Why do I want the Zack Snyder Cut by James Boudreau

by James Boudreau

On November 16^th, I sat in an IMAX theatre with a group of 16 friends. I had purchased my tickets the moment they went on sale. I sat at my computer for 3 hours while my internet constantly refreshed my local theatre page until finally, the tickets were available for purchase. I had done this for Man of Steel and Batman V Superman as well as the Star Wars movies and usually any massive blockbuster. Like Man of Steel and BvS before it, Justice League was my most hotly anticipated film of the year. However, this time around, things were different. My hype wasn’t as high as it should have been.

 

Something was off. Was it the marketing? Was it the fact that Zack Snyder had stepped away from the film to fully focus, rightfully so, on his family? Was it maybe even the exhausting clickbait articles pounding my twitter timeline, every day since the release of BvS, telling me that one of my favorite movies was “the worst movie ever” and that JL was gearing up to be a disaster?  Who knows? What I do know, was that things felt different. By the time the credits rolled and the lights came up, I sat there feeling kind of empty. I had enjoyed the movie on a surface level, but the final product was not what I had expected from Zack. I knew that this was not his movie, despite what Warner Brothers had promised.

 

To give you an idea of the kind of hype I had for both MoS and BvS, I’ll go back to 2012. Batman has always been my favorite character. Ever since I was a little boy, I have always looked up to him for inspiration (alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger). By 2012, my favorite trilogy, The Dark Knight Trilogy had wrapped up. Christopher Nolan was leaving the series behind, but was spearheading a new Superman movie as Producer. Word had come down the pipe that Nolan had personally chosen Zack Snyder as the Director. My mind was officially blown. One of my favorite Directors was producing a Superman movie and Zack Snyder, another favorite of mine, would be directing. I had seen all of Snyder’s work, with the exception of The Owls of Ga’Hoole, in theatres. From his first movie, The Dawn of the Dead, to his last, Batman v Superman, Zack has been able to create mind blowing visuals and infuse them with unique socio-political commentary and explorations of thought provoking themes & allegories. Mind you, this isn’t always for everybody, but Zack is able to make a movie that works on both a surface level popcorn flick and a piece of intellectual art that can be dissected upon multiple viewings despite what the so called “pundits” will tell you.

Upon seeing Man of Steel, Snyder had cemented another movie amongst my favorites. He achieved what Bryan Singer and even the great Richard Donner had failed to do; Make Superman relatable. Due to his moral perfection as well as his unparalleled invulnerability, audiences complained that Superman had become too boring.  Zack remedied that by exploring something that was rarely touched upon in film; Superman’s humanity.

 

His “humanity” had been displayed, but only in terms of the “Gee  Whiz” he’s a good guy and represents the best in humanity. What sets MOS apart was the exploration of his vulnerability. His emotions, his doubts, his fears etc. These are inherently human characteristics, characteristics that some could argue are the worst our people have to offer. Zack delved into Clarks psyche on a primal level while also exploring how someone with these gifts would react while dealing with these emotions. We can all admit that yes, Superman is an alien, but he has been on Earth since he was a baby and his entire existence has been human. Despite all of his superpowers, Superman is at his very core; Human.

 

The movie also tackled the difficulties of being different in our current society. In the moment when Jonathan Kent replies with “maybe” to Clark when asked if he should have “let them die”, is a perfect example of the struggle that every single person on Earth deals with. We all have aspects of ourselves that we hide for fear of being condemned by the people that we love or society as a whole. Think of people who have hid their homosexuality for fear of reprisals, simply because they are “different” from the established societal norm. Very rarely do we get a film exploring this theme in a tent-pole blockbuster.

On July 20^th 2013, Zack Snyder announced, at Comic-Con, that he would be directing the “untitled Man of Steel” sequel. “Awesome” I thought. Then, Zack brought up Harry Lennix to the stage to read an excerpt from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.

