A YouTube video uploaded to the channel Derpston P Derp shows a detailed side-by-side breakdown of Zack Snyder’s upcoming re-release of Justice League compared to what came before. The video shows the recent trailer for the ‘Snyder Cut’ alongside footage taken from director Joss Whedon’s theatrical edition of the film, as well as Comic-Con teasers, deleted scenes, and previously unused leaked workprint footage.
While it appears Snyder is utilizing much of what was already shot before he was brought back to the director's chair, the differences are still staggering. Most notable is the overall color pallet of the entire film. Snyder’s version of Justice League is considerably darker, with stronger shadows and muted colors, which is typical of the ‘look’ of his films. Most of the visual effects have been upgraded, including the villain Steppenwolf, who has had a complete make-over to make him look more menacing and spiky. Another interesting change is a shot of Steppenwolf used in the original theatrical cut where he brings down his hammer on the ground creating an explosive shockwave. This shot seems to have been repurposed with the main villain Darkseid now being the one to do this deed. Darkseid was famously absent from the theatrical cut, but Snyder’s version looks to be utilizing the infamous DC supervillain as the main antagonist, with Steppenwolf as a sort of secondary bad guy.
Another big change is Snyder’s use of a deleted scene that was included on the Blu-ray release of the theatrical version of Justice League. In the scene, Superman emerges from the fortress of solitude after his resurrection wearing his trademark red and blue costume. However, in Snyder’s version, the Man of Steel is now dressed in his famous black Superman suit, which Snyder has been very enthusiastic about including in his edition. The Kryptonian famously dawned the black suit in the comics after coming back from the dead. The Black suit, which is often referred to as ‘the Recovery Suit’ or ‘the Solar/ Regeneration suit,’ was designed to allow Superman to absorb more radiation from the earth's yellow sun, the source of his powers.
One of the most apparent alterations to the theatrical version is the ever-changing aspect ratio for Justice League. While the theatrical cut was released in the typical ‘widescreen’ format used in most films, Justice League was initially shot with a 1.37:1 aspect ratio, which gives the film a much ‘taller’ appearance. Snyder’s original intent was to have the film shown in IMAX, which typically uses a 1.43:1 aspect ratio for the massive screen.
Although the Snyder Cut home release won’t be able to utilize the IMAX format, the film has been restored to its original aspect ratio, which is much closer to Snyder’s original intent and will actually display more information for the viewer. To achieve the widescreen version of the film, the 2017 Justice League had to be cut down and cropped for its theatrical run, meaning some of the visual information in the original shots was actually be removed.
It will be interesting to see how viewers react when Snyder’s Justice League is released for home viewing in March since it’s unlikely that anyone will be watching it on an IMAX screen in their living room. Regardless, it is closer to the director's original intent, which seems to be the overall goal of the Snyder Cut.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League will premiere on HBO Max on March 18th, 2021.
Source: Derpston P Derp/YouTube