Now that the Snyder Cut of Justice League has finally been released on HBO Max, fans have begun eagerly comparing it to its comrades in the DCEU. Not only is Zack Snyder’s Justice League comparable to its theatrical predecessor, but it also serves well to be compared to other films in the franchise.
As this is really Zack Snyder’s third film in the DCEU — and third film in his Superman arc, which began in Man of Steel — there are many ways that the Snyder Cut improved on his continuing story. However, in some ways, that early Man of Steel movie was already better than the Snyder Cut would ever be. There are pros and cons to both, but, ultimately, it seemed that the Snyder Cut was trying to be better than Man of Steel had been.
10 The Snyder Cut Has Better Emotional Payoff
While this is partly due to the sheer scope of the film, Zack Snyder’s Justice League does admittedly have a much better emotional payoff than Man of Steel did. As Man of Steel was intended to be Clark Kent’s introduction to the franchise, it was still the beginning of his story and didn’t really see him as a fully-formed character by the end.
More than that, the franchise was busy dismantling popular conceptions of Superman at the time, so the movie was more down on the character than anything.
9 Man Of Steel Used Lois Lane Better
For better or for worse, Lois Lane was not utilized particularly well in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. This is an ongoing problem in the DCEU, as she has never really been given a lot of space to shine, which is a shame.
However, the film that inarguably gave Lois the most space — and the best space — was Man of Steel. Amy Adams is excellent in the role, and it seemed that Man of Steel was the only movie where they properly knew that. While Lois Lane is apparently key to the story, this did not always feel true in the Snyder Cut.
8 The Snyder Cut Gave Space To Other Characters Besides Superman
Man of Steel is, as the same suggests, basically entirely about Superman. There are indications that a larger universe is incoming but, ultimately, the movie is a solo film for Clark Kent. The Snyder Cut of Justice League was more than that, introducing many characters alongside Superman and Wonder Woman, who had already seen their entrances into the franchise.
While Zack Snyder’s Justice League — and, indeed, any form of the Justice League — probably should have come later in the DCEU, after everybody was introduced properly, they have been introduced anyways. The Snyder Cut gave each character a good, solid beginning for the DCEU.
7 Clark Is In The Entirety Of Man Of Steel
Unfortunately, Clark Kent really only features in a small fraction of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. For a movie that is supposed to be about the founding of the Justice League team, Clark — one of the most crucial founders — is in surprisingly little of the film.
It’s unfortunate, as Henry Cavill is essentially the perfect 21st-century casting for Clark Kent, to have him underutilized this way. However, Clark is present in the entirety of Man of Steel, and so is superior to the Snyder Cut in at least this way. Superman is an important presence for the franchise no matter what.
6 The Snyder Cut Successfully Uses Its Long Runtime
Man of Steel was two hours and twenty-eight minutes long, and, at times, the film can lag. It does feel its length and so, when Zack Snyder’s Justice League clocked in at a solid four hours and two minutes, fans were skeptical that all of that time would be enjoyable.
However, not only is the movie excellent, but the four-hour runtime ends up feeling essential to the story Snyder is telling. While this is rather unwieldy for a general movie’s runtime, for a project like the Snyder Cut, this escalates the film into a true spectacle.
5 Man Of Steel Had A Significantly Smaller Scope
Zack Snyder’s Justice League, by necessity, has to deal with much, much more than Man of Steel ever did. However, this works to the benefit of Man of Steel. The film has a significantly smaller scope than the Snyder Cut, and so it is better able to focus on telling its main story. There are several main, crucial characters, their stories are well-developed, and the plot is wrapped up well.
The movie can stand alone perfectly well, albeit not in Snyder’s full original vision. While the Snyder Cut relies on many other films and cultural understandings to be understood, Man of Steel is enjoyable on all levels.
4 The Soundtrack For The Snyder Cut Was Far Better
It’s difficult to argue against the fact that the soundtrack for Zack Snyder’s Justice League is, so far, one of the best of the decade. Junkie XL put together a stellar score, and the songs that Zack Snyder chose to use throughout the film were perfectly on point.
Of course, the score for Man of Steel is awesome, but Zack Snyder’s Justice League was truly elevated to another level. Using songs like Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ “There is a Kingdom” over Arthur’s introduction to the film brought the Snyder Cut from good to great, easily.
3 General Zod Is A Better Villain Than Steppenwolf
When Justice League came out, fans were understandably disappointed at the portrayal of the villain Steppenwolf. While Zack Snyder’s Justice League did a lot of great work to restore Steppenwolf to Snyder’s original vision for the villain, he still can’t top General Zod.
The simple motivation of Zod, the performance from Michael Shannon, the fights between him and Superman — all of them were simply on the next level. General Zod ended up being a superior villain to Steppenwolf, proving that Man of Steel is still better than the Snyder Cut in some ways, at least.
2 Zack Snyder’s Vision For The DCEU Is Clearer In The Snyder Cut
Zack Snyder had a very specific vision for what the DCEU would be and what the story of the Justice League would become throughout the franchise. He did not intend to adapt the Justice League from the comics, but rather to dismantle and rebuild them in his own story concept.
People did not fully understand what he was doing, and especially not at first, when Man of Steel first came out. Even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice didn’t help significantly but, after Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Snyder’s vision for the DCEU is dramatically clearer. In fact, other films in the DCEU are retroactively improved for the clarity the Snyder Cut lends them.
1 Man Of Steel Doesn’t Have Any Baggage
While it is unfortunate that Joss Whedon destroyed Justice League initially and caused all the chaos that led to Zack Snyder having to release a Snyder Cut in the first place, this does mean that Man of Steel ultimately is just an easier and better movie to enjoy.
People have a hard time going into the Snyder Cut without any preconceived notions or ideas about what the film will be or do, which makes it difficult to truly enjoy. Man of Steel doesn’t have these problems, and thus can stand alone without all of the baggage surrounding a huge project like the Snyder Cut.
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