There is at least one thing about the "Justice League" Snyder Cut that we're pretty sure will be a big improvement: it should have Superman's real mouth, and not the CGI monstrosity that plagued the theatrical cut. During Joss Whedon's reshoots, Henry Cavill was sporting his "Mission: Impossible" mustache and they had to CGI over it. And it was very disturbing! So lets reflect on that horror while we patiently wait for the Snyder Cut to hit HBO Max next year.
One of the most troubling scenes is actually the very first of the movie: an old cell phone video taken by some kids before Superman died in "Batman V Superman." This is the first full shot of his face, which immediately sets off all sorts of red flags. What an incredible choice of first impressions by Joss Whedon and Warner Bros.
For the record, I don't blame the CGI folks for this. I think mankind was simply not meant to digitally remove mustaches from a movie character's face.
The CGI lip obviously was a hot topic of conversation when "Justice League" was released in theaters, folks pulled this shot (taken just after he was resurrected) from a pirated copy of the movie to make jokes about it. We are proud to present a high quality version of that image for you here.
It's a wonder that Lois still loved him after he smiled at her like this.
Maybe the most overall disconcerting bit is when Superman uses his ice breath to freeze Steppenwolf's axe. He's not even recognizable as Henry Cavill there.
What a gift, forcing us to look at this horrific thing from another, more grotesque angle.
The mid-credits scene, where Superman and the Flash decide to race to see who's faster, might have been cute were it not for, well, you know know what the issue is by now. Below are three other shots from that scene -- truly it is a wealth of horrors, including this part where I don't even know how to describe what his mouth is doing.
If you really want the full CGI lip experience you should watch "Justice League" in 4K and Dolby Vision, as I did earlier this week. It's so much worse!
In this part he kind of looks like Michael Shannon, who played General Zod in "Man of Steel."
AGH! They actually ended the movie with this almost-freeze frame. Good lord.
