Podcasts about parademons

The League vs. Parademons, Hawkman in Limbo, Selina drops a life, Soule has Lucky Devils, Geiger's out of control, Simon Pure runs into serial killers, and The Lightning Round.

In this episode of Random Rumble, Julien and Mondy discuss hypothetical battles between various fictional characters. They debate who would win in fights between Parademons and the creatures from A Quiet Place, Snake Eyes and the Blue Power Ranger, King Shark and a Deviant, Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny, Shang-Chi and Morbius, Abigail and Megan, Catwoman and Catwoman, T-Rex and Aragog, and Valkyrie and Blue Beetle. In this part of the conversation, the hosts discuss various fictional character matchups and debate who would win in a fight. They cover matchups such as Iron Man vs. Valkyrie, Boba Fett vs. Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel vs. Rita Repulsa, She-Hulk vs. Drax, Damon Targaryen vs. The Beast, Ursula vs. The Meg, TMNT vs. Bowser, Miles Morales vs. Best Genist, and the three Madame Web protegees vs. Michael Bay's TMNT. In this part of the conversation, the hosts discuss various fictional characters and speculate on who would win in a fight. They cover topics such as the powers of different characters, their strengths and weaknesses, and the potential outcomes of their battles.

In the second half of Zack Snyder's Justice League, the heroes attempt to bring Superman back from the dead using the alien "change machine" that is the mother box. Thy must confront Steppenwolf in his lair and come face to face with Darkseid. I delve deep into this movie, talking about the story and themes, and even share my thoughts on Jared Leto's Joker. Thins concludes my analysis of the Snyder Cut. ----more---- Transcript   Welcome to Nerd Heaven I'm Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars. And I am a nerd.   This is episode 71 of the podcast. Today, we're continuing our coverage of Zack Snyder's Justice League.   We pick up at the beginning of the second disc with   Part 5 All the King's Horses   With good reason to revive him, and a solid way to do it, they dig up Clark's body. Dianna is amazed to find herself working with an Atlantean, or at least, a half Atlantean. It's been thousands of years since their people have spoken. I think she also mentions that actively fought a war with one another. I'd love to know the history of this. What was their conflict about? What precipitated it and how was it resolved? Did this war take place before the Atlanteans went below the ocean, or before?   Arthur says he hates the Atlanteans as much as the amazons do. Admittedly, he doesn't know much about them. Right now, to him, they're just the people who killed his mother.   But Dianna and Arthur discover that both of their people have a common saying.   Atlantis and Thymascyra both have a saying. “None are taken back from the darkness. Not without giving up one in return.” Well, that's some common ground. But more than that, to me, it suggests a shared history, perhaps a time when these two powerful races tried to cheat death and it went horribly wrong.   And we get confirmation of Dianna's age, which I've been wondering for some time. 5,000. This means that Zeus created her around 3000 BC. This was the beginning of what is called the Helladic period in Greece. It was also the bronze age. It was around this time when construction of StoneHenge began. The ancient city of Troy was founded around this time, which is famous in Greek mythology. So this was the time, in the DC universe, when the Greek gods, whatever they were, were walking the Earth. The time of Darkseid's invasion of earth also seems to be dated at 3,000 BC, which makes me think that Zeus made the decision to create the ‘god killer', that is, Wonder Woman, in response to the invasion from Darkseid and his ‘new gods'. We're told in the Wonder Woman movie that she was created to destroy Ares, but I suspect Darkseid had at least something to do with it as well.   We also learn that Barry is interested in Dianna. Which isn't overly surprising, considering he's a young man and she's an attractive woman. But given their multi-milennia age difference, I don't think they're overly compatible.   So Bruce's plan is to take Superman's body to the Kryptonian scout ship and use the mother box.  Lex Luthor also tried to revive a dead Kryptonian in the genesis chamber of that ship, and we know how that turned out. What could possibly go wrong? Alfred is skeptical about this. Perhaps even against it. “You did it,” he says. “You put the team together to fight the war. You have fulfilled your promise. But to do this. Your guilt has overcome your reason.”   And then he makes reference to that line from humpty dumpty. All the king's horses. And we all know how it goes. They couldn't put him back together again. What makes Bruce think he can put Superman back together again?”   And this is when we get a very interesting line from Bruce. “I'm acting on faith. Not reason.” This is a bit of a theme with Bruce's character in this movie. Bruce is learning to adopt a mindset of faith. It's the only way he can see out of this whole situation. And the movie portrays this in a generally positive light. You don't often see that. I kinda liked that.   Of course, faith doesn't always mean an absence of reason. Those two generally work best together. But Bruce isn't operating out of a blind faith without reason. He's actually got a well-reasoned argument about why he can and should attempt this. But reason alone can't give him a definitive answer as to whether it's the right call. To go that extra step, he's going to have to rely on faith.   And then Alfred says “If you can't bring down the charging bull, don't wave the rep cape at it.” And that's an interesting line. I think Alfred is concerned that bringing Superman into the equation might make things worse. It will introduce an uncertain element into the whole situation.   But Bruce counters with “This red cape charges back.” Which is also true. That's why they want to do this, because Superman may be the only one strong enough to actually defeat Steppenwolf.   “Yes, but what if it doesn't work?” Alfred asks. There is danger in this. Alfred sounds a legitimate caution here. It's a wonderful exchange between two people expressing valid points of view.   Alfred's dialog is so good in this version. The whole exchange is so much better than the equivalent scene in the theatrical cut.   All of Alfred's dialog is infinitely better in this version of the movie.   Some cool music as they get ready to put their plan into action. This is a good midpoint. We're seeing some very solid story structure here. The protagonists are no longer just reacting to all that has happened since Steppenwolf arrived in Themyscira. Now, they're actively going on offensive with a plan. This is the turning point that makes the middle of a story feel satisfying. It re-energises us for the second half.   The first step of their plan involves breaking into the scout ship, which is under very strict controls by the US military.   Barry tries to play the part of a military officer driving the truck, but nearly blows it with his “aye aye”. And then his card doesn't work. Cyborg fixes it with his magical hacking abilities, but they were very lucky to have gotten in. Especially when Barry is surprised to get admitted. Honestly, they should probably have been detained for further investigation.   Silas has just been released from quarantine, having been exposed to aliens and their technology. Now he has a plan as well. He knows the aliens out there are after the box. He's gonna do something about it.   Victor creates a false bio hazard to clear the entire facility.   Silas knows it's a false alarm. But in a situation like this, you don't take chances. I've been a fire warden in the past. When you have an alarm. You ALWAYS treat it as if it's real.   The Justice League break in. All suited up.   Silas confirms the alarm was false. He knows it was a hack.   Then he sees the justice league. His son, centre among them. He knows victor was the one who hacked in. So he changes his tune. He doesn't know what his son is up to, but it's his son. There's an inherent trust there. This is another example of faith. The value of faith is all about what, or who, you're putting your faith in. Silas knows and loves his son, so he's willing to trust him, even without knowing what Victor is up to. He lets him do what he's doing. There's a little nod of appreciation between them. It's very subtle, and yet so powerful. Just that little move of the head evokes a lot of emotion in me.   There are dead bodies in sleep chambers on the scout ship. Ancient kryptonian space explorers. What I'd give to know their stories. The ship knows Clark is here. Different suits open up for him to make use of.   Arthur is hesitant about this.   We don't get the Man of Steel theme here, as we did in the theatrical cut, but we've had it other places.   It's early morning and Lois wakes up. There's that little moment when she realises anew that she's alone. That must be heartbreaking.  Here we get the quiet Man of Steel music. Not the Superman / Krypton theme. A different music. The piece they play on the piano. I think of it as the emotional music. It was often used thematically for Clark's relationship with his earthly parents, or with Lois. It's very fitting here.  Lois pulls out her press pass. She's going to get on with her life. But we see a pregnancy test. So...is she pregnant? We don't see the result, but I believe that Zack Snyder has confirmed that yes, Lois is pregnant. Ultimately, you're not likely to keep a negative pregnancy test in your drawer, right? You throw it in the bin.   There's a photo of Jonathan in Clark's coffin. That's a nice touch. It's fitting that he's here with his son at this moment, saying goodbye, as the son goes back and the father moves forward.   Interestingly, there was a scene in the comics that played out the opposite. Jonathan was having a heart attack. He had a touching moment with Clark, who was heading off into the afterlife, while Jonathan was pulled back into the land of the living by his doctors.   Should Clark's body have started to decompose by now? I'm not sure. How quickly does a human body decay? If he were human, he probably should look pretty gross right now, but he's not. There's something about his body here on earth that won't quite give up.   Luthor's experiment damaged the systems. There's not enough power left in the genesis chamber to activate the mother box. I was surprised that they included this scene with flash running past to wake the box with electrical charge. I had assumed, back in the day, that this was a Whedon addition. But even this moment seems more meaningful, because it shows that Barry can do funny things to time. That will become important later on.   Lois gets her normal coffee. She tells the policeman that she's here one last time. She's later than normal. This is her final goodbye. She's letting go, and moving on. It doesn't mean she'll never come to Superman's monument again, but she's no longer going to make it a daily routine. She's going to stop existing in her grief and start living her life again.   It's interesting that she finally manages to do this just before getting Clark back again.   I'm not sure the whole box drop thing makes a lot of sense. How does one operate the change machine and tell it what you want it to do? It must have some kind of user-interface. We know it has something of a mind of its own, but they are using it to do something very specific. How are they feeding it instructions? There's gotta be more to it than just letting it touch the water that Clark is in.   I kind of wish they'd explored all of this a bit more. There's a complex interaction between the genesis chamber and the mother box in order to bring Clark back to life, but we really don't understand how it all works.   Interestingly, this means that Darkseid's race have the technology to bring back the dead. But maybe it can only do this in combination with kryptonian tech.   As Barry runs at super speed, somebody has a vision. Logically, you would think it's Barry having this vision, since he's the one doing the running, but it appears later that it's actually Victor having the vision.   Anyway, things get weird with time, and we see a flash forward into the future. Dianna  is dead. Darkseid is on earth But it's not the Earth we know. It's all been changed. There are spaceships in the sky. The Amazons are grieving.   This is when we see Darkseid using his omega beams to kill some Atlanteans. A lot of fans got very excited when they saw the omega beams in the trailer. I wasn't familiar enough with Darkseid to understand the significance. They're basically like Kryptonian heat vision, except they can turn corners. Darkseid can control their vector and re-direct them at will, making them pretty darn scary.   Next, we see Superman in a black suit grieving while holding a skeleton, and darkseid touching his shoulder. I'm going to talk about this at the end, when we get to the epilogue.   We see a Hall of Justice sign broken, and a destroyed landscape. It's all very dystopian and clearly is showing a future where Darkseid has won.   The box touches the water, but it's too soon. They've failed. The box isn't yet powered. But Barry is doing time whimey stuff. Time reverses. The box goes up, as the photo bobs in the water. Flash touches the box at just the right moment. Power goes into the box as it touches the water. The change machine does its thing.   This was a nice little way to add some extra tension to this whole scene. And it again reinforces Barry's ability to reverse time.   I can see why Joss Whedon cut this. It's an extra complication that you can remove, and the story still works. This is the kind of thing that you might delete when you're editing a story, trying to shorten it, and looking for non-essential moments you can cut. And that was the task he was given by Warner Bros. I disagree with Warner Bros' brief, and I'm glad Zack put this back in, but I understand, from Joss's point of view, why he did this. It's an editing decision. In the writing world, we call it killing your darlings.   We're told that the future has taken root in the present. But what does that mean? Does that mean the vision Victor just saw is now going to be an inescapable reality? Very possibly. Because as we'll see, Superman is an essential part of that future.   Outside, water spurts out of the ship's roof. The mother box crashes from the sky onto a car.   Superman is in the sky. Lois sees him. So does the policeman. He draws his gun. Who is this? It can't be Superman, he's dead. Therefore, it could be a threat. Lois knows. She'd know him anywhere. But all the cop ses is a silhouette.   Clark lands at the broken monument. This scene is another great example of having the same scene in two different movies, but it's playing out so much better in one of them. Everything here is interpreted differently. Better. It has better music, better shots, better writing.   Clark looks at the monument, coming to terms with who he is and what happened to him. But he's still not quite himself yet.   The way the battle starts is pretty much the same. Cyborg can't control his automated defensive systems when Clark scans them. Clark identifies threats from all of them.   Victor forms a weapon when he senses danger. He can't control it.   Clark retaliates with heat vision, which Victor's suit can repel.   Clark is confused. He doesn't know who he is.   