How to watch Justice League: The Snyder Cut – epic blockbuster headed to Blu-ray and DVD
The much-discussed Snyder Cut is being made available to own shortly after making its streaming debut.
Zack Snyder's Justice League finally became available via on-demand platforms last month and soon it will be making a splash once more as it gets a flashy release on physical media.
Warner Bros has confirmed that the four-hour epic will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD in May, along with a limited edition steelbook for die-hard fans.
The re-edited superhero blockbuster is the result of a tireless campaign to bring Snyder's untempered vision of the DC Comics pantheon to screens.
While critics were divided on the end result, it proved to be everything that fans had hoped for with many now demanding that Warner Bros "restore the Snyderverse".
Here's everything you need to know about Zack Snyder's Justice League (aka The Snyder Cut), including how you can watch it right now and its release date on DVD and Blu-ray.
When is Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut released?
Zack Snyder's Justice League was released in most countries on Thursday 18th March 2021, arriving on HBO Max in the US and alternative on-demand services in other territories.
How to watch The Snyder Cut of Justice League
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (as opposed to the version reshot and released by Joss Whedon) is an exclusive title for HBO Max, the new streaming service set up by Warner Brothers and HBO that launched in the US last year.
In other words, US fans will need to subscribe to HBO Max to watch the Snyder cut of Justice League, but movie buffs living elsewhere will have more viewing options at their disposal.
In the UK, Zack Snyder's Justice League is currently available to stream via NOW TV's Sky Cinema Pass (charged at £11.99 per month).
Those not subscribed to the service can hold out for the film to be released on other platforms as a digital download on Wednesday 19th April or wait for the DVD, Blu-ray and 4K release on Monday 24th May.
Zack Snyder's Justice League is available to pre-order on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K on Amazon.
Can I watch the Snyder Cut in the UK?
UK fans can watch Zack Snyder's Justice League on Sky Cinema and NOW TV as of Thursday 18th March.
The film will be available on other platforms as a digital download on Wednesday 19th April and released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K from Monday 24th May.
How to watch Zach Snyder's Justice League: Justice is Gray
A black and white version of the Snyder Cut titled Zach Snyder's Justice League: Justice is Gray is now available to stream in the US on HBO Max.
No details have been released on an international release for this black and white cut – RadioTimes.com has reached out to Sky to confirm if this version will be available in the UK.
What is the Snyder Cut of Justice League?
We’ve written about the Snyder Cut before, but essentially the story is this – director Zack Snyder was forced to leave Justice League during filming due to personal tragedy, with Warner Bros. hiring Joss Whedon to finish the film and make significant changes.
Whedon completed the film ahead of its release in November 2017, at which point the finished movie underperformed critically and commercially. Soon, a movement sprang up from fans who wanted to see the ‘real’ Justice League which they believed was ready to go, hidden somewhere in Zack Snyder’s possession.
Read more: What if the real Snyder cut was the friends we made along the way
As time went on, the calls for Warner Bros to #ReleaseTheSnyderCut only grew louder. Fans hired a plane to fly a banner with the hashtag over San Diego Comic-Con, while the film’s cast noted their hopes it could be released as well, tweeting their support for the movement on the two-year anniversary of Justice League’s release.
Snyder had long teased the Snyder Cut on social media and now the reason behind that is clear – for a while, Warner Bros had been planning to make fans’ dreams a reality.
“I can’t really tell you anything aside from the fact that all I know is that HBO Max will be releasing it, I believe, and it’ll be Zack’s final vision for the movie, and I don’t know anything more than that," Cavill said.
“With Justice League when it came, there was a mix of visions and the movie wasn’t well received,” he continued “And then over the subsequent years, there was a big push to see the fabled Snyder Cut. And now that time has come, and I think it’s going to be very enjoyable to watch Zack finally release his version.”
What are the Snyder Cut differences?
"It will be an entirely new thing, and, especially talking to those who have seen the released movie, a new experience apart from that movie," Snyder told the Hollywood Reporter. "You probably saw one-fourth of what I did."
Later, Snyder released an image on social media confirming that fan-favourite villain (and planned Big Bad for the Justice League) Darkseid would appear in his version of the film, suggesting that we could expect some new flashbacks or battles in the finished version.
