There was a time above, a time before, when Zack Snyder’s rumoured cut of Justice League was an inexistent ‘pipe dream’ that was ‘never to be released’ no matter how large or vocal fans of the director & his like it or not, powerful vision for the DC Universe would get. Though it turns out, not all the kings horses or all the kings men could prevent the overwhelming desire for the so called ‘Snyder Cut’ to be drowned out & in one of, if not the biggest & definitive moves to break & change modern Hollywood, after trending #1 Worldwide across all social platforms & taking the internet by a united storm, Zack Snyder’s Justice League was officially released on March 18th 2021 & though begrudgingly undermined & rumoured to have been set up for failure by toxic executives upset to have been proven so wrong in their creative decisions which led to the ordeal in the first place, the 4-Hour epic which envisioned the iconic Justice League characters & story on a ‘Lord Of The Rings’ epic & biblical scale was adored by fans & critics alike, praised for its breathtaking vision, direction & execution quickly catapulted to the top of the global streaming charts & ultimately commanded an unprecedented series of multiple Physical Releases, Merchandise & more which still continues to this day, It’s safe to say the movie left its mark & could be considered as the most consistently relevant direct to streaming movie, ever as no other has generated an impact quite like it.
Now, 4-Years on, (Now 5), fans unite to look back at Zack Snyder’s Justice League & the prolonged efforts & journey to its release. From raising over $1 Million for Suicide Prevention, to generating mass & open talk for Mental Health, building online families & lifelong friends, so many have so much to say & thank the movie for on a deeply personal & fan level, including myself who at one point never could’ve imagined joining the campaign & aftermath of such a movie, but for all amazing reasons, is so happy to have done.
ZACK ‘HELLBLAZZRR’ expertly constructs how the movie & movement strikingly reflect the in-universe story of resilience, unity & hope against the seemingly hard-to-beat odds… “I’ve gained a lot of things from the Snyder Cut movement. Lots of great memories, cathartic moments both on-screen as well as off-screen, a great brotherhood that I can share my joy and sorrows and obviously a powerhouse of a comicbook movie. But the thing that moves me the most is the whole journey of Zack Snyder and the Snyder fandom as a whole which is mirrored in the film itself. In the movie, the Justice League “fails” to stop the villain, Steppenwolf but because of the Flash’s time travel shenanigans they get a second chance at victory. Just like Superman gets a second chance because of his rebirth after his death at the hands of Doomsday. This mirrors the DC fanbase and Zack Snyder himself getting a second chance through the Snyder Cut movement to bring out a way better film than the one released in 2017 which was no less than an abomination (for various reasons) and give to comicbook fans a superior superhero cinematic experience which Kevin Smith said and I quote “a DC fan’s wet dream” – The Snyder Cut movement and Zack Snyder’s personal story is an inspiring testament of human resilience, determination and willpower and stands as a celebration and victory of an artist’s true vision and cinematic prowess in face of unsurmountable odds”
FOR THE LOVE OF CINEMA says…“We fall, we give up and we lose. Superman is dead, darkness is inevitable and there’s no one to save us. This is how Justice League begins. It starts out as a story about a world that has already lost. But it is not how it ends. We fall, but then we rise. We give up, but then we find purpose. We lose, and yet still can win. Zack Snyder’s Justice League is a film about redemption. Redemption for its heroes. Redemption for its fans. And redemption for the ones who told its story. Against all odds, this film persevered, resurrecting like Superman, proudly bearing hope on his chest. This is the film’s legacy. And it will forever inspire me like no other.”