This scene plays move dangerously Dianna's lasso has power over him. She uses it to help him remember who he is. He uses his strength to get out of it. But I think this has started something. This is what begins the process of him remembering who he really is. Even the scene when Barry realises that superman is fast like him and can see him running at super speed in real time, plays more creepy than funny in this version. I like it.   I put myself in Barry's shoes and I feel scared as hell in that moment.   This is an awesome fight sequence. Why didn't I feel that way in the other version? I think it's a Combination of many factors. Music, direction, colour grading, just the overall tone of it all. The military have arrived to try to contain Superman. But of course they can't.   Batman finally arrives. He can't get there as quickly as the others . Some nice realism that we also saw in the other version.   Something in Clark recognises Batman. That guy who tried to kill him in another life.   He makes short work of victor who is just a minor obstacle to him. They're all just minor obstacles. Maybe except Dianna.   But even she can't quite compete with his raw strength.   He hovers over Bruce. It's a dramatic moment. This time around, there are no stupid jokes making fun of BVS. Man, I hated that!   Lucky Bruce has those kryptonian gauntlets. It's the only way he survives the heat vision. He says “Clark no. This world needs you.”   Lois arrives, not because Bruce called him, but because she was nearby already. In the theatrical version, this was the explanation for Barry's “Lois Lane is the key” line in BVS. I always believed this was a retcon, that Zack had something else in mind. And we'll talk about this more later on as well.   When Clark sees Lois, something clicks. He knows her. He loved her.   And in a way ,that somehow doesn't feel cheesy, the power of love breaks through his confusion. He doesn't remember it all yet, but he knows this feeling. This woman means everything to him. He would never let harm come to her. He is gentle with her. Together the two of them fly off.   Flash's “I'm so sorry” is a slightly comedic moment, but unlike the “definately bleeding” it makes sense for the character in this situation.   Now we get to the very emotional heart of the movie. This is why Zack said that Cyborg was the heart of his movie. Silas gets the box and runs into the ship. Remember, he still has his plan. But Steppenwolf shows up. He's found the box. He's coming for it. Silas doesn't have much time.   This is dramatic, scary and thrilling.   It feels dangerous and scary as Steppenwolf breaks in and enters. Such a huge guy. My son said “look, it's Satan” I'd be scared. This version of Steppenwolf sure is intimidating.   Victor realises what Silas is doing. He screams “No” as Silas activates a laser, shooting at the box. And Silas disintegrates, sacrificing his life for his son. Man, there's some powerful emotion in this scene. Victor was just starting to forgive his father, and he loses him.   Remember that saying that the Atlanteans and Amazons share? I wonder if Silas was the one given up in return from bringing back Superman from the darkness.   “I didn't save him. I couldn't.” This actually echo's Superman's words from 1978's Superman: The Movie, when he couldn't save his father. “All those powers, and I couldn't save him.”   Arthur says, “His father is dead because of us. I told you waking that box was a bad idea. Whatever returned isn't superman. His body and powers, but not him.”   Bruce argues, “It is him. He recognised Lois Lane.” “Only because she wasn't afraid of him. That was just instinct.” These are all valid opinions, considering evidence.   Now Steppenwolf has all 3 boxes. He can syncronise then and form unity. Once he does that, the planet dies.   Victor realises something. Silas wasn't trying to destroy the box. He was trying to superheat it. He was marking it so that the league could find it in the world. The core of that box is now the hottest thing on earth. Part 6 Something darker.   Clark and Lois arrive at the Kent farm. This version lets us see some of Clark's journey to remembering who he is. He remembers his childhood house.   The theatrical version didn't let us see any of this. He recovered off screen. That was terrible. Lois and Clark get to have some quiet scenes, just talking.  “She loved it here.” he says of his mother. He IS remembering. Family. Who he loves most. That's what is in his memory the most. He loved it here too. This all makes perfect sense. We get that emotional music from Man of Steel again.   We See the childhood swing. It's a beautiful quiet scene.   Then we get the arrival at the batcave. Flash is still annoyingly enthusiastic, but nowhere near as annoying as in the theatrical version. This version plays out Much much better. I love Alfred's reaction to seeing Cyborg.   I love his reaction to seeing all of them.  “Well, I'll put on the tea,” he says. What a great reaction.   They find where Steppenwolf is hiding. Nobody will go there. It's the site of a disaster. But he's absorbed all the radiation to power the boxes.   Victor has a plan. He wants to plug into the unity. Hack into it and break it apart back into 3. Dianna cautions him. “The boxes are world destroyers, Billions of years old. You'll have to stream into the unit. It'll find your weakness and destroy you.” “I've got nothing left.” That's a hard truth, but it motivates him. “You want me to use these gifts right?” Barry says we do it, but we gotta get in somehow.   And he says that line we all know from the trailer. “He would have fought superbeings on the other worlds he's conquered, and we have to assume he's won” And Batman says, “He's never fought us. Not us united.” It's an awesome exchange.   I love how this movie gives all the characters a reason to be in it. An important part in the plan. Especially Victor and Flash, who had no real reason to exist in the theatrical cut at all.   Clark notices the engagement ring on Lois's finger. “I'll take that as a yes,” he says. He's fully back now. Standing in the early morning sun in the corn field. So I guess they're engaged. Woohoo. I love how she put on the ring after he died, accepting his proposal in her heart, even though he was gone.   “I've got a second chance Lo. I'm not gonna waste it.” Clark's hope is restored. He nearly lost it in Batman V Superman, with all that Lex put him through. But now we pay that off. That's how story arcs work.   A ute pulls up. It's Martha. The real Martha arrives. Imagine this moment. Your son, who was dead, is alive again. Imagine seeing him for the first time. I can't help but get Mary and Jesus vibes from this. The Bible doesn't exactly show the moment of their reunion, but we know it would have happened, as she's among the disciples at the beginning of the books of Acts. Just imagine the emotion of that moment. It would be too good to be true. And yet it is. I can't even imagine that feeling.   Clark says “they wanted me back for a reason. I Have to find out why.” He wants to stay here with his loved ones, but has to help.   Dianna and Bruce have a fascinating exchange. He admits he had a dream - a vision of the future. It was the end of the world. Barry Allen was right here. He said “Lois Lane is the key.” “She is,” Dianna says. “To superman. Every heart has one.” Dianna, here, is explaining the Joss Whedon interpretation of that prophecy. Lois was the key to getting Superman to become himself again after reviving. But Bruce doesn't buy it. “No. I think it's something more. Something darker.” This line almost feels like a poke at joss version. I wonder if this was one of the re-shot scenes. It proves that Zack had more in mind for that whole thing than what we saw  in the theatrical cut.   Victor has the troop carrier plane working. Just like he said he could. Alfred had said earlier that there was no chance in hell they could get it flying.  Which just shows Victor's incredible power over technology.   It's a cool looking thing. They get in. They have a good reason to go to Stepppenwolf's lair in this version.   Bruce says to Alfred, “He'll be here, I know it.” Obviously talking about Superman.   “What makes you think so?” Alfred asks. “Faith, Alfred.” I love the continuing focus on faith in Bruce's arc here. In this case, I think Bruce has some reason to have faith in Superman, because he knows Superman's character. He's seen it.   We see Steppenwolf combining the boxes into the unity. It's time to prepare for his arrival. He says “My redemption is nigh.”   The boxes are fusing together. The unity is coming. There's not much time. And then, it's done. The unity has been formed. The amazons see it. All over the world it's seen and heard I'm not sure of the logistics of that, but it's cool.   So here's the plan First, Batman needs to take out the tower. Then, the defensive dome will fall. With the dome down, they can get to unity. Barry will make a power surge from running fast. He'll make physical contact with Victor. That should propel him into the unity. Again, I'm not sure how they came up with all this.   Clark is back in the scout ship. Searching for answers. We hear clips of his father's voice. Jor-el. He talks of hope. Goodness. Kal-el was sent here for a reason. And Jonathan too. Motivating words from both his fathers. When you hear all these soundbites together, you realise just how positive and inspirational Man of Steel actually was. A lot of people just don't see that. Various suits emerge for him to choose from. In a sense, this is the moment Clark fully and truly becomes Superman. All this time, he's been trying to find himself, to understand who and what he is. He's been trying to live up to the expectations of two fathers, and those of the world. But he's been through the fire. Now he truly understands how to be a symbol of hope. And he emerges in the black suit.  I Love it. It was important to see Superman in the black suit after he rose from the dead. It's an important link to what is arguably the most iconic story from all of DC comics.   But why did he choose this suit? In the comic, the black suit had a practical purpose. Not so much here. It's a nice callback to the comics, but would have been nice to give a  reason.   And now, we hear Jor-El and Jonathan saying new things. These are not clips from previous movies. This is new dialog. And it fruits beautifully with Superman's new sense of hope. We get a full on rendition of the Superman theme from Man of Steel. It's such an awesome scene. A very emotional pay-off to the last two movies. I Love it as a big Man of Steel fan.   The Justice League prepares for battle as hard rock music plays. Thankfully, there are no stupid gags about Arthur sitting on the lasoo this time around.   There's a great shot of them walking out of the plane.   Bruce drops the others  off to do their bit. He's gonna take down the tower with the plane's weapons.   He manages to blast his way through the forcefield. Once in, he takes out the tower with missiles. The forcefield dome is down. Steppenwolf sends the parademons to defend the unity.   Bruce, Dianna and Arthur are here to get Barry and victor to the unity.  Bruce takes the batmobile out of the plane. Armed with machine guns. I Love it. That's the batman we need in this story.   The Parademons are shooting lasters. The theatrical version added a red sky for some reason. Doesn't make sense now the dome is down.   Bruce can't win this fight alone against the parademons. He needs the rest of the league to help him.   This cut of the film still has the silly scene with Arthur standing on the Batmobile and then flying into the air. I really wasn't expecting to see this sequence in the Snyder Cut. It plays a bit better because the music makes it feel more serious. But it still comes across as silly to me. I still don't like his cry of joy. He's having too much fun for the situation he's in. And him sky surfing the body of a parademon is also silly.  Arthur can't fly. He's way too comfortable up in the sky.   But, it still plays better than in the theatrical cut. I find myself more forgiving of it because of the rest of the awesomeness and overall tone   We cut back to Alfred. Superman arrives in the black suit. “I'm assuming you're Alfred.” “Master Kent. He said you'd come. Now let's hope you're not too late.” Afred can fill him in on the details. Where he needs to be and what he needs to do.   The league have gotten through the parademons. Now they're in the chamber with Steppenwolf.   I'm not sure what the shockwave thing is that happens when Arthur plunges his trident into the ground. There's a lot of random magic associated with melee weapons in this movie. It's all very loosey-goosey. I don't mind magic, in fact, I like magic, but I prefer a hard magic system. Something that has understandable rules, cause and effect.   Steppenwolf tries to play mind games with Dianna. And I like this. His power isn't just all brute strength. He uses his mind to attack Dianna psychologically. Probably because he knows she's the one among them that can come close to threatening him physically. “You betrayed your sisters. You weren't there to protect them from me and sadly you could have.” That's gotta hurt. Because it's true. Dianna is the most powerful of her people. She's the god killer, and Steppenwolf sees himself as a god. He's like the old gods, Zeus and Ares. Dianna was created to defeat beings like him. But she was off in Paris.   Victor is in position and Barry is building up speed to “push” victor into the unity. Not sure it makes sense but it's cool. These guys are central to the plan in this version. In the previous version, they both might as well have not been there.   But Barry is too late. Before he's built enough speed, Steppenwolf gets to Victor and pulls him away. They're all fighting him, but clearly struggling against him.   Steppenwolf is still playing mind games. “I watched your island burn. I heard them begging for their lives.” Now he's adding lies to the truth to make it seem worse.   Bruce is still outside taking care of the parademons.  Barry is up to speed but has to wait for Victor to be in position. He can't keep it up much longer. Finally, he's in position, But Steppenwolf arrives again.   “For Darkseid,” he says. He's about to kill Victor with his axe. That's when Superman arrives and stands in the way. “Not impressed.” And man. Superman is awesome in this, like we've never seen him before. He's no joke. We've established how powerful and scary Steppenwolf is.  Now, we show that Superman can stand up to him. Now Steppenwolf is on the defensive. The axe shatters.   Honestly, I would have been more impressed by the destruction of the axe if I had been impressed by the axe in the first place.   Steppenwolf is no match for superman. Superman cuts his horn off. I liked that. Victor is finally ready, But that's when the parademon shoots Barry with the laser. Now he's lost all that speed he built up. This is great. It reminds me of the climax of a Back To The Future movie, where everything keeps going wrong, and keeps you on the edge of your sea. And Barry is injured. He says he got the wind knocked out of him. But honestly, he needs more than the few seconds he asks for. Barry's side is on fire.   And then the unity forms. Ah crap   A Wormhole opens to Apocolips. Darkseid watches on. The unity is fully formed. It's too late.   The unity sends out a wave to destroy the Earth and transform it into the apocalyptic future we've seen. That vision is coming true.   Barry's side heals. He heals quickly because of this super fast metabolism. Or something like that. He hasn't given up. This isn't the first time Barry has failed because he was too late. But that's not gonna stop him. He just has to go faster than the speed of light.   