 

“I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come, in all your most private moments. I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you”

Batman was now going to be in the sequel to Man of Steel. “HOLY F*$%ing SH!T” I thought to myself. I was sitting there stunned. My favorite Director, my favorite character, my favorite comic book series (DC) all coming together to create my honest to god DREAM movie. Something I thought I would never see. Batman and Superman in a film together. I had wanted this since I was a child, more so than a Justice League film. I didn’t believe it. I refused to believe it. It was too good to be true. I still didn’t believe it was coming when principal photography began. I still didn’t believe it when I saw a still from the set. I only really started to believe it was coming true when I saw the first teaser. You know, the one with the foreboding atmosphere and the shot of Ben Affleck staring deep into himself, personified by the Batsuit. It probably showed a collective 40 seconds of footage, but there it was, proof that this movie was real and that it was coming.

 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was released with divisive reviews on March 25^th 2016. Being so passionate about the characters and the artists bringing this movie to life, I was a little bummed out that the movie wasn’t being universally embraced (great art rarely is). With BvS, Zack expanded on the mythos of Batman and Superman and the world he created from the ground up with Man of Steel. He continued with heavy themes and allegories that I am still dissecting to this very day. By this point, I must have seen BvS at least 20 times.

 

However upon seeing the movie, I didn’t instantly love it. Zack was able to deliver a piece of film that was remarkably different than what I was expecting. Like a fine wine, it took my film palette a while to digest the content of the film. From the opening scene filled with “falling” imagery such as sparks, leaves and Bruce himself all symbolizing Batman’s fall from grace. To the allegory, which has been explored in depth, of Superman being the ultimate depiction of the immigrant experience. He carried on the parallels with Superman and Jesus, with Man of Steel being about birth and Batman v Superman being about death which was , at least, concluded in Justice League with resurrection. This was a movie worthy of being re-watched over and over again

 

While Man of Steel had somewhat of a Terrence Malick style of cinematography, brought to life by Amir Mokri, Zack & Larry brought the cinematography to a whole other level with BvS. You could literally freeze any scene in the movie and print it out and frame it. While some may argue that Zack’s movies are too visual, I will counter that argument that filmmaking is first AND foremost a visual medium of storytelling. Would you tell a musical artist that their song had too much music? Zack employs the visuals to maximum effect and the fact that people “complain” about it, shows how good he is at it. He uses it to enhance the story to its full potential.

Zack also employed the musical talents (again) of Hans Zimmer, who had previously scored Man of Steel and the Dark Knight Trilogy, along with JunkieXL. While visuals are extremely important to the storytelling medium, music is almost equally meaningful. The right music can elevate any scene in a film if used correctly. Snyder recognizes this & has always used this to maximum effect. Whether it’s playing Johnny Cash to accentuate the opening scene of Dawn of the Dead or Tyler Bates bombastic score in 300, Zack has never faulted in this department. BvS continued and expanded on the phenomenal score of Man of Steel and created a score that elevates the movie into the stratosphere. The music truly makes every scene memorable and gives personality to each of the characters without sounding similar or redundant.

 

Zack has been able to create a world where I, the audience member, truly believe that these characters are Gods among us. From costume design, cinematography, music and visual effects, Snyder has carefully crafted and brought all of these elements together that these characters truly come off the screen and create an impact with its audience.

 

Now we come to Justice League. Why do I want the Snyder cut? Well first off, let’s get it out of the way. I did enjoy Justice League for what it was and I don’t NEED the Zack Snyder cut. In the end, it’s just a movie and life goes on. Zack probably has more important things to worry about and so do I. Life will go on. I do, however, want and hope there will be a Zack Snyder cut one day. Preferably sooner rather than later.

 

First and foremost because I want to see Zack’s vision come to fruition. I want to see the film that he as an artist set out to do. In the current version of JL, the themes set forth in Man of Steel and BvS are absolutely nowhere to be found. Although it contained some of the amazing visuals that Zack is known for, it lacks the depth that accompanies them. While I don’t know exactly what happened behind the scenes, it’s obvious that a lot was changed despite what Warner Brothers claim. I would argue that 90% of Superman’s scenes were all reshot. This is evident by the poor facial animations used to cover up Henry Cavill’s mustache. The worst part about the Superman reshoots was that I was under the impression that they were keeping him out of the marketing to hype up his return, while the truth is probably closer related to the FX studios still working on the footage of Superman that they were going to use in the movie up until the last minute. Warner Bros just used this to their advantage for the marketing.

