Just finished it. Definitely better than Whedon's version, but then again Whedon's version was a low bar.
So it's no surprise it follows the same story as the theatrical cut but with a fair amount more bloat. Snyder does like creating beautiful cinematic scenes but also seems to bloat stuff with unnecessary scenes. Basically, this is pretty much the film we saw from Whedon, with some additional stuff and less cringy jokes.
Also, the exposition is strong in this movie. While I am not a fan of the narrated exposition dumps, it was pretty unavoidable I think given how WB never really built these characters up. This movie is basically the first we see anything of substance about them.
Which brings me to how poorly emotionally attached I was to any of the characters. I did not feel sad about any of the deaths in Themyscira no matter how well Connie Nielsen telegraphed her own emotions. The kid saying she wants to be like Diana fell flat because this was after Diana basically murdered these people (vaporized one of them even) in front of these kids. Victor's dad is dumber than any of the scientists in Prometheus after that scene.
Even the stakes feel low. They've already shown that Darkseid can be defeated. HE ALREADY LOST. Why should he be scary? If you think of this as Superman's story where he rises to be the hero that inspires the world, and returns from the dead to save that world, only to destroy it because of the death of Lois, then fine, make it centered around him. But Darkseid is a joke, and Steppenwolf is even worse with only brute strength turning in his favor. Granted, Steppenwolf here is better than Whedon's version, this one still falls flat as a villain.
Overall, I'd still give it a pass. 6.5/10 maybe. I appreciate the spectacle of it, but as a movie about character building or story, it falls flat.
So it's no surprise it follows the same story as the theatrical cut but with a fair amount more bloat. Snyder does like creating beautiful cinematic scenes but also seems to bloat stuff with unnecessary scenes. Basically, this is pretty much the film we saw from Whedon, with some additional stuff and less cringy jokes.
Also, the exposition is strong in this movie. While I am not a fan of the narrated exposition dumps, it was pretty unavoidable I think given how WB never really built these characters up. This movie is basically the first we see anything of substance about them.
Which brings me to how poorly emotionally attached I was to any of the characters. I did not feel sad about any of the deaths in Themyscira no matter how well Connie Nielsen telegraphed her own emotions. The kid saying she wants to be like Diana fell flat because this was after Diana basically murdered these people (vaporized one of them even) in front of these kids. Victor's dad is dumber than any of the scientists in Prometheus after that scene.
Even the stakes feel low. They've already shown that Darkseid can be defeated. HE ALREADY LOST. Why should he be scary? If you think of this as Superman's story where he rises to be the hero that inspires the world, and returns from the dead to save that world, only to destroy it because of the death of Lois, then fine, make it centered around him. But Darkseid is a joke, and Steppenwolf is even worse with only brute strength turning in his favor. Granted, Steppenwolf here is better than Whedon's version, this one still falls flat as a villain.
Overall, I'd still give it a pass. 6.5/10 maybe. I appreciate the spectacle of it, but as a movie about character building or story, it falls flat.