It IS too late, but Barry is a speedster. He can travel through time. This is the moment when Barry fulfils his arc. He speaks to his dad.  He becomes what his dad always wanted him to be. One of the best of the best. It's not a huge arc, but it's a heck of a lot more than what we got in the previous version.   The whole thing of him running in space is very poetic. I'm not sure how to interpret it, but he's running ahead of the terraforming wave. The world is being destroyed around him, but he keeps running on. And so Barry finally gets to be the hero, not just a stupid joke. Now he's turning back time. We see Superman, Victor, all their bodies re-form. Very much like Superman turning back time in the 1978 movie, but makes a little more sense here. At least he's not just reversing the direction of the Earth's rotation.   Victor is now in the unity. But it's messing with him. It shows him his family. He sees himself without the cyborg parts. This is what he wanted. To be whole, with living parents. The unity is trying to tempt him. There's a clear alien intelligence behind and within this unknowable thing.   But Victor fulfills his character arc, when he says “I'm not broken. And I'm not alone.”   This is an interesting statement, because in a way, he is broken. His body has been broken, and there are things that he has lost, that he'll never get back again. But his new situation also gives him other new experiences he never could have had as a pure human.   At the start of the movie, Victor saw his cyborg body as a curse. Dianna tried to convince him to see it as a blessing. In reality, it's kind of both, but far better to focus on the blessing.   Victor has found the strength of character to reject what the unity is offering.   He pulls apart the boxes. He sees them as living beings. Maybe they are. It's all very alien and spooky. I love it. It seems this act requires not only mental strength, which he has, but physical strength as well. Superman helps him break apart the boxes. The unity is unmade.   But the wormhole is still there.   Darkseid watches as Arthur stabs step and sends him through hole.  And at the last moment, Dianna gets her revenge by chopping off his head. He kinda deserved that We see how little Darkseid cares about his uncle, As he crushes his skull under foot.   Desaad says “I told you Steppenwolf would fail. Now that the mother boxes have been destroyed. How will you retrieve your great prize?”   Darkseid says “Anti-life is found and we will stop at nothing to get it. Ready the Armada. we  will use the old ways.” So….darkseid is bringing an invasion fleet to earth. This sets up the promise of even bigger things in the Justice League Sequels that would have been. It's fantastic.   There's a character seen in the background here called “Granny Goodness”. This is another one that die-hard comic book fans were very excited to see. I know nothing about her, but after a quick google, it sounds like she's a potentially interesting character - despite her absurdly ridiculous name.   So...it's over. The league have saved the world. And we see them all together, superman included, in an awesome heroic pose.   The music swells. It's very cool. Very heroic. Very hopeful.   I wasn't actually expecting this. I was half expecting that the league would fail. That Steppenwolf would succeed. That Darkseid would come to Earth and corrupt Superman, and that this movie would end with the creation of the knightmare future, ending on a massive cliffhanger.   Given the unlikelihood that we'll get any sequels to this movie, I'm kinda glad it didn't go that way, because at least we get something of a satisfying conclusion, but also with the promise that there was more epic story to come. And that brings us to...   Epilogue A father Twice Over.   This movie has a very extended epilogue. Some of it, we've seen in the theatrical version. Some of it, we've seen in a very different form, and some is brand new. In fact, I believe most of the new scenes that Zack shot for this cut take place in this epilogue. I like a good epilogue that gives us some closure for the characters.   So Victor reforms the tape recorder. That's a neat trick. He listens to the words his father wanted to share. “Speaking as a father….” he says. This is the bit where Victor tunes out last time. “I brought you into the world and back into it. You can't imagine how proud I am. Have always been. I wasted years, so many wrongs I've left un-righted.” It's nice to see this closure for Victor's relationship with his Dad. I see them as fully reconciled at this point. It's just a shame Silas didn't live to fully see things repaired with his son.   Then there's a great scene with Arthur. Victor's experience with his dad has inspired Arthur to go see his own father. It's been a long time. This leads very nicely into the beginning of the Aquaman movie.   He's still drinking, showing he's still not entirely sure who he is yet, but he's on a journey to figure it out.   Bruce decides to put a big round table in Wayne Manor. With room for more, hinting at a growing Justice League.   Barry shows his dad he's pursuing his real dreams. He's got a job in a crime lab. I love his dad's proud laughter. This time, the scene really hits me in the heart, because we had build up toward it.   Bruce says congratulations to Clark. Implying the pregnancy. So I think we can officially say it's canon.   Victor takes his place as cyborg, but doesn't change his suit into the cartoon version. He stays with the more alien looking version for the movie. Honestly, that other suit was not necessary. I kinda felt the same way when Arthur finally put on the more traditional suit in the Aquaman movie. Not necessary.   We see Bruce standing on an epic looking machine. And Dianna holds the arrow. Is she going back to see her people? I suspect so.   And then we see Clark Kent is back. With no explanation. I don't like this. The big difficulty with Superman's death and resurrection is bringing back Clark. How oddly convenient that Clark Kent is unexpectedly alive after all, just after Superman returns from the dead. The thing is, the comic book explains this quite nicely. And it would have been so easy to do the same thing here. In the comics, Supergirl was not actually a Krpytonian, but a shapeshifter. She took on the appearance of Superman and “discovered” Clark buried in the rubble from the battle with Doomsday. News cameras watched as Superman flew Kent to hospital. We don't have Supergirl in this movie universe yet, but we have Martian Manhunter, who could have actually used his shapeshifting powers for something useful to the story here. It seems such a missed opportunity that they didn't do this. Anyway, Clark pulls his shirt open, in a very Christopher Reeve kind way, revealing the Black suit. So...we have confirmation he's still wearing the black suit.   Lex Luthor escapes from arkham. We've seen this before, in an after-credit scene of the theatrical cut, although this might be slightly extended. The cackling laughter of the stand in tricking the guards is fitting.  During this, we hear the Luther music from BVS This plays much more dramatic and dangerous.   Now we get deathstroke's arrival at lex's boat. But this is surprisingly, a completely different scene. The conversation is completely different, which fascinates me. This isn't about the formation of a legion of doom.  Deathstroke has offered to kill Batman for free. It's personal. Something to do with his missing eye. Lex has a lot to live for, and important things to do, But he wants Batman taken out. And Lex gives Deathstroke Bruce's name. Deathstroke is very happy to hear that. This would have led into the Batman movie that Ben affleck originally planned to star in, and direct. I'm so sad we never got that. Seeing this scene now, It would have been a significant part of  the Synder-driven DC extended universe.   Then we get the really new stuff. It's another vision of the nightmare future. Spaceships hover over the desolated landscape. Bruce has the trench coat and goggles like in BVS. Victor is with him. So is Mera and Deathstroke Mera is not happy. She wants violent revenge against someone for what he did to Arthur. So Arthur is dead.  There is a plan and Bruce wants to stick with it, not give in to revenge. The Flash is here too, looking very much like his dishevelled appearance in Batman V Superman. Mera asks Batman, who have you ever loved?   That's when we hear the laugh. And we know immediately who that is! The Joker!!!! WOO HOOOOOOO So, I guess Batman's arch nemesis is the latest member of this rag-tag Justice League.  Let me just say that I have always liked Jared Leto's Joker. He is extremely underrated. I liked the direction David Ayer took him in Suicide Squad. We'd just come off the Dark Knight Trilogy, which featured the unforgettable performance of Heath Ledger. The way I see it, Ledger and Nolan created the ultimate portrayal of a more traditional-looking Joker. If Ayer had gone a similar route, it would have come across as a cheap copy. Instead, Ayer drastically re-imagined the character, completed with tattoos and dodgy-looking fillings in his teeth. It was new and refreshing. It was different. And I think Leto imbued the character with the spirit of The Joker.   And what Leto and Synder do here only builds on what was done in Suicide Squad and make it even better. His performance here is nothing short of staggering. It's chilling and creepy. Everything that I want from the Joker.   So the Joker informs Mera that Batman knows what it's like to lose someone he loves. Like a father and mother. Bruce warns him to be careful. “How many can die in your arms, how many dead eyes can you look into before you die inside yourself?” He says “You won't kill me, I'm your best friend.” Which is a very interesting statement, and I think it encapsulates how the Joker views their relationship. The Joker is here to help what's left of the league. “You need me to help you undo this world you created by letting her die. Poor Lois. How many timelines do you destroy the world because you don't have the cojones to die yourself?”   So this explains a lot. Lois Lane is dead. And Bruce allowed her to die, or in some way, failed to save her. This explains Superman's rage against Bruce in the knightmare vision from BVS. It explains why Superman says to Bruce “She was my world,” before killing him.   The Joker gives Bruce a truce. As long as he has the card, they're allies. He talks about how Batman sent  a boy wonder to do a man's job. Reminding how he killed robin, which we already knew about from BVS.   But Batman has a comeback. “When I held Harley Quinn dying, she begged me with her last breath, that when I kill you, I'll make it slow.” He's going to honour that promise.   That nearly undoes the joker. He still had feelings (twisted as they were) for Harley. “You're good,” he says. Bruce almost had him. Almost manipulated him like he manipulates Bruce.   One of  them, I think it was Deathstroke, asks “Still think it was a good idea bringing him along?”   I Wonder what they need him for. It's very telling that things are so separate they'd work with the Joker.   And then the villain arrives. The one they've been waiting for. The one Mera wants so desperately to kill for what he did to Arthur. Their enemy that they want revenge against is none other than Superman. Superman with red eyes.   This whole concept has been generating controversy for years. I mean, we saw evil Superman back in BVS.   Some find it impossible to accept that Superman would turn to the Dark Side, so to speak, just because of the pain from the death of Lois Lane. Because he is a beacon of all that is good. He's too good to become evil, even with that grief. But these people are missing half the story. It's not just the death of Lois. Remember that anti-life equation? Long before this movie even came out, Zack Snyder confirmed that Superman was going to succumb to the anti-life equation. This thing allows Darkseid to bend the will of others.   It's actually very telling of Superman's extreme goodness that he was able to resist the anti-life equation. No, it took the death of his beloved wife, Lois, to weaken him so, that he would succumb to the anti-life equation - something that probably anyone else would have succumbed to straight away.   So far from portraying Superman as morally weak, I think this whole thing paints him as incredibly strong, morally. But not infinitely perfect. Because he's still a person. This is the Superman for me.   Now Bruce wakes up. This was his vision. What caused it? We don't know. I had always assumed that the vision in BVS was caused by The Flash trying to send a message back through time to him. But there seems to be no outside influence at work here.   But this explains the “something darker” that Bruce was talking about. Now we understand a lot more. Now we know exactly why Lois Lane was the key.   Martian Manhunter arrives to talk. Bruce sees this green-skinned alien hovering in the air, and just says “Can I help you?” I love that response. He's seen so much now that nothing much surprises him.   Martian MAnhunter explains that Darkseid is not finished. “Anti life is here somewhere. We Have to find it before he does. War is coming.” There's actually a lot we still don't know about anti-life. We only know that it's on earth, and that Steppenwolf somehow discovered it. “I'm here to help,” Martian Manhunter says. He's finally realised he has a stake in this world and it's time he started fighting for it.” Why did it take him so long? I have no idea. He was helping in his own way, as a member of the US military, but not fully using his gifts. Maybe he was afraid to reveal himself, and had to be inspired by Superman's example.   Of course, this was supposed to be John Stewart Green Lantern, but Warner Bros wouldn't let Zack use the character, because they thought it would conflict, somehow, with the TV show that Geoff Johns wanted to make. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but whatever.   Anyway, he acknowledges that the heroes wouldn't have come together without Bruce.  His parents would have been proud.   The movie ends as Martian Manhunter says he'll be in touch, and flies away. And then we get those special words appear on screen. FOR AUTUMN   This movie was dedicated to the beloved daughter that Zack lost while he was making it.   And as the credits roll, we hear the song Hallelujah, sung by a female vocalist.   This was Autumn's favourite song, and this arrangement, I believe, was performed at her funeral.   The performance of this song is heart-wrenching. Especially given the connection it has to Autumn. I sat through the whole song and it moved me powerfully. There's one moment when all the music stops, and it's just the singer. And she's singing with such emotion, well I don't have any words for it.   But I thought this was a beautiful way to end the film.  In a way, Zack Snyder films are all about showing us how in real life, joy and pain go hand in hand. He understands that because he's lived it. And despite it all, he still comes across as a pretty positive guy.   So that was Zack Snyder's Justice League. I loved this movie, and found it a fitting book-end for Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. I'm fully in support of the Restore The Snyderverse movement, although it seems Warner Bros has absolutely no interest.   There has been talk of continuing the Snyderverse in comic book form. I'd certainly pay for that.   I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on this movie. There sure were a lot of them.   Next time, we return to Stargate Universe, where we'll begin the second and final season of the show.   I look forward to seeing you then.   Live long and Prosper. Make it so.

