Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021/DC Comics/Warner 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)

4K Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B+ Sound: A- Extras: C Film: B+

It is amazing that this cut of DC Comics' Justice League (2017) exists as it was likely for many years that it would not be released. Now that it does exist, the end result is miles better than the previous 2017 theatrical release, this R-rated version of Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) is twice as long as the previous version, completely re-edited with totally different takes and sequences, and easy reaches epic heights in terms of special effects and superhero filmmaking with an added $70 Million budget on top of its previous budget to gain completion. This is the ultimate cut indeed.

Years in the making and for a while an exclusive to HBO Max subscribers only, Zack Snyder's Justice League is a marvel in comic book filmmaking and is now finally on 4K UHD disc and able to be included in fan's collections. For those unfamiliar, it is also the third film in Snyder's trilogy which also consists of Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016, reviewed elsewhere on this site.) If you are a super fan of this particular comic movie franchise, there is a new IMAX aspect ratio version of Batman V Superman also available on the 4K UHD format from Warner Bros. There is also a trilogy set available in 4K UHD.

If you are a stranger to the story behind this version, essentially in 2017 Zack Snyder had to step down from the production of Justice League (which was shot pretty much back to back with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is why they feel like one long movie) due to the sudden death of his daughter.

Warner Bros. brought in Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy) to step in as director, but he totally dropped the ball and made a lackluster version that disappointed fans (and there were upsets behind the scenes as well). After huge support online, Zack Snyder was able to step back into the project a few years later, reshoot new sequences, and get the budget required to finish the special effects and create his originally intended four hour version of the film. This version has been accepted much more by fans and has silenced a lot of online fanboy haters, however you can't always please everybody! Personally, I find it to be a perfectly cast comic book film that is just as enjoyable as anything Marvel Studios is putting out.

The Justice League is comprised of (Superman) Henry Cavill, (Batman) Ben Affleck, (Wonder Woman) Gal Gadot, (Cyborg) Ray Fisher, (Aquaman) Jason Momoa, and (The Flash) Ezra Fisher. There are also several famous faces including Amy Adams, Jared Leto, Harry Lennix, Jeremy Irons, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Lawrence Fishburne, Jessie Eisenberg, William Dafoe, Ray Porter, and Amber Heard to name a few. This cast is epic and just goes on and on.

A sinister evil villain known as Darkseid threatens to destroy earth, but must acquire three sacred mother boxes, each separated across Earth and under protection by various forces, to cross over and begin his vicious reign. The Justice League slowly forms, which includes bringing Superman back to life, but is it too late as this dark enemy quickly emerges?

The film takes its time in telling the backstories of each of the core heroes along with a host of new characters that have never been seen on film prior. The infamous Knightmare sequence is the final act of the film, which realizes these characters in a way that only Zack Snyder could imagine.

Zack Snyder's Justice League is presented in 2160p on 4K UHD disc (half of the film on each disc) with the full IMAX aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (ironically the old block style academy aperture frame set back in the beginning of the sound film era), an HEVC / H.265 codec, HDR10 (High Dynamic Range) and audio mixes in lossless Dolby Atmos 11.1 (with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 16-bit) mixdown for older systems. Simply put, this is a demo disc for the 4K UHD format and looks and sounds top notch. There is a visible notice in detail in the difference between the 4K UHD and the 1080p Blu-ray versions, both of which are of high standard from Warner Bros. as to be expected. The epic soundtrack is also noteworthy by Tom Holkenborg has also been replaced the rather corny Danny Elfman soundtrack that Mr. Whedon chose to use. (Sorry, Danny.)

Special Features: The Road to Justice League Featurette.

The future of this iteration of the Justice League will continue with various spin-off films in development featuring Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman, and the Flash. At the time of this writing, the future involvement of Snyder himself is uncertain, but he certainly created an epic and interesting trilogy of DC movies that many fans, including myself, thoroughly enjoy.

- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/