In February 2020, rumors of Zach Snyder’s cut of the deplorable 2017 film “Justice League” surfaced among media outlets as Warner Bros reevaluated their production deficit at the time of the original release. In May 2020, Snyder announced his four-hour long rendition of the original would be released as “Zach Snyder’s Justice League” via HBO Max. Following three years of die-hard DC fans relentlessly condemning Joss Whedon’s production and begging for Warner Bros to amend this travesty, they achieved the impossible, willing this new finished cut into conception.

On March 18, the film was finally released. Continuing where they left off from 2016’s “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice”, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” follows Batman (played by Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman’s formation of the League as they team up with The Flash, Cyborg, Aquaman and a revived Superman in their quest to fight the villain Steppenwolf.

The film follows a similar plotline to the 2017 version, but expands the story in ways that build upon the story are that Synder began constructing in 2013 with “Man of Steel”.

Realizing Snyder’s complete and uninterrupted vision was a long process of uncertainty and disappointment, but it was all worth the while given the eventual release of this movie. This film erases the most annoying part of Joss Whedon’s original cut including Henry Cavill’s infamous CGI-removed mustache. Further, some scenes integral to character development make it appalling to consider altering or cutting the film at all.

Two characters in particular, The Flash (played by Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (played by Ray Fischer), did not have much of a chance for a fleshed out origin story and development in the prior cut. However, they are now allowed to shine in Snyder’s cut.

Fischer especially stands out as the heart of the team, fitting perfectly into his role as a Digital God, who comes off as more capable and powerful than other movie depictions of androids (such as “Terminator’s”), and even his own comic book counterpart. Barry is provided with the screen time necessary to explore the story of his love interest with Iris West, which involves a fascinating scene featuring her potentially deadly car crash. There are also extended periods of the film that showcase that he knows quite a bit regarding his powers, like being able to reverse time if he runs faster than the speed of light. These details are not only important to the character’s own story in the film, but fill in key plot holes from the 2017 film.

Another important aspect is the villain Steppenwolf. In the 2017 version of the film, Steppenwolf had a very average character design, and his ambition of simply ruling Earth was stale and boring. He was also paired with a lackluster and forgettable superhero antagonist.

Snyder’s Steppenwolf, however, has a very high-quality CGI design, featuring protective armor that comes out of his skin. His ambitions not only make sense, but make viewers feel compassion towards him. Steppenwolf’s aims are to collect three “mother boxes” on Earth in order to unite them and gain control of the planet. This is not done out of a desire to be evil or rule the world, but to right a wrong he made a long time ago to his master Darkseid, one of DC’s most powerful villains. Every time Steppenwolf has to connect back to his home planet, you can see the remorse on his face, which comes off as quite adorable. With just this change, the character goes from one of the most forgettable villains to a standout character.

The cast does a great job in bringing this film together, due in large part to the breathing space the film has in its four-hour run time. The film flows smoothly, and if you do not want to sit through it all, you can take a break during any of the six delineated chapters of the film. Ben Affleck again proves his capabilities as Batman, Gal Godot shows a side to Wonder Woman that is sometimes missing in her own solo films and the vast array of DC character cameos are enjoyable for any fan.

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is a great success for the world of superheroes because Snyder finally has his way, uninterrupted. Hopefully, in the future, Snyder is able to continue his story in some way. For now, we can be thankful to have this cut.