Vulko informs Arthur about Parademons in Atlantis, and attempts once again to persuade him into fighting before swimming away.

Vulko informs Arthur about Parademons in Atlantis, and attempts once again to persuade him into fighting before swimming away.

Zack Snyder's Justice League, often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), the sequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), based on the DC Comics team Justice League—as director Zack Snyder intended it before he left the production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows the Justice League—Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and the Flash (Ezra Miller)—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), and their army of Parademons. Justice League, released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2017, suffered a difficult production. Its script underwent major changes before and during production between 2016 and 2017. In May 2017, Snyder stepped down during post-production following the death of his daughter, and Joss Whedon was hired to finish the film, completing it as an uncredited director. Whedon oversaw reshoots and other changes that incorporated a brighter tone and more humor, and cut the runtime down significantly in accordance with a mandate from Warner Bros. The theatrical version of Justice League received mixed reviews and was a box office disappointment, leading Warner Bros. to reevaluate the DCEU's future, and to focus on developing films around individual characters with less regard for a shared narrative. As details surfaced about the film's troubled production and its state before Snyder stepped down, many fans expressed interest in an alternate cut more faithful to Snyder's vision. Fans and members of the cast and crew petitioned for the release of this, which they nicknamed the Snyder Cut. Industry insiders considered the release unlikely. However, Warner Bros. decided to move ahead with it in February 2020; and in May, Snyder announced that the original cut would be released as Zack Snyder's Justice League via the streaming service HBO Max. It cost around $70 million to complete the visual effects, score, and editing, with new material filmed in October 2020. The release was originally planned as both a six-episode miniseries and a four-hour film, but the miniseries concept was scrapped by January 2021. The film is dedicated to the memory of Snyder's daughter, Autumn. Zack Snyder's Justice League was released on HBO Max in the United States on March 18, 2021. Critics generally considered it superior to the 2017 theatrical version, with praise for Snyder's direction, characterizations, cast performances, score and visual effects, but some considered its four-hour runtime to be excessive. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/popcorn-junkies/message

This week the boys cover the Zack Snyder's Justice League while Zach tortured himself and did a double feature of Josstice League and then ZSJL! Tune in to find out if this is better or worse than 2017... not hard to figure out. Zack Snyder's Justice League, often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), the sequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), based on the DC Comics team Justice League—as director Zack Snyder intended it before he left the production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows the Justice League—Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and the Flash (Ezra Miller)—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), and their army of Parademons. Follow us! Instagram: @BoxOfficeLosers Twitter: @BoxLosers Youtube: Box Office Losers Hunter; Instagram & Twitter: @ScruffyMooseMan Comic Book Podcast - Android's Amazing Podcast: @androidsamazingpodcast Star Wars Podcast - Farthest Galaxy: @farthestgalaxy Zach; Instagram & Twitter: @DarkShadowZake Sports Show Youtube - The Sports Hit List: @TheSportsHitList

This week it's Falcons and Parademons as we dive deep into the movie we never thought we would get as Zach Snyder's Justice League is finally upon us. Were the fans justified? Did it live up to expectations? Find out inside plus we analyze the first two eps of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I smell a rat, oh wait, thats just John Walker. All this as well as everything you have come to expect from the gang this week on The House of Gozer podcast. Follow the gang on Twitter @HOG_PODCAST Join the House of Gozer on Fan Community on Facebook @facebook.com/houseofgozer and houseofgozer.com

In this episode Tony Becerra and I discuss Zack Snyder's Justice League (SPOILER WARNING). Often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", it is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name—as director Zack Snyder had intended it before he left the production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows the Justice League—Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and the Flash (Ezra Miller)—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), and their army of Parademons. If you've seen it, listen to our take of it. And afterwards, please share some thoughts or questions. PS: For future movie discussions, join us every Wednesday night on Clubhouse at 8pm PT.

