The double-edged sword of the Snyder Cut

Rewind back time with me. You've just left the cinema having seen the theatrical cut of Justice League, and you leave the cinema feeling mightily let down. Not only was it a piss-poor superhero film, although it definitely was, it also brought the DCEU (led by Zack Snyder at the time) to a grinding halt. Under normal circumstances, that would have been the end of things. The justice league that we were introduced to across a number of films would have been disbanded. Sure, certain franchises would have lived on (although judging by the state of Wonder Woman 1984 they certainly wouldn't have been any good), but Ben Affleck's Batman and Henry Cavill's Superman would have been lost to the history books. A wasted opportunity.

Fast forward to present day, and the Snyder cut has been out for a week now. Even just the fact that this film exists is insane. I can't think of a similar situation ever occurring before in the history of film. And while I loved the Snyder Cut and the countless improvements it made upon the original film (Flash no longer talks about brunch), it did leave me feeling a little disappointed. I wasn't disappointed because of anything I saw in the film, but I was disappointed because of what I fear I won't see in the future.

Throughout Zack Snyder's tenure at the head of the DCEU, the one element of his films that excited me more than any other were the Knightmare sequences. Even back in Batman Vs Superman, it was clear that the future of the DCEU rested in this bleak world of Darkseid's rein. Thankfully, Zack Snyder's Justice League treated us to a much longer, more detailed version of the Knightmare world. Not only did we see Justice League members such as Batman, Cyborg and Flash, but we also got glimpses of the rag-tag team Batman has assembled in the wake of Superman's evil turn. We see Mera, Deathstroke (which surely would have led on from Ben Affleck's cancelled solo Batman film), and we also finally got our first interaction between Batman and Jared Leto's Joker.

All of this just hammers home my point, the Knightmare world is incredible. And I think any DC fan, or even just film fans in general, will tell you they'd love to see the continuation of Zack Snyder's Justice League trilogy, giving us more time in the Knightmare universe and more time with the characters that his cut of the film made us love (yes, I'm talking about Cyborg). Throw in a Deathstroke vs Batman tease, a Martian Manhunter reveal and an epic stare down between Darkseid and the Justice League, and anticipation for the future of the DCEU has never been higher.

Except there is no future. Despite it's teases, easter eggs and references to future films, the word is that Warner Bros has no plans to restore the Snyder Verse. And let's be honest, that's just shit. It's like the MCU stopping after the first Thanos tease. It just doesn't make sense. What's even more frustrating is that DC appear to be heading towards a future of light-hearted, comedic superhero films to replicate the MCU. While this formula works for Marvel's assortment of characters, the DC world is inherently darker and if Wonder Woman 1984 proved anything, it's that the Marvel formula does not work with these characters.

And so, here I am, disappointed after watching a film that I thoroughly enjoyed, because it gave me a glimpse into the future of a cinematic universe that will, more than likely, never be brought to screen. It tainted my viewing of the Snyder Cut, and I'm sure it will taint my view of other DC films going forward.

For me, the answer is simple. Restore the Snyder Verse.