"Justice League: Snyder Cut" illusion by Daena Faustino
After the trailer for Zack Snyder’s cut of “Justice League” was released this week, Michigan State students shared their anticipation for the director’s cut of the film.
Snyder’s version, aptly deemed the “Snyder Cut,” is set to premiere nearly four years after the original film, which was directed by Joss Whedon after Snyder stepped back due to family matters. Fans and members of the cast and crew petitioned Warner Bros. for the release of Snyder’s version, to their avail.
Physics senior Kevin Raju said he hopes the Snyder Cut is more spectacular than the rushed original, and he’s hopeful that it’ll be better than Whedon’s.
Raju praised the visual change in the trailer, citing the noticeable differences from the original “Justice League,” specifically for the character of Steppenwolf.
“If you look at … Steppenwolf before, you saw a little bit more practical, and now, you look at this new trailer, it’s a little more CGI,” Raju said. “So, you have a lot more visuals that are more highlighted, details and more specifics on that side of the movie.”
Media and information senior Jake Fishkind saw “Justice League” at an early screening in Wells Hall and has seen every clip that’s been released since the Snyder Cut was announced.
Fishkind said the work of Snyder and Whedon on the first iteration of the film created an inconsistent tone, which he hopes is rectified in the director’s cut.
“I’m hoping that it’s actually going to be a more cohesive and good story,” Fishkind said. “Because I think the fact that we had essentially two directors working on the original one — and they had two separate visions — really messed up the movie and created a weird, inconsistent tone.”
Media and information senior Heather Kulkis echoed this idea, and she said she thinks the film will go darker than Whedon’s more lighthearted and comic version.
“I think they’re going to take a darker, more dramatic approach,” Heather Kulkis said. “The original movie I thought was kind of lighthearted — like they definitely kept it dramatic and full of action — but it was a little bit more palatable. It seems like with the director’s cut, they’re just going for the darker, intense drama of it all.”
Additionally, the inclusion of other characters in the DC Extended Universe, or DCEU, in the trailer has Raju excited for what’s to come.
“It’s … the inclusion of a couple other characters, including Darkseid in particular one part of the trailer, Jared Leto’s Joker,” Raju said. “It’s a different park because we get more content that we didn’t get in the first film.”
Raju cited Martian Manhunter and Green Lantern as characters he hopes to make an appearance in Snyder Cut.
The presence of Jared Leto’s Joker in the trailer, who was absent from the Harley Quinn-centric “Birds of Prey,” piqued Raju’s interest.
“My curiosity is a little more how the Joker fits into the final part of the movie,” Raju said. “Because I think in that last second where we saw him, it was definitely a surprise twist."
Upon learning Leto would reprise his role in the Snyder Cut, Fishkind said he was disappointed at first until he saw behind-the-scenes photos of the Joker in a scene reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s Joker.
“When I first heard he was going to be in it, I was disappointed because I did not like Jared Leto’s Joker,” Fishkind said. “But, seeing this updated version, seeing those couple of seconds with him has got me a little bit excited for him.”
Kulkis, however, could go without the Joker making an appearance.
“I think it’s unnecessary for a movie like this,” Kulkis said. “It seems like they’re just doing it for fan service.”
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The Snyder Cut of “Justice League” will be available to stream March 18 on HBO Max