This week we’re hunting down some motherboxes to stop an evil skything, while shaving off our CGI moustaches and giving the finger to Whedon, all while we discuss the 2021 director’s cut epic of ‘Justice League’. Zack Snyder's Justice League, often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name—as director Zack Snyder had intended it before he left the production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows the Justice League—Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and the Flash (Ezra Miller)—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), and their army of Parademons. We Watched A Thing is supported by Dendy Cinemas Canberra. The best Australian cinema chain showing everything from blockbusters to arthouse and indie films. Find them at https://www.dendy.com.au/ If you like this podcast, or hate it and us and want to tell us so - You can reach us at wewatchedathing@gmail.com Or, Twitter - @WeWatchedAThing Facebook - @WeWatchedAThing Instagram - @WeWatchedAThing and on iTunes and Youtube If you really like us and think we’re worth at least a dollar, why not check out our patreon at http://patreon.com/wewatchedathing. Every little bit helps, and you can get access to bonus episodes, early releases, and even tell us what movies to watch.

There were cries and campaigns to release the "Snyder Cut". Fans united in a movement to get Justice League completed as per Zack Snyder's original vision. Serving as the director's cut of Justice League (2017) - the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe and based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name - Zack Snyder's Justice League is the newly completed four hour version of the film as had been intended before Snyder left the production. Luke and Jae embrace this new epic version of a film that underwelmed both critically and financially. With the release hitting streaming services (HBO Max, Binge), the Justice League arrived straight to our homes - perfect for toilet breaks. Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), and the Flash (Ezra Miller), attempt to save the world from the catastropic threat of Darkseid (Ray Porter), Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), and their army of Parademons.

In this episode Mark talks about "Zack Snyder's Justice League", the four hour long, 2021 directors cut of the 2017 American superhero film "Justice League" - featuring the DC Comics superhero team the Justice League, which consists of Batman/Bruce Wayne (played by Ben Affleck), Superman/Clark Kent (played by Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (played by Gal Gadot), Cyborg/Victor Stone (played by Ray Fisher), Aquaman/Arthur Curry (played by Jason Momao), and The Flash/Barry Allen (played by Ezra Miller, as they attempt to save the world from the forces of darkness, primarily the characters of Steppenwolf, Darkseid, and an army of Parademons. Set within the DC Extended Universe, "Zack Snyder's Justice League", which is the direct sequel to the events of the previous films "Man of Steel" and "Batman vs Superman", is director Zack Snyder's definitive version of the film that he had completed 90% of before he unfortunately had to leave production following the sad death of his daughter Autumn in 2017. The theatrical version of "Justice League", which came out in 2017, was an almost complete reshot and reconceptionalised version of the original film, that cut 80% of the original footage filmed by Zack Snyder in favor of footage filmed by replacement director Joss Whedon, in keeping with Warner Bros. Studio's vision of how the film should be and also keeping the film the two hours in length that they wanted it to be. Often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", "Zack Snyder's Justice League" was finally released on HBO Max and around the world on March 18th, 2021, after a long and successful campaign by director Zack Snyder, by supportive actors and an energized fan movement from all around the world who lobbied for years for Zack Snyder's original version of "Justice League" to be completed and to be released for all the world to enjoy. The film is dedicated to the memory of Zack Snyder's daughter Autumn. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/markthepoet/message

Often referred to as the "Snyder Cut" and promoted as "Justice League: Director's Cut," is the upcoming director's cut of the 2017 superhero film Justice League, the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name—as Snyder had planned it before he left the film's production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows the Justice League: Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and The Flash (Ezra Miller), as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.

This week The TV Boys sit down to discuss Henry Cavill and the Snyder Cutstone. He is both a super man as well as a Superman and he always gives a heroic performance.

Often referred to as the "Snyder Cut" and promoted as "Justice League: Director's Cut," is the upcoming director's cut of the 2017 superhero film Justice League, the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name—as Snyder had planned it before he left the film's production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows the Justice League: Batman (Ben Affleck), Superman (Henry Cavill), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), and The Flash (Ezra Miller), as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.

Zack Snyder's Justice League,[2] often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", is an upcoming director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name—as director Zack Snyder had intended it before he left the film's production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa and Ray Fisher. The film follows the Justice League—Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons. Warner Bros Justice league made a history they made a $70 million to made a perfect graphic --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