 

There are also massive inconsistencies between cuts during scenes throughout the movie. Lighting, framing and even the actors look completely different within seconds of cutting away and back to them, giving the scenes a botched together look. It doesn’t take a film student, like myself, to notice that Ben Affleck’s hair is completely different. Aquaman is also intruding in the reshoot frame compared to the initial shot which was done by Fabian Wagner. Hell, Affleck has put on a hefty amount of weight in the reshoots due to the fact that principal photography was over and he didn’t have to keep up his fitness and dietary regiment.

Another problem this movie suffers from, arose when Joss Whedon replaced JunkieXL  with Danny Elfman. An important aspect of a score is to help underscore a films emotional stance and help provide a film and its characters with a sense of identity. While maybe not as iconic as the Star Wars theme, the Man of Steel score is instantly recognizable and the first track, “Look to the stars”, perfectly sets the tone and identity of the movie and series going forward. Instead of continuing with the musical themes established by Hans Zimmer and Junkie in the previous movies, an entirely new and unmemorable soundtrack was created. The music did absolutely nothing to elevate the film or establish its identity. I cannot remember one memorable moment from the soundtrack. Save for one brief moment where it was used, the Wonder Woman theme was underutilized.

 

To add insult to injury, Elfman reused the 89 Batman theme and Superman theme from the 70s. In an interview several years ago, Zack explained that one of the first things he and Hans did together was agree that they were going to build a score from the ground up and ignore the previous movies. This would ensure that MoS and BvS would have their own musical identity. To throw in the old Batman theme would just make people wonder or think that these new movies are a part of the old series. Danny Elfman basically ignored that, and patted himself on the back for having created the iconic Batman theme and shoehorned it into the movie against Zack’s artistic direction. To make matters worse, Danny used musical motifs from 2003’s Hulk movie and reused segments of his Avengers soundtrack to complete the score.

 

There are also a multitude of deleted scenes that have been left on the cutting room floor. I won’t comment on the rumored ones featuring Darkseid, though I hope they are true. Instead, I will focus on those that I know for a fact exist. It doesn’t take much effort to be able to find how many scenes have been removed. One only has to look at any of the trailers released for the movie. They feature probably 70% deleted footage. Scenes ranging from Barry Allen saving Iris and breaking through a window while using the speed force, to scenes of Victor Stone playing football (which just so happened to have been co-directed or at least helped by Snyder’s son Eli who just so happened to be a UCLA Quarterback) would have helped to better flesh out the characters.

 

There are also massive gaps in logic and plot throughout the movie. One of which features Arthur Curry, the Aquaman, saving a sailor from a sinking ship and bringing him back to shore before taking a beer “on him”. Arthur notices that there is green fluorescent blood on his hand. This is clearly Parademon blood, but it makes no sense to the flow of the story. Are we supposed to assume that a Parademon sunk this random sailor’s boat out of the blue?

The truth may actually be from a deleted scene. A stuntman on Instagram posted a picture of himself along with several others in Atlantean armor. The stuntman describes a scene where Parademons are plucking soldiers from out of the water. Perhaps this is why the ship sinks and there is Parademon blood on Arthur’s hand. At this point, I’m just spit balling.

After purchasing the Art of Justice League book that was released on the same day as the film, it was evident the contents of the book paint a much different film than what was released. When all is said and done, I want the Snyder cut because I want a film that is more in line with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman in tone and substance. I want a film that like Man of Steel and BvS before it, speak to me on an intimate & personal level. That gives me hope and belief in myself that I can accomplish what I set out to do in life. That I can overcome whatever obstacles come my way. These movies speak to me and inspire me like they do to so many others. With the Snyder cut, we will have a new movie that is closer to his vision, a film that has a new soundtrack that elevates the images on screen, deleted scenes and dropped subplots that improve (hopefully) the narrative and characters of the movie.

