This is a comparison movie review of the theatrical release of Justice League in 2017 and The Snyder Cut in 2021.
Yays:
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is basically an extended version of the movie of the same title in 2017. There are added scenes, deleted scenes and there are also re-shoots.
Aesthetic-wise, the Snyder Cut is a massive improvement. The graphics and the choice of colors are sharper and a bit darker.
Story-wise, it is the same. Go for the 2017 if you want to be entertained for two hours. It is good to mediocre but the edit is fast. It fails to capture the look and feel I expected for a team of iconic superheroes.
After seeing this inside the cinema, I said to myself: seriously, is that it? I’m willing to sit here for more hours.
My inner prayer is answered. The Snyder Cut cures me.
This is a diverse team of superheroes, as headed by Batman and Wonder Woman. These two hired Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman to resurrect Superman. I am not the biggest fan of these icons, even if I regularly watched the animated series when I was a kid.
I am more of a X-Men fan. Objectively though, The Snyder Cut is exclusively made for serious movie fans who seek for 4-hours of visual story-telling that integrates the elements of low fantasy, mythology, science fiction, suspense and action.
It gives a big moment in each character I can never forget. It elevates the character development, especially for Cyborg and Flash.
Even the villains are fleshed out too.
The 2017 Superman scene where he said “I’m also a big fan of justice” is deleted but there are a couple of new scenes that made a permanent mark on me. One is the photo posted above. The other one is the battle moment when Cyborg calls him for help managing the Mother Box.
Nays:
There are two things:
Both versions are filled with slow motion scenes. They say this technique is excessively used in The Snyder Cut. I observe this too. Yet, these slow motions, of The Flash in particular, are my favorite.
The Snyder Cut is not perfect. For sure, professional critics can pinpoint its technical flaws. There are more flaws to expect when when there is a Part 2 and Part 3.
ONE: PBB Connect is the ninth season of Pinoy Big Brother and is the ever-first season aired during a pandemic. A history made when aspirants just submitted their video applications via KUMU – a local streaming video-sharing mobile app.
Upon final selection, accepted housemates took the risk, followed the meticulous health protocols and flew via plane to enter the most famous colorful house here in the country, Bahay Ni Kuya.
TWO: It was my first time to see BNK without a full renovation. During the few days in December 2020, it felt like these new housemates were only the sixth batch of PBB Otso.
I get used to it though. The look and feel of the house was completely forgotten as the characters start to develop to stir the plot.
THREE: There is no stopping for ABS-CBN. The media giant stays resilient even with a franchise denial and a worldwide crisis. PBB Connect was given a green light. It officially became the first season streamed via Kapamilya Online Live on YouTube.
This new set-up is advantageous. It is easier for me to watch the Primetime Show after a busy day at work.
FOUR: Hosting was done remotely. Amazingly, three of the main hosts namely Toni Gonzaga, Bianca Gonzales and Robi Domingo found a proactive way to continue hosting even with the strict rules of the New Normal.
Toni hosted mostly in her house. While Robi and Bianca conducted a mini-talk show during the break. These two discussed their insights about the episode.
Robi and Bianca were amazing together. They did not sound safe and expected. Robi seemed analytical with his reasoning, fairly the same as mine, while Bianca could balance what Robi says.
FIVE: This was my first time watching a group of Millennial and Gen-Z housemates. Not even one was born in early or late 80’s. Regardless, it was still a diverse cast considering they came from various lifestyles all over the world.
Below were the Original 12 who entered BNK in Day 1. Crismar, Mika and Justin were the early evictees who I wished have stayed longer to elevate the drama.
Just like me, Mika took up psychology. I expected more of her, unluckily; her edits came short. Her most unforgettable moment was when she said Pabalang to Ella during her confrontation with Aizyl.
It surprised me that I could not understand what it meant. I thought I was a Pilipino since birth but it took me more than 30 years to hear a Filipino word like it. It made me laugh at myself while watching this episode. Then, I started googling.
Ralph left his mom and brother in Paris just to join the show; that’s why, he entered the house late. Alyssa quit her job in Australia. Gail traveled from New York but required to recover from COVID-19, before she could finally join the other housemates.
Special mention to the one who is neither a housemate nor a host but he gets my immediate attention every time he appears in an episode.
It was one of the highlights of this season when Dr. Randy Dellossa explained Aizyl’s misinterpreted habit of always borrowing things.
SIX: There were less airtimes for love teams. Thank you, TV Editors! You are all the best! Keep improving!