We've made it to Justice League in our journey through the DC Extended Universe. In this episode, I delve into the theatrical cut of the movie, pulling out what I liked, and discussing what I didn't, which leads into my hopes for the upcoming Snyder Cut. I try to be positive in these podcasts and focus on geeking out over the things I like, so I must admit this one's going to be a bit of a downer, but, with the Synder Cut coming, there is still hope. ----more---- Transcript Welcome to Nerd Heaven I’m Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, and I am a nerd.   This is episode 33 of the podcast.   We’ve been working our way through the early DCEU movies toward Justice League, in celebration of, and preparation for, the upcoming Snyder Cut. Today, we’ve arrived.   Just really quick, before we launch into that, I want to follow up something I said two episodes ago regarding Star Trek Lower Decks. I was saying how I wished somebody like Alex Kurtzman would just break the silence regarding international distribution for the show, rather than just pretending it wasn’t an issue of importance to many fans. Well, somebody did break the silence shortly after, but it was Mike McMahon, which actually makes more sense than Kurtzman, because he’s the show runner of Lower Decks. Basically, we learned that there is a deal being negotiated, but there isn’t a known time frame yet. The main reason they went ahead without an international deal was because Lower Decks was originally supposed to show after Discovery season 3, but COVID messed that up, and they ended up bringing Lower Decks forward. So I’m very grateful to McMahon for finally breaking the silence, and being open and honest with us. It’s still a little hard to hear everyone else talking about the show, and know that I can’t be a part of that conversation, but I’ll be waiting until I can watch the show legally and ethically.   Ok. The description for Justice League, according to IMDB reads Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his new-found ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.   It was written by  Chris Terrio and Zack Snyder, And Directed by Zack Snyder ( but also uncredited directing by Joss Whedon) The movie first released on the 13th of November 2017   Let’s do it.   So here we are at Justice League. I’ve talked in recent podcasts about Warner Bros interference. First, they cut the running time of Batman V Superman, resulting in a much inferior theatrical version of that movie, and then they made major changes to Suicide Squad, turning David Ayer’s soulful drama into a comedy.   But this interference is more evident than anywhere else in Justice League. I don’t know all the details. We know that Justice League was always going to have a lighter tone than Batman V Superman.   I’m okay with that. I don’t need every DC movie to be as dark as BVS, but ideally, I’d like them all to at least be as serious as Man of Steel. Personal subjective taste here.   We know that Zack Snyder left the project due to the tragic suicide of his daughter. Honestly, I don’t know how any parent could live through something like that. I don’t blame him for leaving. Family is much more important than any movie.   We know that Joss Whedon was brought in to finish off the film. We were told, at the time, that there was just a little bit left to do, and that Joss would very much be following Snyder’s vision and tone.   Over time, it has become more and more evident that it was much more than that. There were major changes to the content and tone of the movie, under Whedon’s direction. It seems that all the meaningful character stuff was cut, and replaced with silly jokes. As this became clear, the ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement was born.   Now, if this was all we’d ever got, I’d have been grateful for it. We got to see Ben Affleck’s Batman, and Henry Cavill’s Superman one more time. But I am so glad that the Synder Cut is coming out next year. I desperately hope that HBO Max makes it to Australia before it airs. Seriously, I’m holding my breath in very nervous anticipation here. I don’t want to be watching it months after the Americans. I want to be a part of the conversation as it’s happening.   Anyway, today, we’re talking about the theatrical Joss Whedon cut. So I’m gonna go through it, see what Ican find that was good, and assess what I’m hoping for from the Snyder Cut.   It makes sense to start with a flashback of Superman, since it’ll be some time before we see him again, plus, we’re still living in that world without Superman. And we see the infamous CGI moustache replacement. I tell you, watching it again this time it’s super obvious and it looks really bad.   We see from the start that Batman isn’t just on a normal hunt for petty crooks. He’s just using the thief. He needs fear, because the parademons can smell it. Yes, those same aliens we saw in the nightmare vision in Batman V Superman are here. On earth. I found it a little jarring that they were just here. I’ve gotta say, it’s so nice to see Affleck’s Batman and Iron’s Alfred together on screen again. So Lex had notes about the aliens. I can only assume he got his information from the Kryptonian scout ship. The sad contemporary song over the credits fits reasonably well. It’s a far cry from the hauntingly beautiful opening music from Batman V Superman, though. But the film really drives home that Supermanis head. We see Lois at his monument, and Martha at his graveside. Banners display the House of El crest all over the world. Then We get to see Wonder Woman in true classic Super hero mode for the first real time, as she foils a terrorist plot. Wonder Woman could almost give the flash and superman both a run for their money in this scene, as she rushes across the hostages, blocking the bullets.   I don’t mind the scene when Bruce goes to the village, looking for Aqua Man. I think he knows from the start, that Arthur is the man he’s looking for. This scene is our first real look at the DCEU Aqua man, a character who has long  been the joke of DC superheroes. Not anymore. This Aquaman is a tough gritty guy you don’t want to mess with. I don’t think the scene really does a great job of explaining Aquaman’s reluctance to help. Bruce’s main lead on finding Barry Allen is the fact that he visits his father in prison.  Honestly, I thought all the scenes between Barry and his father ended up on the cutting room floor, but, there is a conversation between them.   At this point in his life, Barry is just on the run. He isn’t living his life. As much as Henry wishes he would.   Silas Stone is working at Star Labs, which apparently surrounds the Kryptonian ship.   So an object called the change engine was used to create cyborg, keeping him alive when he should be dead. Silas thinks it could interact with the Kryptonian technology on the ship. Victor isn’t happy about what his father has done to him. He sees his father as a monster, for what he’s done. Cyborg isn’t just part machine, he’s part alien machine. He’s got a language he doesn’t speak in his head. He’s deathly afraid of himself, and of what he might become. Can you imagine fearing that you might in fact be the next invasion. It’s a heavy burden for him to carry. This is pretty good stuff. We don’t explore it in any depth, but there’s definitely potential here.   The Amazonians have one of the mother boxes, like the change engine. They’ve had it for thousands of years. In all that time it’s been dormant. But now it awakes. Enter Stemmenwolf. He beams down in the middle of this room. And in come more of the flying aliens. The other one Bruce was tracking was just a scout.   I found Steppenwolf a pretty disappointing and forgettable villain. After Zod, Lex and even Ares, he was a disappointment. No depth to his story. To be honest, I don’t even remember much about him.   Steppenwolf makes short work of the Amazons. They’re no match for him. They really need to be using something a little heavier than arrows. He takes the box and beams away.   They light an ancient warning fire as a way to attract Dianna’s attention.   Martha has lost the Kent farm. She was behind in the payments. Lois is back at work, in theory, but she’s doing basic easy stories. Her heart just isn’t in it, since Clark died. It’s nice to see these two interacting, as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. This movie feels a little .. plastic somehow. While the previous films had a reality to them, the way they looked, there is something artificial and glossy about this one.   Steppenwolf lived only to conquer. He turned people into parademons.  The mother boxes combine to form the unity, an apocalyptic power that transforms planets into the hellscape of steppenwolf’s home planet, Apocolips. As Dianna tells the story, we see clips of the ancient battle, as the amazons, atlanteans, and even some Green lanterns from other worlds drove him from earth. It all looks very Lord of The Rings. And yet…..it all just feels a bit …… lacking.  It was nice to see that one tiny little Green Lantern reference, but it would have been even nicer to have a little more. There was a cool line cut from the trailer where Steppenwolf is saying how Earth is an easy target because no Lanterns are protecting it.   The boxes turning Earth into a hellish landscape is similar in premise to Zod’s world engine terraforming Earth. One felt truly epic. But this ….. I dunno. There’s just nothing to it. It falls flat.   The scene where Bruce introduces himself to Barry is nice. His willingness to jump in and join the team is refreshing after Aquaman and Cyborg’s reluctance. Barry comes across here as a nerd. He’s very relatable to me. He struggles with people.   I think Ezra miller’s flash had a lot of potential. Potential that is never realised in this movie, and …. Well….his solo movie has never eventuated. Dunno if it ever will.   But I must say, this movie redeemed the concept of Aquaman fairly nicely. He’s no longer a joke. He’s a hard-drinking hard-fighting tough guy with hard-rock music making a suitable soundtrack to his movements. The underwater stuff feels a little less artificial here than it did in the Aquaman movie. Half of the time, you forgot that movie was even underwater. I mean, they had fire in the water for goodness sake. The way these characters move, you can feel water around them.   A lot of people didn’t like the air bubble that Mera forms around them so they can talk underwater. I don’t mind it.  It just adds a little layer of believability. In reality, if these people were to communicate with each other underwater without air bubbles, they should use telepathy. James Wan’s decision to just let them talk verbally underwater may have been practical from a film-making point of view, but it definitely lacked believability.   So now Steppenwolf has two of the three boxes. He just needs to find the box of men now, which was buried somewhere underground. That’s the one that Victor Stone used to turn his son into Cyborg. We don’t get any backstory as to how he came by by it, other than the little epilogue on the Wonder Woman blue ray, where Etta sends the band to find it. It was found near the front, probably dug up while they were making ditches.   We get our first mention of Darkseid. It seems Steppenwolf is doing what he’s doing … for Darkseid.   Barry’s fanboying is perhaps a little overplayed. It’s a cool character concept but I dunno.  It’s ironic that the only memorable music in this movie is the occasional callbacks to previous versions of these characters, such as the little bit of the Batman 1989 theme we hear as Batman responds to Gordon’s bat signal. Personally, I Think these music cues are completely out of place here. I don’t want to speak out of place regarding Danny Elfman. He has written some memorable stuff, such as that Batman theme, but I was very unhappy when Junkie XL was removed from the film by Whedon. That felt like he was way overstepping his place. This wasn’t his movie.   The parademons are abducting people from Star labs to find out where the box is now. The whole joke about the league members all vanishing, leaving barry with Gordon fell flat for me. Batman is a master of stealth, so he kinda makes sense. Dianna is fast and can leap, possibly fly. But would she just vanish that quickly and silently? And Victor? He can fly but his flight is slow and noisy.   So they’re off to Braxton Island to rescue the scientists.   Now here’s the one really good thing I think they did with The Flash in this movie. Barry is having a bit of a freak out. There’s a really bad alien down there. In Barry’s words, “I’ve never done battle, I’ve just pushed some people and run away.” This makes sense. Bruce wants Barry on the team  because of his abilities. But abilities do not make a hero. Super speed does not make somebody a soldier. Not everybody has what it takes to go into combat. I sure don’t. We have a somewhat romantic, glorified view of war and combat, which comes from the movies. But to actually be in the midst of that, surrounded by death. Facing the very real prospect of being killed, and if not that, having to take a life. That’s a heavy thing. This movie acknowledges that. But again, it barely scratches the surface. I wish the movie had explored this a little deeper. But I like Bruce’s advice. Save one. Save one person. Don’t talk, don’t fight. Get in, get one out. And then? You’ll know. Bruce is good at seeing where people fit in. Barry doesn’t have to do battle, his logical role in this is rescuing the hostages. He’s perfect for that. The alien origin of Cyborg’s technology makes the things he can do a little more believable. Steppenwolf thinks he can get under Dianna’s skin by talking about the death of her sisters. But this isn’t the naive Dianna we saw during World War 1. She’s had 100 years to grow and mature since then. I like Batman’s NightCrawler mech thing. It’s pretty cool. And I like his line, as he shoots his machine guns. “Sorry, I didn’t bring a sword.” But it sadly does highlight the absurdity of all this. Steppenwolf is an invader from another planet. And he hits people with an axe.   Ok. So there’s a moment where Barry rushes to move some falling debris that is about to hit Dianna, and he somehow ends up lying on top of her, his face in her breasts. It’s recently come to light that this scene caused some controversy. Apparently, Gal Gadot refused to film this scene, and I don’t really blame her. It’s crass juvenile humour. Oh, his face touched her boobies. Oh how funny is that. Seriously? The shot was apparently done with Gadot’s stunt double. I think the scene does Wonder Woman’s character a dis-service. Apparently Joss Whedon also used this so-called joke in one of the Marvel films as well, but I can’t remember which one. Steppenwolf sees the blood of the old gods in Dianna. But he points out, the old gods died. He wants to set himself up as a new god. Technically, his species are called “The New Gods” if I understand correctly.   As the water rushes in to fill this underground tunnel, it’s the perfect time for Aquaman to make his appearance.  He knows Atlantis was attacked, and the box taken. He knows the time has come. He’s needed. Mera has convinced him.   Every now and then we cut to a family somewhere in eastern europe. Their home has been surrounded by Parademons. Near the end we’ll understand why, but, this doesn’t really pay off. Not strongly.    Yeah, Barry’s fanboying is definitely overdone. As he zooms around the batcave, his eyes about to pop out of his head, it’s really quite annoyingl.   Victor gives the remaining backtstory of the human motherbox. The british found it in ww1 and studied it, but they couldn’t even date it. It was shelved until the night when Superman died when it lit up. Probably because of whatever Lex did on the ship to contact Steppenwolf.   And this is when Bruce gets the idea of trying to use the power of the motherbox to bring Superman back to life. They could sure use his help right now. Superman is not like a normal mortal. Although, technically dead, there may still be power dormant in his cells. We saw a hint of this when the dirt began to rise above his coffin. Add to that, the power of a motherbox, enough power to transform an entire planet. Okay. I’m kinda with that. But his plan isn’t really thought through. We’ll give him a zap of power from the motherbox. It’s pretty weak from a science fiction point of view.  Dianna has some legitimate concerns. The last time somebody tried to use the genesis chamber on the Kryptonian scout ship to resurrect dead cells, the result was Doomsday. If they do manage to revive Clark’s body, it’s most likely that they’ll simply turn him into a monster, like Luthor did. When Dianna objects, Bruce begins to say “If there’s even a fraction of a chance…” which is an interesting call-back to a previous time he said those words in Batman V Superman. In that case, he was arguing for killing Superman. Now, he uses those same words to argue for his resurrection.   The argument between her and Bruce here is some decent drama.  She thinks he’s doing this out of guilt. But Bruce didn’t kill Superman. Doomsday did. Bruce calls Dianna out for having shut herself from the world for a century because of Steve Trevor’s death. Superman was a beacon to the world. Wonder Woman never was. Not until she was drawn back out of her reverie by Luthor’s photo. I do have fears about how Wonder Woman 1984 will fit into this. But I don’t think DC care about any of these movies anymore. They’re trying desperately, to forge some new path. Goodness knows what it is, though.   