This post started very differently (as you will see below), but then the research nerd in me went looking for info on the closing credits song that I'm about to bash... and I found this article:
After reading the article, and understanding where this version of Hallelujah came from and why it's there... it makes it kinda hard to bash on it as I originally intended.
But let's face it.. I'm not going to let a little thing like human emotion or sympathy get in the way of a good rant now, am I? Of course not. So, without further commentary...
It can be concluded that the film is, arguably, better than Joss Whedon's theatrical release of the film. It is, certainly more comprehensible. And its kinda fascinating to see how completely different the two films are, especially when it comes to the things that I truly hated in Whedon's version that I now know are actually his fault. For instance, my initial reaction to his Justice League was that the opening "Superman is dead, we're SO depressed" scenes were an abysmal way to open a movie, and showed everything that's wrong in Snyder's approach to superhero movies. Imaging my surprise to find that this godawful opening wasn't Snyder's fault!
Allowing for the overall improved storytelling (though, truth be told, I'm not even sure I can make that bold a claim for it), we have to accept that this improved comprehension comes courtesy of a double-the-original's run time, clocking in now at over 4 hours. That's some epic superhero time investment we're talking.
So while we get a more complete story, and a better understanding of the threat facing our superheroes, as well as more backstory for each of those heroes, it all comes with a lot of self-indulgent baggage... long, lingering pans, an abuse of slow motion bordering on the criminal, and an extended set of endings that rival LOTR's Return of the King for abuse of the denouement. (Don't even get me started on the Knightmare sequence.)
The other things these indulgent post-conclusion scenes do is something Snyder excels at... robbing the viewer of any sense of joy or success or relief you can wring out of the story once the big bad has been defeated only to drench you in upcoming death, destruction and misery. It's like he's never actually enjoyed any of the comics he's read... just consumed them to get to the next story in the arc, so he can see who gets beat up next.
This, of course, leads to that end credits rendition of Hallelujah.
First off, adding Hallelujah to the end of Justice League (without knowing why Snyder did it) feels like the height of hubris... we've saved the world from Darkseid! Hallelujah! But even knowing the why of it (see link above, if you haven't already) doesn't change the problems I have with it.
The beauty of this song is its simplicity... just listen to Cohen perform it here and you'll see what I mean. Despite the backup singers, the organ and drums and anything else you her, the focus of the song is simply Cohen's words. He doesn't overplay a second of it.
What we get at the end of Justice League is anything but... it's overproduced, overwrought and clearly a heartfelt attempt to tug at the heartstrings.
And that pretty much sums up the entirety of the Snyder Cut for me... overproduced, over long, over indulgent and overwrought. No amount of clarity in the story is going to save it from that. (And let's take a moment to acknowledge the "Justice is Gray" rendition now available on HBO MAX as well… since no truly epic superhero film these days is complete without a black and white version. Right? *sigh*)
So frankly, I'm glad that WB has made it clear they're not going to continue on in the Snyderverse vein for it's upcoming DCU movies. I've truly had enough of his brand of superhero.
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