 

This wouldn’t be the first time that an extended cut drastically improves a film. We’ve seen this before with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Once upon a time in America, Watchmen, Batman V Superman and even Kingdom of Heaven (one of my personal favorites). It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that we get the Zack Snyder cut, especially since crew members Fabian Wagner (JL Cinematographer) and Richard Cetrone (Actor/Stunt double) have confirmed its existence. It’s just a matter of whether or not we make ourselves heard as fans and if Zack is willing to come back. I leave that decision up to him and will respect whatever decision he comes to and will always be a fan of his work.

 

All of the damage in Justice League is a byproduct of Warner Bros having a knee jerk reaction to the “blogger” reception of Batman v Superman. Warners meddled with the initial cut of the movie which resulted in bad reviews. These bad reviews resulted in Warner Bros meddling with Suicide Squad, which resulted in more bad reviews. The rub being that 2 weeks before Suicide Squad was released, the Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition BluRay was released which re-inserted 30 minutes of footage which was removed from the theatrical release. The reviews from this Directors Cut, were far more favorable with critics asking why Warner Bros had cut the movie down, and this should have been the cut released in theatres. By this point, it was too late to re-re-edit Suicide Squad and the movie was released to subpar reviews, which I as a viewer agree with to some degree. It was an ok movie, but not DC’s strongest efforts. The subpar reviews of Suicide Squad then, unfortunately, reaffirmed WB’s thoughts that the DCEU was headed in the wrong direction.

 

The problem was, it wasn’t. Man of Steel proved that audiences were ready for another superhero series that took itself and the material seriously, BvS continued that trend but Warner Bros self-sabotage has brought us to this unfortunate place. In all its mighty wisdom to create a strong brand, they have moved this series away from the legendary status of The Dark Knight trilogy and moved us back closer to the Superman 4 and Batman and Robin movies (maybe not quite that bad….yet).

 

The problem is that the masses truly enjoyed BvS, the bloggers however created a negative narrative about the movie and unfortunately these bloggers have large followings of people who listen to their opinions because they believe that they are professionals and look up to them for information on film. The truth is, 80% of these bloggers/Youtubers are not film professionals. They haven’t taken film studies; they haven’t studied Sergei Eisenstein’s Battleship Potemkin or had to sit through Alexander Sokurov’s Russian Ark. They haven’t studied Italian neo realist cinema such as The Bicycle Thieves or Umberto D. The only films that they have truly studied, and I use the word studied loosely, is whatever is in the current pop culture zeitgeist.

 

It’s great to study Scorsese, Mann, Spielberg, Del Toro etc, but film culture extends far beyond popular films and most bloggers and Youtubers are only concerned with getting clicks and subscribers by pushing their knowledge of very popular and well-known properties. So when they push a certain narrative, most of their followers are convinced themselves of their authenticity. This is very basic psychology. We look to a professional for an opinion. In the end, film is subjective. No one can tell you if a movie is good or bad. I’ll be the first to admit that I think the Godfather is an ok film, but I recognize its importance and brilliance to film. That doesn’t mean I’m wrong or right, it just means that it isn’t for me. If Warner Brothers and the DCEU are to recover from the self-inflicted damage they’ve done here are a few of my “amateur” suggestions. IGNORE THE MARVEL FORMULA. STICK TO YOUR GUNS. Cancel all the side character movies (with the exception of Nightwing, which can help build the Bat universe). Focus on your core Justice League characters and expand from there. Don’t do the Flashpoint movie yet, give Barry Allen his own solo adventure. Get Cyborg his own solo adventure as well. Get a Batman movie going and a Man of Steel Sequel and then hit the ground running with Justice League 2. A Suicide Squad sequel could fit in there as well. Once those are all established, branch out with the world they’ve established. This can all start with the release of the Zack Snyder Cut. Release it and stop meddling with your product. If we are lucky, maybe…. just maybe…Warner’s can coax Zack back into the fold.

 

Remember

 

1)Stick to your Guns

2)Ignore the Marvel Formula

3)No knee jerk reactions

4)Stop meddling with your product

5)Bring Zack BACK

 

I could write 50 pages at least on Man of Steel alone, another 100 on BvS, but I tried to keep everything as self-contained into a brief article as I could. I hope that you guys have enjoyed my article as to why I want the Zack Snyder cut. I apologize if it was a bit of a ramble, but I am not a professional article writer. I just write scripts and make films.