I'm actually excited to give this a go tonight. That's kind of sad. I still enjoyed the theatrical cut more than most so whatevs.
It can't fix some of the fundamental problems, how it falls apart at the end (like nearly every superhero...or action-adventure film) or MARTHA!!! but I felt like I was enjoying this cut more for far longer. It does show how much they overstuffed the plot more but I think leaving that stuff in helps the pacing because it's a decompressed Snyder film to start with. Lex is doing stuff, Clark is investigating Batman, Lois is investigating Lex, there's more sensible reaction to the Capitol bombing than just "yep, that happened, now Batman is mad, also there's a bullet or something" etc. that the theatrical cut kinda races through. And I was a lot more bored by it despite being shorter. Especially Perry going "where's Clark?!?!?" and the movie doesn't even fucking know. Whereas here it's showing what Clark is up to investigating Batman.
I actually think worse than the Martha thing, which you could do in a way less dumb way, is how Supes basically gives up trying to talk to Bruce despite knowing he wants to fight and that he's never going to kill Bruce. So he shot you with some sonics and machine gun turrets, you're Superman, don't shove the guy a hundred feet away and then grab him and smash him through a building. Try: "Alright Bruce, enough of that, let's talk about Lex's plans we both know about."
This cut made that stand out way more when you finally get to it (since pretty much all the added time is before the fight) and you've seen everyone's hands being played and exposed up to the point, especially Lex's since it's unfolded by Lois (and the bits and pieces from Bruce's own investigation) BEFORE he explains it all to Clark whereas that's the only time it's really explained in the original cut. Lex just straight up says "oh yeah, I did everything so go fight Batman because why not" and in this version you actually already know he's set it up and how. Batman doesn't really
know that side of Lex's plan, but Superman just got told the whole thing straight from the asshole himself and Lois has the evidence. And still Supes is like, well, I've got half an hour to kill before my mom dies so I'll fight with this lunatic who clearly has staged the entire area with traps and shot me in the face with kryptonite gas.
But I'm rambling now, but that's only because I'm sure that some day, one of these BIG comic movies will have a third act that doesn't derail every single character and the plot to halt everything for the big fight sequence.
Civil War inversed it but the end fight wasn't worse off plot-wise because of its smaller scale.
Oh god, now I'm comparing Marvel and DC.
When do I get a
Planetary movie series again?