DAMI RAY IS ALIVE adds how the movie personally saved them from a dark time..“I’ve battled depression my whole life but the year zsjl came out i was going through it heavy (worst year of my life by far) but this movie in a lot of ways saved my life so im eternally grateful”
JF DAYS SLEEPEER shares a similar feeling of the movie’s hope through the screen & the path to it…“ZSJL Coming out was to me watching Justice being restored in real life. It gave me hope that anything was possible. Just like these characters have done for me for so many years. Now the movie itself was not just a good movie. It was an experience. A life changing experience. One that has left me wanting more from what I consider the most epic movie run these characters have ever been through. I love all three movies Zack Snyder did and will cherish them forever”
MARCOS RIERA says the open resilience of the campaign & project showed them there’s light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark or long it is…“The most important thing to me was seeing all those people around the world showing so much passion to get the movie released for years and how we made a difference by supporting AFSP… That resilience also helped me because my family got diagnosed with COVID just a week before the release of the movie and well, sadly they didn’t make it. During that time I was beyond sad because the other relatives I had never called or showed me any kind of support, but that’s where the movie came in and I was so happy because it was everything I ever wanted it to be and sharing that happiness with other people after all those years of fighting…was worth it in the end. I mentioned AFSP before because things can get hard and sometimes it seems like one problem comes after another, so the cause they fight for really hit home for me. What I get from the movie is that we need to keep moving forward no matter what because someday down the line you will look back to all things good and bad and giving up is not an option, you might get lucky down the line and that’s why you need to keep pushing.”
BAT KILMER explains how the film revitalized their trust in Comic Book Movies, which at the time some were beginning to grow tired of…“Zack Snyder’s Justice League is what renewed my faith in superhero movies in a time where the genre stopped taking itself seriously. For something to be told it would never come out and how it would be terrible only to be proven wrong is perfect vindication”
THE MAXYSSEY talks from the heart while mentioning Zack Snyder’s daughter, Autumn, who’m the movie & movement is tributes to…”This movie, this journey, this actual irl epic saga for the Holy Grail will forever be in my heart. So thankful to each and every one of you for your friendship, your support and the constant passion. This experience will last forever in my and all our souls. #ForAutumn”
SAMMIE SNYDER QUEEN expresses how the team-up hero movie was in many ways, its own version of Justice…“Zack Snyder’s Justice League teaches us that no matter how broken we think we are, no matter how lost we may feel, we are not alone and by being united, we can defeat any evils. ZSJL is not just a movie, it’s the culmination of years of fan demand and support for Zack to complete his artistic vision, and for the actors to be vindicated in their efforts to bring these grand mythological characters to our screens. Its existence is a success for artistic integrity.”
SUPER TUBER EDDIE described the path as ‘grand & emotional’ as the film itself…“So many fans of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman felt that justice was being served with the release of the Snyder Cut after such a painful journey, but looking back it was that fight, it was the camaraderie that made the journey so epic. a journey of hope, friendships (new and existing) and justice for DC fans who had to endure so much to get what the Zack, and the entire team poured their hearts to make… one of the greatest movies in comic book movie history.”
JOHN BAKER reflects on their experience with the theatrical Frankenstein of Joss Whedon’s Justice League & expresses his desire to see the story one day finished…”Just like most of us I was deceived and excited to see Justice League in theatres, but came out feeling disappointed and feeling like this wasn’t Zack’s movie. I wasn’t on social media at the time, didn’t even have a Twitter account, but I saw rumblings about the release the Snydercut movement which definitely intrigued me. Then I finally opened my Twitter account and got directly involved. The teases from Zack, and both Clay Staub and Enos were hyping us up beyond belief, seeing pieces of the movie we’ve never seen before. The AFSP involvement was huge and meant a lot to me and many others. I made sure to contribute what I could to that for special Snydercut shirts and hoodies. We’ve all dealt with either tragedy or personal demons, so this cause was very important. That day we trended with 1.5 million tweets was amazing and unheard of. Then finally getting the official release announcement with Henry Cavill was absolutely an amazing and unforgettable moment. I know I felt vindicated for all we had done as a fandom, I felt so great for Zack finally getting to complete his vision which meant so much to him. Then finally watching it the first time was such an event! It crashed the HBO Max servers due to it being watched so much around the world. ZSJL is truly a masterpiece of storytelling that I don’t think anyone else could accomplish in the same way. Definitely feel blessed to have been a part of this movement and I hope that someday we can do it again, because nothing is ever truly dead in Hollywood”
COMICS LEAGUE JT says it changed their life…“I owe a lot to the Snyder Cut…chiefly that it reignited my love for comics and inspired me to start my YouTube channel. I had always wanted to start a podcast, but I really didn’t know what I could talk about, but then, when ZSJL was announced and I started talking with some buddies about it, it hit me like a lightning bolt that this was the dream topic. And then when I re read my comic books, my love for these characters was finally reignited and it hasn’t faded once since I got back in. Literally that announcement and release has led to all of my friendships from the channel and a sense of fulfillment that I had not expected. All this from a movie. I know it sounds cliche, but ZSJL, in the truest sense of the phrase, literally changed my life!”
