The DC Extended Universe is a tricky place. With the exception of Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, all of the installments have been a bit divisive, with reviews ranging from lukewarm to downright frigid. Justice League is certainly an improvement from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, reshoots and studio intervention resulted in a bit of a disjointed final product. Since then, fans have been petitioning for Zack Snyder's original cut of the film, and now it appears that an extended version may be on its way, but not in the way fans were hoping for. Instead, it might end up being a longer cut of the theatrical release, complete with Joss Whedon's reshoots and tonal changes.
This latest news came to us from IGN's Mario Robles, who broke the news about the alleged Justice League extended cut via a cryptic tweet regarding the film's upcoming home release. Check it out
It looks like the hundred thousand or so fans that signed the petition for Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League are going to continue to be furious about how the film turned out. And having an extended cut that isn't Snyder's is like adding insult to injury.
If an extended cut does end up happening, there's little doubt that it will help improve the quality of the overall film. One of the biggest criticisms for Justice League is how much was left on the cutting room floor, massively cutting down the screen time of its titular heroes. Jason Momoa's Aquaman no doubt suffered the most from cuts, as he had essentially no introduction; he just showed up in the background of the scene with Bruce Wayne at the bar. Willem Defoe's role ended up getting the chop also, with Atlantis' inclusion feeling out of place and forced, considering how quickly it entered the film before promptly becoming a non-entity. It's a small wonder that Amber Heard's Mera even made it into the film at all.
Justice League had a ton of world building to do, which was no doubt a difficult task in crafting and editing the movie. Three new heroes needed to be introduced, including their supporting characters and respective settings. This is partly why so much was left on the cutting room floor; there was just too much information to cram into one movie. This is no doubt why Marvel went the opposite direction with The Avengers. The team was introduced through solo movies first, allowing the movie not to be bogged down by exposition and world building the way Justice League was. Which is funny since Joss Whedon had such a hand in both films being crafted.
Justice League is currently still showing in theaters. Be sure to check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
