Everything that was supposed to go wrong did. Even before his departure from the set following a family tragedy, Zack Snyder had had his wings clipped by a studio, Warner Bros., obsessed with the success of Disney/Marvel films and disorientated by the relative failure of its rival productions. The arrival of Josh Whedon, as script doctor before Snyder's departure and then charged with picking up the pieces afterwards, only made matters worse. In the end, "Justice League" was nothing more than a succession of soporific action scenes linked by long tunnels of insipid dialogue culminating in a grotesque finale.
The weight of fans
The industrial disaster was such that we would never have believed that Snyder, supported by his fans and the majority of the cast, could have fixed anything. But that's exactly what happened. Launched last Thursday on HBO Max, Warner Studios' Netflix, 'Zack Snyder's Justice League', despite being made up of existing scenes and new ones shot after the fact, punches Whedon's replastering in every department. The magic of the editing, the rediscovered rhythm and numerous reintroduced elements... whereas the two-hour version knocked us out, the four-hour version managed to keep us riveted without fail. That's the extent of the miracle.
So as not to reveal anything that might detract from your enjoyment (provided you don't develop an allergy to this type of digital blockbuster), let's just mention the introduction of a number of purely visual sequences, with no dialogue whatsoever, which enhance a narrative that badly needed it. There were also a number of elements missing to give the newcomers, Cyborg and Flash in particular, something to hold on to, and this has now been done. There are also significant changes to the nature of the main antagonists and Superman. As for Batman's 'premonitory' dreams, glimpsed in 'Batman vs Superman', here they are reinstated in the most beautiful of ways.
Snyder's touch rediscovered
All this means that Zack Snyder's highly recognisable style can flourish once his coherence has been restored. He certainly has his fans and detractors, but we're grateful to him for having been able to integrate the slow-motion sequences that are his trademark with greater relevance. We can also easily forgive him for the coquettishness of presenting his montage in a radical Imax format, close to the 4:3 of yesteryear, which leaves black bars appearing to the left and right of our 16:9 screens. Surprised at first, but without noticing any imbalance in the composition, we quickly conceded that this choice in no way detracted from the show.
It remains to be seen whether this reset of the clock, initially viewed with reluctance by Warner, will put the DC Extended Universe back on the right track. Zack Snyder's cut certainly introduces some intriguing new hooks for future trains, but there's no telling whether the convoy will reform or remain scattered around a battered marshalling yard.
Announced for release on 20 May on Hollystar.ch - which does not rule out other platforms active in Switzerland announcing themselves - the film is not being shown in cinemas. There is also the prospect of a physical release (Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray) on 31 December, and for those in a hurry, the temptation of downloading or using 'grey' streaming platforms.
Le Matin.ch by Jean-Charles Canet
FR 
EN 
DE