Something special happened this week in the world of superhero cinema. The Snyder Cut of Justice League - director Zack Snyder's original four-hour cut of the film - released online by popular demand from fans and even the film's stars. Among those who amplified the call for the Snyder Cut was actor Henry Cavill, Superman in the DC Films' series. On Thursday, after the Snyder Cut had electrified the Internet and thrilled fans worldwide, Henry Cavill shared a post on Instagram for Zack Snyder. He wrote: "Here's to you Zack. Congratulations! I know this has been an arduous journey for you, you kept fighting, though. I couldn't be happier to see your vision for Justice League realised. And what a movie it is!" A set of pictures from the filming of the 2017 movie accompanied his words.
Read Henry Cavill's post here:
What makes the release of the Snyder Cut momentous is that despite having directed Justice League, Zack Snyder has never seen the film in its final version, having quit the project after a heart-breaking personal loss and a long battle with Warner Bros, the studio distributing the movie. Justice League languished in crisis after Mr Snyder's exit - until Joss Whedon, director of the first two Avengers films, crossed the thin red line between Marvel and DC to see Justice League into theatres. This involved significantly changing Zack Snyder's version of the film - reshooting and recutting.
Justice League released in November 2017 but received a lukewarm reception from both critics and fans. Ever since, the clamour for the Snyder Cut to release has grown louder. Now that it has, the Internet is obsessed - the Snyder Cut reverses many of Joss Whedon's edits, showing key scenes in full and replacing reshot footage with the original.
Henry Cavill is not the only Justice League cast member to post a shout-out for Zack Snyder. Actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg and has made controversial claims against Warner Bros and Joss Whedon, tweeted: "This is for those that fought. This is for those that believed. This belongs to each and every one of you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now let's break the Internet."
In a second post, Ray Fisher provided details of alleged racism on the part of Warner Bros executives. He previously accused Joss Whedon of "abusive, unprofessional" behaviour towards the cast and crew of Justice League. Read his tweet on "racially discriminatory conversations" that Warner Bros executives allegedly had.
The Snyder Cut of Justice League is available in India on BookMyShow's paid streaming service; NDTV's Saibal Chatterjee wrote in his review, "Zack Snyder's Justice League is a mixed bag: part pulsating, part plodding. Jared Leto pops up right at the end as The Joker as Batman ponders over the road ahead for him. Is that incentive enough for one to stay the course? For DC Universe enthusiasts, there is no question."