Justice Reimagined

To my utter surprise - and maybe it's because my expectations were so low - I did not hate Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). In fact, I can honestly say that I even enjoyed it, with reservations. This version of the film has more natural humour (though only in sparse doses), Cyborg and Flash are far better developed Batman gets a little more dignity, the action sequences are more effective overall, and the final battle in particular offers genuine jeopardy and suspense--it feels like there are real stakes. The plot actually makes sense now, for the most part. Even Steppenwolf's story is fleshed out, enough to make him an actual villain instead of just CG animation. And we get to see more of Jeremy Irons' Alfred and J.K. Simmons' Commissioner Gordon; both are treats. Amy Adams' Lois Lane doesn't fare quite as well, but she's still more important to the film than she was in the original theatrical release. 

On the downside, the score is terrible except when it includes snippets of Zimmer's themes from past movies. There are still moments that feel out of character for our heroes. There's way too much slow motion. The big new character cameo is welcome to fans, but still feels tacked on. Some sequences could be cut without hurting the film at all. Some of the humanizing moments from the theatrical cut are gone and I miss them, but on the other hand, those cuts make this version more tonally coherent - even if I'm not a fan of Snyder's portentous, somber take on the genre.

As a bonus, comparing this version of Justice League to the theatrical release is a great way to discover the importance of editing.

Poor Superman

Poor Henry Cavill, chosen to fill the role of one  of humanity's greatest pop culture icons, doomed to star as that character in only one decent but fatally flawed film, one bad film with a few good moments, and one genuinely terrible movie that should never have been made. (In order: Man of Steel, Justice League, and Batman v. Superman.) Now, he's a Superman no more,  although there seems to be a bit of back-and-forth in the news on whether or not Cavill's contract has indeed been terminated.

For what it's worth, I've been impressed by Cavill's performances as Superman and in other films; it's not his fault that he's been saddled with mediocre-to-terrible screenplays to  work with. And I would have loved to see him cameo alongside Captain Marvel (the real Captain Marvel) in Shazam!, which looks like a  lot more fun than most of the recent DC movies, but it looks like that's not in the cards.

But who knows? Superman will return, one way or another. I just hope Henry gets to play the character in at least one genuinely great movie.