At the DC FanDome Panel, Zack Snyder teased his cut of the Justice League, telling fans that he was excited to develop Cyborg's character, played by Ray Fisher, more in this version.
"Cyborg is the heart of the movie, Cyborg is the thing that I think in the end holds the team together in a lot of ways, and I'm excited for fans to see just how that is realised on camera," he said.
It will likely be the last DC film Fisher appears in for some time, with the actor having announced that he will not work with DC Entertainment President Walter Hamada again.
Meanwhile, Snyder also said that fans will get to see a bit more of The Flash's emotional arc in his cut and his powers, adding: "You're going to see something of Flash in this film that I don't think you've ever seen before, something that has to do with his abilities which you know he's a quantum character and he interacts with time and space."
In January 2021, images were revealed which teased redesigned looks for Steppenwolf and Darkseid played by Ciaran Hinds and Ray Porter respectively, while later that month Harry Lennix confirmed that he would be playing Martian Manhunter in the film.
Then in February fans were treated to a look at Knightmare Batman, with a still that came from 2020 reshoots, while later social media was abuzz with a first-look image of Jared Leto's cameo as the joker in the film.
Also in February, Snyder revealed what he had hoped to eventually achieve with his DC films, telling Vanity Fair, "I’d always wanted to explore the death of Robin. And if there ever was going to be a next movie, which, of course, there probably won’t be, I wanted to do a thing wherein flashbacks we learn how Robin died, how Joker killed him and burned down Wayne Manor, and that whole thing that happened between he and Bruce.”
Although, according to producer Deborah Snyder, the recut version of Justice League consists largely of what was already shot prior to Zack's departure from the original film, telling LightCast Podcast that they "literally shot one [new] scene".
Read our guide to all the Justice League changes made by the Snyder Cut.
Zack Snyder's Justice League reviews
Many of us had been waiting for the Snyder Cut reviews with a mixture of curiosity and dread, with the early consensus proving to be predictably polarised.
Robbie Collin gave the film a glowing five-star review for The Telegraph, hailing its improvements on the theatrical cut and describing its action sequences as "thunderously spectacular".
On the other hand, The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore offered a rather scathing verdict, condemning Zack Snyder's Justice League as an "unimproved" version of the film and "nearly unendurable" to watch in a single sitting.
In RadioTimes.com's own Justice League: The Snyder Cut review, we gave the film two stars, noting that while an improvement on the Whedon version, it was still overlong, overstuffed and ultimately "a chaotic experience".
Review aggregate site Metacritic currently states that the film has "mixed" reviews, but notably its overall score has hovered roughly 10 points higher than that of Joss Whedon's theatrical cut.
The prognosis is better on Rotten Tomatoes, which argues that around three-quarters of the reviews for Zack Snyder's Justice League have been positive thus far, but this figure is subject to change once all critics get their hands on it later this week.
- For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.
Is there a trailer for The Snyder Cut?
Yes, there have been a few Snyder Cut trailers, with the latest arriving on 14th March 2021 – and it's fair to say that it isn't holding back on the indulgence. Check it out below:
Warner Bros unveiled another trailer in February, appropriately uploaded on Valentine's Day as many fans certainly loved it, which showed a return to the moody tone of Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Previously, HBO Max released this (very) brief sneak peek at the new movie in June 2020, which gives a taste of what the tone will be and how the project picks up where Batman v Superman left off.
The teaser begins with the voice of Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor as he maniacally claims that "the bell's already been rung," referring to how Superman's death has left Earth vulnerable to extraterrestrial threats.
We see some new footage of Gal Gadot's Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman), examining an ancient tomb that has an inscription which seems to foretell the coming of Darkseid.
Then, we get a short glimpse at the big bad himself, surrounded by spaceships and fire, but its unclear whether this is his home planet Apokolips (yes, that is how it's spelt) or an attack somewhere on Earth (some have speculated the Amazonian territory of Themyscira).
Zack Snyder’s Justice League cut is out now Sky Cinema and NOW TV. Read our guide to a possible Justice League sequel, or check out our Sci-Fi hub for all the latest news.
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Authors
Huw Fullerton is a Commissioning Editor for Radio Times magazine, covering Entertainment, Comedy and Specialist Drama.