bit of a dull villain, but he's at least more interesting here, and it's nice that he's talking to an actual person rather than himself.
Beloved Mother, Beloved Son: This chapter was actually pretty good... almost. It added the most new scenes yet, and I was surprised at how much it ended up explaining. Barry Allen overworking himself to pay for his tuition makes him a bit more sympathetic this time around, along with the explanation of why Steppenwolf was holding people hostage (these aspects were seriously brushed over in the original). But obviously, the highlight here is Cyborg's backstory. It's amazing how just a few more scenes make him a much better character! Otherwise average scenes have so much more impact with that added context, Victor's cynicism is far more understandable, and Ray Porter's acting shines through so much more.
That backstory was necessary, it's a damn shame it wasn't in the original. Oh, and that scene with Diane and Alfred, that was adorable and necessary as well. The Atlantis fight scene was also a surprise improvement, I despised the original fight, but this version had some neat shots, cool moves, and a lot more impact to it. I didn't love the first two chapters, but I'll admit, this was a genuine improvement on the original film... except that introduction for The Flash. The scene was almost good, it was almost great even, but why did Snyder have Barry caress Iris's face before saving her?! It's so creepy and a perfect example of my main issue with this film, every time I start to get into it, Snyder just goes too far.
Change Machine: This chapter was alright. The battle in the tunnel was a lot better, and it felt like the movie did a better job of showing the team not working together. It was also pretty neat to actually get an explanation on how Cyborg got the Mother Boxes, along with the reveal of the Martian Manhunter. All in all solid chapter, but not too many noteworthy additions.
All The King's Horses: Okay, this is where the improvements really start to show. The original version of this part of the film was so incredibly flawed and nonsensical, but the Snyder Cut fixes so many of my complaints. The team didn't just randomly find Superman's ship, we see them break into STAR Labs. They didn't just leave the Mother Box alone out of stupidity, Silas had it and used it to sacrifice himself to help the League. Lois didn't appear out of nowhere to calm down Superman, she was in the area as shown earlier in the film. The fight with Superman was still pretty fun, even moreso with the better CGI, and I thought Silas's sacrifice was an amazing scene that I'm stunned wasn't in the theatrical release. The movie's "darkest hour" scene actually felt like a "darkest hour". Oh, and there's also the Knightmare scene which was definitely cool, but felt a bit oddly placed, especially since we learn all of this information in the epilogue anyway.
Something Darker: I actually liked Justice League's final battle already, but this was a massive improvement, and once again, not just because of the CGI improvements. Steppenwolf's defeat was more cathartic, the battle was far more tense, and I love how Cyborg and Flash saved the day and resolved their character arcs at the same time. Flash using time travel was a pretty sick scene, as was Cyborg facing his inner demons. I still don't like the DCEU's version of Flash, but this movie did make him a bit more important. Cyborg, on the other hand, completely won me over. Once again, it's an absolute tragedy he got as shafted as he was. As for Superman, all of his scenes were improved, and not just because there were no CGI mustache issues. I liked that he decided to help the team, and how his flight mirrored that in Man Of Steel. This was a great finale, probably one of DC's best, it's the rare time they actually stuck the landing... almost...
Epilogue: At first, this chapter was alright. The montage of everyone tying up loose ends with Silas's final message in the background was excellent, and actually emotionally resonant knowing the full context. Luthor escaping from prison was pretty neat, as was Martian Manhunter. However, I didn't love the Knightmare scene. It kinda felt like an edgy fanfic with the shaky close-ups, Batman cursing, Mera's accent, evil Superman, and all the character deaths. But even more, it feels like a scene from a different movie, a movie that we're likely not even gonna get. It was long, it halted the pacing, and it just felt unnecessary. I also don't like Leto's Joker, even with the new outfit, he just doesn't sit well with me. I get why Snyder included the Knightmare stuff, but this movie could have been both self-contained and shorter without it.
Overall, I enjoyed watching the Snyder Cut. Not only was it a fun watch, but I'd say it was actually kind of a good movie? Maybe one of the better films in the DCEU even ?! It's easily the definitive version of the Justice League, the effects are better, the action is more tense, it's far more tonally consistent, the emotional moments hit harder, and the added backstories, explanations, and lore made the plot far more airtight. However, it does suffer from way too much padding, some bizarre scene choices, and a rough first half. It probably should have been a miniseries, but I'm fine with calling it the most unbelievably ambitious superhero film I've ever seen.
3.5/5 Stars (Subtract .5 for the epilogue)
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