DCU MOVIE PAGE felt a sense of euphoria by the release of the Snyder Cut…“My heart felt complete watching ZSJL for the first time. Not just for the love of this universe, these characters and the director’s work, but the feeling that at the end we won after everybody (including the studio) telling us we were wrong”
EOGHAN praises being a team, just like the Justice League themselves, to correct a wrong mistake…”In March 2016, I saw a movie called Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I saw it and adored every second of it as it was a film I’d dreamed of since obsessively watching the DCAU World’s Finest movie as a child on VHS. While BvS was divisive to people, it introduced me to a massive global fandom united around director Zack Snyder. Since then, we discussed, analysed and loved his movies but importantly, we fought for his vision with BvS’ sequel ‘Justice League’. This film received unheard of levels of studio interference and mismanagement but from 2017 – 2021, we stood by Snyder as a unit to support his vision and make right what was an ultimate wrong in the industry. It brought us all closer together and made us realise that despite the division regarding Snyder’s films, there was a fandom out there to be a part of and we had friends there to unite with. While the journey to the Snyder Cut was long and filled with obstacles, the words of Bruce Wayne ring true, “They’ve never fought us. Not us united”.
MAN OF STEVEN explains the importance of the movie & its connection to Superman…“At a time when Henry Cavill was left on the shelf & I was spearheading the #Henry Cavill Superman campaign, getting the Snyder Cut was extremely important for me. Mainly to undo the injustice that Josstice League had done to Henry & Superman as well as the cast & Zack as whole. While others were mistreated badly in Josstice none of the cast came off worse than Henry imo. The CG monstrosity they did to his face was pure embarrassment. To see him properly as was intended and the film delivering the way it was promised (“get ready to revise your list” springs to mind) was incredible”
Even those who wouldn’t describe themselves as a Zack Snyder fan, see the good & value in the efforts for his Justice League release, JOSH THOUGHTS says…“I am NOT a Zack Snyder fan but I am learning!! My favorite thing about the Snyderverse is the camaraderie it instills in Snyder’s fandom. I really disliked BvS but after discussion here on @X I did a rewatch (and live tweeted it) and the thing that stood out to me was the fact that Snyder fans LOVE being positive and LOVE dunking on haters. Also Batfleck is AWESOME”
5 Years later & so much of Zack Snyder’s Justice League‘s heart beats strong & the hard working efforts to see its release come to fruition is something it’s fans don’t take for granted, even if it has at times & often been a bumpy ride with much advisory along it. The Snyder Cut is not only a poetic tale of literal justice for the heroes within its story, but also for the fans & creatives behind it who proved that movies are magic, that they mean something, they have purpose & a life of their own far beyond the runtime of their cuts & when a special movie comes along, it can truly change the world, even if it’s just one person’s at a time. & Sometimes, whether you’re a fan of a particular title or not, it can be worth remembering there are some out there who, for their own reasons we don’t always know or need to understand, are. & The Snyder Cut is a shining example of not only an incredible piece of storytelling that expands & transcends its own genre but also a commentary piece on the passionate love behind them too.
The ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE TRILOGY is streaming on HBO MAX.