Way back in Otso, it felt infertile to watch the love teams in every batch. Love teams were fun to watch, but when it’s done excessively, the season became unnaturally unrealistic.
In this season, the overall storyboard gave more value to personal character development – roughly 55% on who they were before they joined the show and 45% on who they were during their stay inside the house.
Various coined love teams were circulated around social media. The KODREA was a talk of the town but this hype began to sink since Kobie’s revelation that he was seeing a special someone before PBB.
Andrea and Kobie made The Final Big 4 but I saw a pair who were just friends. What I saw was an Andrea who proved to herself that she could trust herself more, in an aim to defend her spot against a challenger who’s her good friend.
I saw a Kobie who stayed focused and competitive to ace the Big Challenge just like the moment he won the Game of Hearts.
Supposed to be, this is the Big Brother as the show. It needs to focus on a group of strangers inside a house – learning to manage a new lifestyle with others while playing and winning the challenges for their immunity and weekly food budget, respectively.
Romance and love teams belong in the other shows such as The Bachelor or The Bachelorette.
Just that, there were times a certain housemate was given too much airtime. This housemate was either dragged along into the story or this housemate was mentioned a lot during confessionals.
Before her eviction, Ella was heavily edited as the Public Enemy No. 1 since her group won the Jump Rope Task in Week 4. Ella was a ‘surprise’ challenge-threat too.
For this, the housemates nominated her for eviction five consecutive times, but she received the highest percentage of votes from fans to stay.
There’s no forever. Amanda’s overwhelming support dethroned Ella on Day 85.
Chico was a camera favorite. His edit gave him the label as an experienced athlete of the house. For this, I was rooting for him to win.
Athletes are inspiring. I love their proactive mindsets whatever sports they play. In Otso, I rooted for Gino for being a tennis player. However, it looked like 80% of his edit was about his romance with Kiara until his eviction.
Chico might appear as the triple-threat but he showed a number of qualities an authentic man needs to have.
Chico stayed humble when it mattered too. He admitted that his apology was never enough when he confronted Alyssa for his demeaning words he said behind her back.
There are times saying sorry means nothing, especially when the situation is traumatic. The best forgiveness is to forgive yourself and the act of forgiving others is another thing. It is either up to you how and when to do the latter or never do it at all.
All my respect for Alyssa. No matter how emotional and expressive she was, she made a choice to forgive Chico and both moved on. This was Good TV.
Lastly, Chico proved to himself that others mattered more than himself. During the second challenge for the Big 4, he gave Jie-Ann the early advantage. Not seeing her as a threat, Jie-Ann won the first part of the challenge effortlessly.
SEVEN: Challenges were better. My most favorite was the Football Weekly Task led by Chico and Kobie. This type of task was a first in history!
Second on my list was the Boss Weekly Task.
Quincy and Gail were the two female KUMU-favorite housemates who entered the house late but their leadership and eloquence immediately outshone others. These two women could express their thoughts and feelings with drive and confidence.
Yet, a business is a game. It is about the numbers at the end of the day. In terms of sales, Quicy won this task by a landslide.
As for the ‘LigTask‘ challenge, the second Game of Hearts ranked first in my list. This was purely a strategic game that needed light hands, proper timing and concentration while eyeing a rolling ball on various layers until it bounced inside a basket.
It was surprising Kobie finished this challenge in less than a minute. He played it like he already practiced every moment in his mind. While playing, he found the momentum on the get-go and controlled the rolling ball with finesse. Kudos to you, Kobie Brown!!!
EIGHT: The plot thickens every day, especially that week when there were only nine left but they were heavily punished for committing a combined total of 56 violations. Kuya said this was the first season in history with most number of violations.
Also, it annoyed me to see them crying too much, especially during Eviction Nights. It is understandable and I get the point. Just that I have a competitive paradigm. PBB is a reality-competition show; therefore, it is one less threat every time someone is evicted.
NINE: This was the shortest season in history. Just 99 days with 18 housemates. Yet, it was the most unique. The flow of the story was fast without sacrificing the substance in each housemate.
It was still an imbalance edit due to the limited scope they could show every day but it was way better than the earlier seasons.
Every week offered a certain degree of suspense. Except for the finale week, Mondays’ edit were mostly light and fun. It went heavier on Tuesdays until Saturdays.
Weekly denouement happened on Sundays. This prepared the audience for a new layer of plot and character development the next day.
In the end, Liofer wins the Virtual Big Night that takes place in front of the Bahay Ni Kuya for the first time. He receives a total vote percentage of 20.90%. Massive congratulations!
I AM SURVIVORDEAN 