

Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. The trinity of DC’s Finest Heroes who would unite the League in their fight for Earth against the malevolent Darkseid and his Apokaliptian forces! But enough about Truth & Justice! This is about filmmaker Zack Snyder’s vision for our favorite superhero team-up, a tonally different picture from 2017’s Justice League movie.

Written by Oscar-nominated Chris Terrio, who also co-wrote J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars Episode 9 from 2019, Mr. Snyder’s version of the JL is ironically the polar opposite of the League we remember from our childhood. No wonder it’s been rated R (yes it’s true) for bloody violence and harsh profanity. One question remains in our minds: is this film supposed to be for us as DC fans or for the filmmakers’ divisive enjoyment?

Well… Okay, Zack Snyder’s Justice League takes place after Superman’s “death” at the end of “Batman VS. Superman Dawn of Justice”. In the aftermath of this tragic event, Batman, or jokingly “Batfleck”, (Ben Affleck) is touched by his former enemy’s sacrifice, even though he was terrible to him beforehand. Unfortunately, Superman’s fall only triggers good news for a greater threat located in the cosmos. Yes, I’m talking about DARKSEID (Ray Porter)!

Apokalips’ sole ruler heard the “bells” of Superman’s death and sends his axe-wielding general and uncle Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) to go find the three Mother Boxes, a trio of dangerous artifacts that can help their possessors travel across the universe through Boom Tubes and can even locate an even more powerful item that Darkseid has longed to possess… The Anti-Life Equation!

Whoever possesses this force-like power can erase free-will from across the galaxy! Sounds terrifying, right? Now in order to stop Darkseid and Steppenwolf’s invasion, Batman and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) are forced to bring together three other superheroes into their alliance and help protect Earth: The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and depressed former football player-turned robot man, Cyborg (Ray Fisher) who is said to be the heart of the League’s story.

But should the entire alliance fail to save the world, it would become a dreaded “Knightmare” version of itself, ruled by Darkseid’s regime faction and his army of Parademons, who, in this film, are created from mortal beings unfortunate enough to stand in his way. Yeah, it’s scary to think that. The only odd thing I’d find in the “Knightmare” world would be that Batman and his allies must rely on unexpected allies…

Yes, even the Joker (Jared Leto) himself sides with Bats to rise against the Apokalipians in this alternate future.

(Sighs), such liberties you guys take for this.
Honestly, I’m worried over what Zack did to our childhood memories. The original JL was fun, but kind of odd, so I guess this cut will paint a clearer picture than the former, so brace yourselves when it debuts on HBO Max set for March 18th.
Running time? About 240 mins. Wait, what? THAT long?! Oh well. I’ve warned you.

Verdict: 1.9 out of 5