My Thoughts on the Release of the Snyder Cut

After two and a half years of extensive campaigning on social media, fans of director Zack Snyder and DC Comics are finally going to get their wish as Snyder's version of Justice League or the "Snyder Cut" as it has become known will be released on HBO's new streaming service HBO Max sometime in 2021.

Whether it all comes out as a movie or mini-series, the fact that the campaign to get Warner Brothers(the studio that owns DC comics) to agree to have Snyder come back to finish his version of the much maligned 2017 movie is a win for his fans and people who wanted to see Snyder's take on the movie.

For those who do not what I am taking about, Snyder was in the middle of post-production for Justice League when he stepped down as director to grieve after the tragic suicide of his daughter, Autumn.

Instead of allowing for Snyder to take his time and mourn, Warner Brothers brought in Joss Whedon to finish the film so it could maintain its release date in November of 2017.

The results were disastrous as Whedon overhauled the film which included replacing composer Junkie XL's score with Danny Elfman who decided to use his old Batman theme from the 1989 film as well as John Williams' Superman theme from the Christoper Reeve movies instead of the themes Hans Zimmer had composed for Superman in Man of Steel or his collaboration with Junkie XL for the Batman theme in Batman vs Superman.

Add in all the awkward attempts at lighting the film's tone with funny bits such as The Flash falling on top of Wonder Woman, Ben Affleck's Batman being because neutered from what we saw in BvS,  Cyborg essentially being the least important character of the group of heroes when Snyder described him as the "heart" of the movie and of course the infamous CGI effects on Henry Cavill's face as he could not shave the mustache that he had for his role in Mission Impossible: Fallout and what you got was a movie that was panned by critics and viewers, resulting in a worldwide take of $657 million at the box office, less than the $750 million needed to make a profit.

But now Snyder has a chance to complete his vision and I like millions of others around the world couldn't be happier because there is one simple reason I want to see the "Snyder Cut": It has to be better than what we got.

The theatrical version or "Josstice League" as what has become known as wasn't a terrible movie in my opinion, but an underwhelming one.

I like many others expected a sweeping epic but instead got an average superhero movie.

There were good parts in "Josstice League" like Ezra Miller's performance as The Flash, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Jason Momoa as Aquaman, who would shine even brightly in his own movie Aquaman which came out one year later.

But again there were many things with the film that were underwhelming like the villain, Steppenwolf, and Superman's resurrection after his death in Batman vs Superman.

We wanted Justice League to have moments that made you want stand up and cheer like in Avengers:Endgame when Captain America picks up Thor's hammer or when all the heroes who had to turn to dust in Infinity War returned for the final battle, but there was none of that in Whedon's version.

Hopefully with Snyder's Justice League we will have those type of moments as one thing Snyder is known for his thrilling action sequences like the fight between Superman and General Zod at the end of Man of Steel and the warehouse fight between Batman and a bunch of goons in Batman vs Superman.

Then there is the music as Junkie XL's score will be used for Snyder's version as the score he help composed with Zimmer in BvS was one of the highlights of the film for me.

 It was confirmed by Snyder that Junkie would use Zimmer's Man of Steel theme for Superman rather than Elfman's butchered cover of Williams' iconic theme.

We'll get to see if Cyborg truly is the "heart" of the movie and maybe give Ray Fisher, the man who played Cyborg, a chance to get his own movie which has been in development hell for years.

Another thing I want to see is Affleck's performance in the Snyder Cut as his ruthless nature that had been established in BvS had completely vanished in "Josstice League".

It would be interesting to see if Batman who vowed not to fail Superman in death at the end of BvS  had found the right balance of ruthlessness and mercy he didn't have in Batman vs Superman as he could be the complete badass we want to see.

Finally, there is the arc of Superman as maybe we will get to see Cavill complete his transformation from an alien who felt lost from his world as he wears a black suit upon his return and become the iconic symbol of hope on his adopted planet when his suit changes back to the traditional blue and red at the end.

Plus, we'll get to see more of Momoa and Gadot who have been fantastic in their roles of Aquaman and Wonder Woman as well as more of Amy Adams' Lois Lane, whose role was cut to basically an extended cameo in Whedon's version and if Snyder goes though with General Swanwick being the Martian Manhunter as Zack had teased though his many posts on Vero for the two plus years since the movie's release.

Will it be good as Avengers:Endgame was? Who's to say, but at least we are finally going to see the true Justice League movie when it comes out next year.

5 Ways The Rise of Skywalker Did Not Retcon The Last Jedi(And 1 Depending on a Certain Point of View)

The ninth and final movie in the Star Wars Skywalker saga, The Rise of Skywalker, divided Star Wars fans just like its predecessor The Last Jedi.

Some of the fans complaints was that it almost completely ignored the events of The Last Jedi or try to retcon some of the decisions director Rian Johnson made in Episode VIII.

In my eyes, I did not see The Rise of Skywalker as a total retcon of The Last Jedi and if you read below, I have five reasons to back up my theory, plus one that is open for debate.

