The First Reactions to Zack Snyder’s “Justice League” Cut Are Here

Nothing but good news for DC fans.

In 2017, Justice League was released in cinemas around the world and very quickly, uh, flopped.

The superhero film was considered to be a major box office bomb, grossing $US657 million—a cool $100 million shy of breaking even—and was universally panned by critics, scoring a dismal 40 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

To quickly recap, director Zack Snyder was replaced by Joss Whedon after he exited production due to a family tragedy. Whedon took over the project and brought the running time to about two hours, leaving Snyder's vision on the cutting room floor.

One fan-driven social media campaign later, and we now are days away from the release of the #SnyderCut in Australia.

This new cut is all thanks to HBO Max who gave Snyder the chance—and $US70 million—to pick up the tattered pieces of his project and recreate the vision he had for the DC film.

Early reactions are in.

Preview screenings for the film took place over the weekend and it’s good news for fans of the DCEU, 'cos it looks like the #SnyderCut is amazing.

Guys — I have seen the #SnyderCut...and it’s a masterpiece.@ZackSnyder paints an incredible canvas that will break your heart and put it back together again.

The runtime — which blows by like it’s nothing — allows backstories, team’s assembly and action to flow effortlessly. pic.twitter.com/o7f29JUAlN

— Jake Hamilton (@JakesTakes) March 14, 2021

Twitter has erupted with virtual rounds of applause for the film, with some going as far to say it’s Snyder’s best film to date.

"The #SnyderCut is a master class in what a difference a filmmaker makes.
The film is a true #JusticeLeague story and Snyder's best film to date." - @GraceRandolph pic.twitter.com/KetkyIbMwD

— DCFUnited (@DCFUnited) March 15, 2021

Inception and The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan was also high on praise for the film, which goes a long way considering Nolan’s work with Batman is arguably the best superhero trilogy of all-time (we said it).

Christopher Nolan attended the early screening and as per Gracie he'd agree that Zack Snyder's Justice League is the Best DC movie. OMG😳#SnyderCut is definitely winning hearts ♥️😭😭

— 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐧𝐲𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 (@Itssan17) March 12, 2021

Finally, Ray Fisher who plays Cyborg in Snyder's Justice League, livestreamed his response to the film, calling it a “7 day feast" he didn’t want to end.

Just check out his full reaction video (his excitement is so infectious).

Ray Fisher’s reaction to finally watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

He has waited so long for this. Zack said he wouldn’t let Ray watch it until all the VFX for Cyborg were done. I’m so happy for Ray. #SnyderCut #Cyborg pic.twitter.com/00pn7RDrNU

— Walt (@UberKryptonian) March 13, 2021

So, how different is the film?

Early signs are pointing to a completely different film to the 2017 version.

Here are all the confirmed changes you can expect in the new film:

• Snyder Cut is officially R-rated (MA15+ in Australia). Batman is rumoured to even drop an F-bomb!
• It's four-hours long. That’s double the original film’s runtime.
• Two new villains will appear onscreen: Deathstroke and Darkseid.
• There's a new musical score.
• Jared Leto will reprise his role as The Joker (hopefully better than Suicide Squad).
• All new visual effects.

Not gonna lie, all that sounds freakin’ amazing!

If you’re still worried if you’re gonna be watching a longer version of the same movie, rest easy, because one early access viewer has mathematically worked out how different the #SnyderCut is from the original.

If you don't believe that #ZackSnydersJusticeLeague is a totally different movie by comparison to the theatrical version, you are wrong.

I would estimate maybe 25% of theatrical (the best parts) were shot by Zack. Maybe 12% of the Snyder Cut is stuff you might have seen before. pic.twitter.com/7ESlNHPIsL

— BD (@BrandonDavisBD) March 14, 2021

Sounds like Snyder's cut has finally done the DCEU justice...

Sorry that wasn't called for, I'll see myself out.

Snyder’s Justice League is dropping Thursday 18 March on BINGE in Australia. (Affiliate disclosure: Student Edge may earn a commission if you click that link and buy a product from our partner's page.)

Header Image: HBO Max