Aquaman points out that you lose something when you die. Even Superman. Maybe not his mind, but maybe his soul. I like the acknowledgement here that there may be more to a person than just the physical. If that’s the case, Bruce’s plan could go horribly wrong. Assuming there is a soul, if they re-animate Superman’s body, will his soul return to it? That’s something outside of their control. Bruce is a little over-confidant here. He says he has a contingency plan for that.   I don’t think this was the originally planned payoff to The Flash’s message from the future, that Lois Lane is the key, but I guess it kinda works. But, can Lois really cause Superman’s Soul to return? That’s a bit of a weak premise. I don’t think we’re really dealing with the problem of the soul here. Anyway. I’m getting ahead of myself here. We’ll come to that   This is the first time the term “Batmobile” is said out loud in the DCEU. Honestly, I don’t think it needed to be said. We know that’s what it is. That’s what we know it as, but…..when you hear it out loud, it’s pretty cheesy.  The batmobile was in Batman V Superman. They didn’t have to call it that. It didn’t matter. What mattered was, it was there. And it was awesome. Just another example of these movies moving away from their heritage of taking themselves seriously.   Alfred points out that maybe Clark is at peace. Do they have a right to pull him away from that? But times are desperate. Although, I don’t think this movie has really allowed us to feel that desperation. I mean, compare this to the feeling of the battle over metropolis. This movie hasn’t sold us on the danger that Steppenwolf represents. I kinda felt the same way about Ultron in the second Avengers movie.   It was nice to hear a few notes of the Superman theme from Man of Steel as they enter the scout ship, but it was kind of a case of too little too late. It actually feels really out of place alongside the rest of the music in this movie So The Flash has to run really fast to build up enough electrical charge to power the transformation. It feels like a bit of a forced way to give him something to do.   I get the impression that Superman’s resurrection was going to be handled very differently in Zach Synder’s version. I’ll be very interested to see how that plays out.   So Superman is alive. But as Aquaman predicted, something is missing. He’s lost something, and maybe not just his memories.   The Justice League arrives to see whether they’re dealing with friend or foe. Superman is sizing them up, assessing their threat level. Then Cyborg’s armour fires the first shot. It’s interesting to me that the alien technology in his systems have a mind of their own. Another interesting idea that is not explored in any meaningful way.   Superman doesn’t know who he is. He only knows these powerful beings seem to pose a threat to him. I do like the moment when the Flash runs around and he realises that Superman is fast enough to see him, even in “bullet-speed”. The looks on both of their faces are priceless. And we get another inappropriate music cue. Now don’t get me wrong. I love the John William’s Superman theme. I really really do, but it has absolutely no place here. That theme belongs to a completely different interpretation of the character, a completely different universe. A completely different canon. And yes, I know. Multi-verse. The CW Crisis on Infinite Earth’s story has basically put the Christopher Reeve Superman and the Henry Cavil Superman in the same multi-verse. But you know what …. As fun as it is to see these little crossovers, I’m not really a fan of that concept. Oh, I’m not opposed to exploring multi-verses in Superhero stories, but the idea of Superman looking like Christopher Reeve in one universe, and like Henry Cavill in another just does not work for me. At all. It’s way too meta. It’s an intrusion of real-world concerns into the movie world. And I know the comics did this kind of thing. Every continuity reboot in comics is basically only a soft reboot. They’ve been doing that for ages. But I still don’t like it. I just wanna keep them seperate. The tones, the mythology, they’re too different.   Interestingly, I had a different reaction when the Superman theme was used in Smallville. Perhaps it was because Smallville drew so much from the Reeve Superman, or maybe it was just that at the time, Christopher Reeve was still very much my Superman. But Man of Steel was so different to anything that had come before. It was fresh and new and exciting. This stuff just muddies the water for me. It makes the DCEU less …. Pure...somehow. Batman reveals himself to Clark. Now, this is someone Clark remembers. This was the guy that tried to kill him.   Clark seems just as angry at Bruce for bringing him back, as he is for trying to kill him. “You won’t let me live. You won’t let me die.”   So Batman calls in the big guns. Which, of course, is Lois. So this is how this movie fulfills the Flash vision. Lois Lane is the Key. Like I said before, I don’t think this was the original plan. Not by a long shot.   So the power of love helps bring Superman back. It’s a little cheesy. But … love IS powerful. We can’t take Aquaman’s words about Superman’s lost soul too literally here. The sight of Lois doesn’t cause Superman’s soul to return to his body. It simply helps him overcome the confusion, to remember who he is, and what’s important. To sort through the emotions flooding through him.   And then Batman says “Yes, something is definitely bleeding.” See, this isn’t the the time or the place for a joke. Not like that. Realistically, Bruce should be dead. Clark must have held back something shocking not to have killed him. He’s in bad shape. This silly wise-crack just doesn’t ring true as something that Bruce would say here. The other reason I don’t like this line is because it’s kind of making a mockery of a serious moment in Batman V Superman. Warner Bros pandered way too much to their critics in the making of this movie, and in doing so, they kind of spat in the face of their most dedicated fans. They were so obsessed with saving face they forgot we existed. They forgot that plenty of people enjoyed those previous movies. In the end, the critics mattered more than we did. We who stuck by them and defended their previous films. It felt pretty insulting, to be honest. But this will be felt more strongly when we get to the end.   Meanwhile, the league were so distracted dealing with Clark that they completely ignored the mother box. That was really stupid. As a result, Steppenwolf swoops in and grabs it. Now he has all three.   So Clark takes Lois back to smallville. The Kent farm. Lois says Clark smells good. Really? He’s been in the ground for a long time. He’s literally a re-animated corpse. He’s probably covered with some kind of embalming fluid or something. I don’t know a lot about the preparation of bodies. He’s certainly not wearing any aftershave. What on earth is she on about? What a stupid line. And then he responds, “Did I not before?”  He’s Superman, not Lieutenant Commander Data.   I think Aquaman has written off the whole Superman thing as a big mistake. Whatever Lois may or may not be able to do for Clark, Arthur isn’t counting on getting any help from Superman. He blames Victor for not being able to control the machine. I have to say, the conflict between the heroes in the first Avengers movie played a lot better than this stuff. And then before we can do any serious character exploration, we’re interrupted by another stupid joke about Barry’s blood sugar.   The whole exchange between Bruce and arthur about asking the fish to keep an eye out for the mother boxes is awkward. Fish are not sapient, so … talking to fish is probably not the best way to word it. Maybe it’s more that Arthur can kinda see through their eyes? I dunno. Bruce really isn’t sure what to believe about the mythology surrounding Aquaman.   Ben Affleck’s Batman is a very different character in this movie. I don’t just mean that he’s changed as a person for the better, inspired by Superman’s sacrifice. That’s just good character development.  No, it’s something else. Something feels off. And I think it’s mostly just the comedic influence of Joss Whedon.  I’m not a whedon hater. He’s done some great stuff. And I loved the humorous turns of phrase he gave the characters in Firefly. But it really doesn’t suit Batman, especially this version of Batman. I just don’t feel like I’m watching Batfleck. Even though it’s Ben Affleck playing him.   When Dianna says Clark could have killed Bruce, he replies with “I was willing to make the trade.” I kinda like that. He finally sees the benefit of Superman. He sees his power in a new light. He no longer views Superman as a threat. Bruce wasn’t cut out for fighting villains like Steppenwolf. He’s just a man. And he’s getting older. When Dianna says “You can’t do this forever,” he says “I can barely do it now.” These two characters actually have a half-decent conversation. It’s a nice moment. Dianna reflects on her isolation. She’d fight when we was needed (I guess one of those times was in 1984 as we’ll see in the upcoming movie) but she never wanted to step into the light and lead, inspire. Bruce isn’t a leader either. He lives his life in the shadows, dressed as a bat. There’s only one person who is really cut out to lead this league.   Cut to Clark standing in a corn field at sunset (or maybe sunrise). And Lois asks him what coming back from the dead felt like. And he says “itchy.” So stupid.   And Lois admits how she’d retreated into herself. She wasn’t strong. She wasn’t Lois Lane Reporter. Well, of course she wasn’t. The love of her life had died. If my wife died, I’d be a mess, and I don’t know if I’d ever recover. Nobody is gonna blame her for not being the old Lois after what happened. But maybe it’s precisely because she’s Lois Lane that she holds herself to such a high standard. That’s why she’s judging herself.   So basically, all of Clark’s coming to terms with having died and come back, his reunion with Lois, it all happens off screen.   So we get an explanation as to why Stemmelwolf has set up shop in remote eastern Europe. He wants to be somewhere there’s isn’t a lot of internet connectivity to prevent Victor from tracking the mother boxes. Ok. That makes sense.   It looks like he’s already started to re-create apocalypse But he kicks the process off properly. And it just feels like a pale shallow shadow of the terraforming in Man of Steel.   Bruce’s troop carrier looks more like a spaceship. Unless it’s got some alien technology in it, I’m not buying it.   And then the scene where Aquaman spills his guts because he’s sitting on the laso of truth. And they just let him keep going, looking just slightly awkward. Even bruce kinda raises his hand but can’t quite get any words out. I mean, this is Bruce Wayne. Just say “Mate, you’re sitting on the Laso. stop talking.” Anyway, another example of comedy that didn’t really work for me.   And this is where the movie really falls apart for me. The climax. I just can’t help but compare it to Man of Steel. This is an alien invasion situation. This is the apocalypse. Man of Steel made me feel it. This movie does not. It all just feels so cartoony. There’s no real emotion here. There’s no sense of scope.   And here’s another difference between this movie and the previous ones. You see, there are certain elements of comic book stories that are silly. That make no sense. An example here is how Aquaman brought a pitchfork (actually a trident) as his weapon to save the world. Movies like Man of Steel and Batman V Superman interpret these things in a way to make them work, or, if they can’t make it work, they just set it aside. But this movie (And a lot of the Marvel movies) choose a different approach. They call it out as silly and kinda make fun of it. There was a similar moment in Avengers Age of Ultron when Hawkeye says “I’m here with a bow and arrow. None of this makes any sense”. Realistically, Hawkeye probably shouldn’t be an avenger. I don’t like it when these movies try to be tongue and cheek and make fun of these things.   Another problem is that Aquaman is having way too much fun for someone in a desperate fight to save the human race. A fight that he admitted a few minutes back that he doesn’t think they can win.   I really hope the Snyder Cut does something more with The Flash than have him make silly jokes all the time.   So Superman finally arrives to help, and he’s making smart-alec one liners like a cheesy 80s action movie star.   So Superman and Cyborg successfully pull the boxes apart. And then Superman laughs uncontrollably for no reason. And then Wonder woman looks down her nose and calls them children. I found this moment pretty condescending. What exactly did they do to warrant that? Was it just the laughing? I mean, I find that annoying and out of place, but I don’t think it warrants her statement. And yes, she’s a lot older than the rest of them, but that still doesn’t explain it.   Making Steppenwolf afraid so that the parademons would turn on him WAS  a good plan.   The alien plants growing out of the half- transformed landscape was kinda cool. Though, again, they probably could have made more of it. I mean, think about this, A section of Earth has been partially terraformed, with flora never before known to man. And it’s never mentioned in the DCEU again.   I’m a little surprised Bruce didn’t just help Martha with her financial troubles before she had to sell her house. In fact, the more I think about it, the more surprised I am. He felt responsible for what happened to Clark. He would have kept an eye out for her.   Anyway, it’s fixed now.   So Barry has a job in a crime lab, so he’s on track to become the Bary Allen we know. This is not the way you do a character arc. The movie set it up at the start, and paid it off at the end, but there was nothing in between. Nothing about Barry’s experiences in the movie really helped motivate him. All he did in between was crack stupid jokes. The journey itself needs to tie in thematically with the growth he experiences.   And then we get the voiceover from Lois talking all about optimism. This was so on the nose. It almost felt like an apology for the previous films. Don’t worry guys, from now on, we’ll be optimistic and positive and light and happy. All that dark stuff before was a mistake, but it’s fixed now. It kinda felt like a kick in the gut to me.   So then we roll credits, with some really bland music. To be honest, there’s not a single memorable piece of music in this movie. The only music that does stand out is the stuff taken from other movies.   And we have a mid-credit scene where Superman and The Flash decide to race and find out who is fastest (spoiler alert, it REALLY should be Barry. After all, he’s the fastest man alive.)  Anyway, it’s kinda pointless. I thought Smallville did a better version of this scene way back.   And then the after credit scene which shows Lex Luthor has escaped from jail and is forming his own league. His first recruit is Slade Wilson, otherwise known as Death Stroke. I don’t expect this particular thread to ever be picked up again.   So that was Justice League. It felt really out of place after the last 4 movies. It was at least as good as an average Marvel movie, but a far cry from the really good Marvel movies. And frankly, this may be unfair, but I hold DC movies to a higher standard. Partly because I care more about the DC characters, and probably partly also because Zack Snyder set the bar so high with the first two movies.   When I re-watched the last three movies, taking notes and analysing them, I found I loved them even more than before. With this one, I think it was the opposite. The other movies are still so fresh in my memory, so the contrast is really glaring.   I have no idea which scenes were Whedon re-shoots. I have no idea what will be different in Zack Snyder’s cut. I do know that he won’t be using a single frame of footage he didn’t shoot. So we’ll have a much greater understanding of who did what when it comes out.   I’m sorry to finish this on such a downer.  I can say I definitely like the first half of the movie more than the second half. I think there’s potential here but that potential was just never fully realised. And that gives me hope that the Snyder Cut could be awesome. We’ll just have to wait and see. . My original plan was to stop at Justice League and move on to other things. After all, my favourite DCEU movies are those before Justice League. My plan was to start an episode-by-episode look at the two seasons of Stargate Universe. But I realised that with Discovery Season 3 starting in October, I’d only get a couple of episodes in and then have to switch tracks. So instead, I’m gonna continue with the DCEU, talking about Aquaman and Shazam. Because both of those movies are worth talking about. They’re both good movies. And that’ll almost take me up to Discovery. I haven’t seen Birds of Prey, so I probably won’t be doing an episode on that.   I still very much want to cover Stargate Universe, but it won’t be happening immediately. We’ll definitely get there though. It’s an underrated show in my opinio, and one that hasn’t been talked about near enough.   But next fortnight, We’ll be delving into Aquaman. Catch you then.

