We might not necessarily need a 4-hour superhero movie, but Zack Snyder did.
Over the weekend, comedian Leslie Jones watched and live-tweeted Zack Snyder's Justice League, familiarly known as the "Snyder Cut," ending each tweet with the hashtag #longassmovie. With a sum total of 85 tweets over the span of four hours, Jones confirmed two things: first, she actually liked it. Second, it is, in fact, a long-ass movie.
IGN may have a clue as to why:
Literally 10% of the Snyder Cut is in slow motion. https://t.co/TW6RI6JYV7 pic.twitter.com/AHJm96eWLl
— IGN (@IGN) March 23, 2021
Do we really need a 4-hour superhero movie? The meme culture surrounding the film's release suggests maybe not. But the Snyder Cut, for some, is more than that.
As Vanity Fair reported, "It’s not uncommon for directors to lose creative control of big-budget studio spectacles, or for other filmmakers to step in. But it’s unheard of for a studio to return to an exiled filmmaker and offer back the power and creative freedom it has yanked away, especially when some of the most beloved and lucrative characters in pop culture history are involved."
The publication went on, saying that, for Snyder Cut fans, "it’s a Hollywood ending for a Hollywood story, but for the truly devastating thing that happened to Zack Snyder and his loved ones in 2017, there can be no fix, no do-over."
While dealing with the conflict with Warner Bros., the Snyders’ 20-year-old daughter, Autumn, was home from college and in the middle of a long struggle with depression when she took her own life. "The Snyders tried to keep going for two months after Autumn’s death, finding solace in finishing Justice League."
However, following the death of their daughter, Zack and Deborah quit the project. "But after two years spent largely focused on their other children and extended family, DC fans and Snyder enthusiasts...beat a drum on social media demanding, demanding, demanding that Warner Bros. return Justice League to its original filmmaker and allow him to share his version of the movie."
The new release, which is on Warner Brothers' streaming service, HBO Max, will raise money for various suicide prevention programs, including the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Maybe we don't need a 4-hour superhero movie. But Zack Snyder did.
Have you watched Zack Snyder's Justice League? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