Rey + Kylo Ren's Connection

The main thread of the sequel trilogy was the connection shared by Rey and Kylo Ren.
In TLJ, Rey and Kylo were able to have conversations even though they were in two different places, thanks to the Force.
This connection or "Force Skype" as Star Wars fans have come to call it continue throughout the early parts of TROS until Kylo reveals to Rey that she is the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine and that she and Kylo are a force dyad, which means while they are two separate beings, they are one being and possess the same powers when it comes to the Force, plus sense each other's feelings.
This is re-enforced in the final showdown at Exegol when Rey puts her lightsaber behind her back, only to have it end  up with Kylo even though they are in separate rooms.
Poe's Ascension to Resistance Leader

As he watched Luke sacrifice himself to save the resistance at the end of The Last Jedi, Poe Dameron told his Resistance that they would be "the spark that'll light the fire that'll burn the First Order down".
In Rise of Skywalker, Poe is determined to fulfill on his promise as he has become one of the strongest leaders in the Resistance, eventually becoming general and leading the troops for the final battle at Exegol.
But throughout the film, Poe reiterates his determination to burn the First Order down, as he has a heated argument with Rey early in the film saying she is their best warrior and that she shouldn't be wasting her time Jedi training, then denying his old flame Zorii Bliss's request to leave with her by saying "I can't walk out of this war. Not until it's over".
Then there is the final battle when he tells his fellow troops to pull back as it looks like they are outnumbered, a departure from beginning of The Last Jedi when his reckless abandon got Resistance troops killed, believing the battle is lost until Lando arrives with the rest of the cavalry.
The Resistance is Small

By the end of TLJ, the Resistance had been shrunken to almost a dozen people or just enough to fit on the Millenimum Falcon.
When we first see the Resistance, it is still rather small as it seems they have only a few dozen people ready to fight.
A lot of critics believes this goes against the last shot of TLJ where a boy learning about Luke's sacrifice on Crait would inspire the rest of the galaxy to fight against the First Order.
However when Poe and Zorii are talking on Kijimi, Poe talks about how no one answered the Resistance's distress call at the end of TLJ, with Zorii telling Poe that those are who want to fight the First Order but are maybe too scared.
Maybe it was the death of Leia or Lando's persuasion, but the Resistance was able to overwhelm the First Order and turn the tide for a victory at Exegol.
Luke's Way of Thinking

One of the most memorable moments of TORS is when Rey throws her lightsaber into a fire only to have the force ghost of Luke Skywalker catch and tell Rey "A Jedi's weapon deserves more respect".
Many saw this as a contradiction of Luke's first moment in TLJ when he throws the same lightsaber over his head after it was given to him by Rey.
But I see it as Luke embracing his role as a Jedi master to save Rey from making the same mistake as he did when he went into exile after Ben Solo turned to the dark side.
By the end of TLJ, Luke's faith in the Jedi had been restored and his appearance in TROS proves that as he convinces Rey not to give into the fear like he did and it is not her blood that makes who she is but rather her heart and spirit.
Plus, it was an awesome callback to The Empire Strikes Back when he lifts the X-wing out of the water to give to Rey to pilot to Exegol for her final showdown with Palpatine.
Ben Solo's Redemption

Some fans believed that Kylo Ren, the former Ben Solo, was not redeemable, especially after murdering his father in TFA and becoming supreme leader of the First Order by the end of TLJ.
However, Kylo would turn away from the dark side and return to the light side after he sensed his mother calling out to him just before she died.
While some were disappointed in this turn of events, it was foreshadowed in TLJ during a space battle when Kylo sensed his mother on a Resistance ship, but hesitated to fire on it.
This brief moment showed Kylo still loved his mother, but felt because of what he had done and who he had became, he could not be redeemed.
He even told Rey before their lightsaber duel on the remains of the Death Star that "You can't go back to her now. Just like I can't" when he tried to convince Rey that because she was a Palpatine she would not be to able to resist the power of the dark side.
However, Ben is able to turn back the light following Leia's death and a little help from his dad when he tells his son that even though his mother is dead, Ben could honor her by fighting for what she believed in and helping Rey, which he ultimately does.
Okay, those are five definite ways in which TROS did not retcon TLJ.
But this way is debatable but hear me out.
Rey's Heritage

One of the complaints about TLJ was the revealtion that Rey's parents were just junkers who sold her for drinking money and leaving her on the planet Jakku.
Many fans were hoping it would be revealed that Rey would be Luke's daughter or maybe the granddaughter of Obi-Wan Kenobi only to be disappointed she had no connection to any famous Jedi.
But in TROS, Kylo Ren found that Rey's parents sold her to protect her from her grandfather, Emperor Palpatine of finding her and using her for his evil purposes.
While many can see this is as a retcon, there is a scene in TLJ to suggest that might not be the case.
When Luke is giving his first lesson to Rey, she is able to cause a geyser of water to explode and rocks to break, leading Luke to say "I've seen this raw strength once before, in Ben Solo. It didn't scare me then. It does now".
Even though Luke had cut himself off from the Force, did this scene seem to reveal that were some sort of darkness inside Rey?
Luke tells Rey in TORS that Leia, who had not cut herself from the Force, knew that Rey was a Palpatine but trained her anyway because of Rey's spirit and good heart.
Anyway, it is something to ponder about as this article comes to an end.