On this weeks DC's HARLEY QUINN - SEASON 2 - EPISODES 9-13 Episode 10 Description (IMDb): Alone on Christmas Eve, Harley reconnects with a now-sane Joker and heads to Wayne Tower, where their dinner is interrupted by an escaped Riddler and ParaDemons. Episode 11 Description (IMDb): In order to defeat Psycho's army, Harley & Joker need to track down Fables' storybook with the Justice League inside. Episode 12 Description (IMDb): Psycho unleashes a mind-controlled Ivy, Clayface, and King Shark on the Justice League who are trying to free Gotham. Episode 13 Description (IMDb): Harley crashes Ivy's wedding to stop Gordon and his officers from interrupting the nuptials. All this and more on the Afterbuzz Aftershow. Stay tuned. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Zack Snyder's Justice League, often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe and the sequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—as director Zack Snyder intended it before he left the production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows DC Comics' Justice League—Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, and the Flash—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Darkseid, Steppenwolf, and their army of Parademons.

Zack Snyder's Justice League, often referred to as the "Snyder Cut", is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film Justice League. It presents Justice League—the fifth film of the DC Extended Universe and the sequel to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—as director Zack Snyder intended it before he left the production. Like the theatrical release, Zack Snyder's Justice League follows DC Comics' Justice League—Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, and the Flash—as they attempt to save the world from the catastrophic threat of Darkseid, Steppenwolf, and their army of Parademons.

Steppenwolf, the End of Worlds Parademons and missed opportunities Weak connections to BvS Motherboxes, Unity, and Power The action and the characters in the scene (Green Lantern!) God vs. Man (BvS) is now Gods and Men and Women together (JL) Doomsday clock has a snooze button and Bruce's attitude The three motherboxes on Earth Diana leary of leadership Cyborg listening in low-tech style Follow @JLUpodcast on Twitter Contributors: @ottensam @derbykid @raveryn @wondersyd @NBego Bonus Content: https://www.patreon.com/JLUpodcast BvS Giveaway: https://www.patreon.com/posts/giveaway-batman-23075306

Additional thoughts about Scene 1 Vertical shot motif Batman's first appearance Phony physics (homage to Batman 66?) Fear and riding the parademon Where did the three motherbox symbols come from? Burglar comes back and comments on Superman Motherboxes Transcript: http://comicandscreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/jlu-scene-by-scene-justice-league-scene.html Follow @JLUPodcast on Twitter Contributors: @ottensam @raveryn @derbykid @wondersyd @NBego http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-superman-justice-league-henry-cavill-20171119-story.html https://www.mensfitness.com/life/entertainment/interview-actor-holt-mccallany-getting-beat-batman-justice-league-and-season-2

Hold on to your mother boxes, mother&$#@ers! SUPERMAN'S OTHER PALS' Gary Rolin joins Eric in the studio to dissect the Justice League film! Because Superman is in it! And so are a bunch of Jimmy Olsen characters, like Steppenwolf, Darkseid (kinda) and The Parademons! This episode, like every episode, is presented by our superpowered allies at Meltdown Comics! This Week's Guest: Gary and Ella Plum Rolin TW: @otherpalspod Listen to their podcast: SUPERMAN’S OTHER PALS here: iTunes– http://apple.co/2xH64CV Google Play – http://bit.ly/2xsk7N4 Stitcher – http://bit.ly/2wEeePo Follow Eric Esquivel! TW:@ericmesquivel Hosted by Eric M. Esquivel (https://twitter.com/ericmesquivel) Produced and engineered by Mason Booker Music by Makenzie Mizell (https://www.makenziemizell.com/) Logo by Spencer Brinkeroff III (https://www.facebook.com/spencerB3/

Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of metahumans consisting of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry, and Victor Stone to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and the Parademons who are on the hunt for three Mother Boxes on Earth.

Show notes: http://bit.ly/2zIne8E Two Week Catch-Up: Robert watches a ton of West Wing and finishes his communal watching of Stranger Things 2 with his church group. Jenny goes through all of her Christmas shopping and takes her kids to jump on trampolines at Extreme Air Park. Jermaine does secret stuff he can't discuss on the podcast because he has entities he needs to answer to. Nerdy News: Disney demands of 65% of theater proceeds to screen Star Wars: The Last Jedi Jermaine: "That IP is license to print money. It feels like extortion, right?" Jenny: "That's not fair! For little companies that's a big amount of money! Also, theaters should drop ticket prices to five bucks and make popcorn $20." Robert: "Disney owns Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. Theater chains could just band together to boycott the movie too. America is the cradle of capitalism and free-market enterprise-- no one is forced to screen Star Wars." The FCC plans to kill net neutrality next month Jermaine: "It'll kill innovation and invention!" Robert: "I'll play devil's advocate-- the providers paid for the pipes! They dug up the ground and laid fiber and coax! They launched the satellites! Why can't they charge based on what content they allow through? Also, killing net neutrality will allow for product differentiation which'll lead to more competition and innovation!" Review - Justice League Jenny: "It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I guess that's the beauty of having no expectations. CGI was bad. Also, I'm a huge Batman fan and I don't think Batman had the right personality in this movie. Surprisingly, I recommend." Jermaine: "Yeah, CGI definitely not great but not so much to be distracting. That said, I liked this movie was lighter, brighter, and funnier. Ray Fisher as Cyborg was amazing. Steppenwolf was the worst part of this movie-- 'Superman whooped him like he stole something!' I thoroughly enjoyed this movie; I liked the fan service." Robert: "Parademons are basically just Age of Ultron robot minions. Flash was just X-Men/Avenger's Quicksilver + Tom Holland's Spiderman. And Steppenwolf was the most useless villain ever, a poor man's Ultron. A perfectly mediocre movie. Watch if it's free and you have absolutely nothing better to do." Credits: "Do you bleed?"

Winfree and Radulich review the latest DCEU featured, the long awaited Justice League! Justice League is a 2017 American superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero team of the same name consisting of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film is the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Zack Snyder with a screenplay by Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, from a story by Terrio and Snyder. It features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, and J. K. Simmons. In Justice League, the superhero team forms to honor Superman following his death and to save the planet from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.

This is the DC live-action cinematic event – Justice League! But is it any good? We give you the answer… As the fifth instalment in the DC Extended Universe Justice League serves as a culmination of the four previous films, Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman. Directed by Zack Snyder, Justice League offers an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck (returning as Batman), Gal Gadot (returning as Wonder Woman), Henry Cavill (returning as Superman), and Ezra Miller (Flash), Jason Momoa (Aqauaman), and Ray Fisher (Cyborg). Following the death of Superman, Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince recruit Barry Allen, Arthur Curry, and Victor Stone, to form a superhero team to save the planet from the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.

Thanksgiving is around the corner and their are alots to be thanksfull for. But the Parademons are on the Move It Time to Call in […]

Is the plot to the Justice League movie related to the DC arc Justice League: WAR? Taylor digs into the trailer and the events that happen in the DCU that could help shape the plot of this movie to movies to come. What do we think of the portrayals of Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg? Are they on Apocalypse? Did Batman's Knightmare scene with the Parademons come true? Was The Flash in BvS a reference to a Crisis DC Comics event in this movie? Will we see Superman as a villain in Justice League? So many Questions! Comic books/trades discussed in this Issue: Justice League Volume 1 and 2 (The New 52) by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee Crisis on Infinite Earths by George Perez and Marv Wolfman Infinite Crisis by Geoff Johns Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer Final Crisis by Grant Morrison Flashpoint by Geoff Johns Superman: Secret Identity

Popcorn Talk Network proudly presents DC Movie News! In this vodcast series hosts Jonny Loquasto, Adam Gertler, Mike Kalinowski, and Roxy Striar - as the name implies - discuss all things DC related. The team talks about the possibilities of Parademons in Batman Vs. Superman, other news from the trailer, Ezra Miller as the Flash in the DC Film Universe, Aquaman's look may have been revealed by a toy, Justice League Dark has a director and Roxy Striar's TV Time! Follow Jonny Loquasto on Twitter! Follow Adam Gertler on Twitter! Follow Roxy Striar on Twitter! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app