Just how much power should the fans really be given? It’s already been made kind of obvious that Warner Bros. is willing concede to the fans on the Snyder cut of Justice League, which still feels like a bad idea since to be fair, it’s likely going to bring about a whole new line of criticism that might make what’s already been seen feel mild and kind of silly. But an Ayer cut of a movie that was a dumpster fire on a collision course with much-need obscurity? Yeah, no. Even Zach Lisabeth of Looper appears to think that this is a bad idea, as the scenes that tend to be left on a cutting room floor are usually there for a reason, not just because the editing felt the need to screw the director’s dreams over for no apparent reason. Let’s be realistic, the fans and their opinions are important POST-production, since they’re the ones that will be making or breaking the movie with ticket sales. Now and again people need a serious reminder that while they are paying the money to see the movie, they’re not responsible for how it went, how it was directed, and what was put in the movie. A lot of us have likely been highly disappointed that a director’s take on a certain story wasn’t what we were expecting, especially given that some source material appears to be so horribly butchered at times. But apart from gaining notoriety as a director and fighting for the chance to take on the project themselves, people are usually content to gripe and moan and sign petitions in order to get their way. In other words they’re content to piss and moan like children until someone listens, and obviously Warner Bros. was willing to give in.
The problem with this is that they’ve now put themselves in a very precarious position by allowing the Snyder cut to come forward. If they don’t allow the Ayer cut, which sounds ridiculous really since prolonging the irritating and nonsensical story that was Suicide Squad has to be one of the worst ideas possible, then they’re bound to be accused of a double standard of sorts for allowing one but not the other. But if they do the unthinkable and allow this Ayer cut to come forward and be seen then they’ll have set a precedent that allows the fans to realize that they have more power than they originally believed. See the problem there? The fans are paying the money, that much is true, as we’re the ones that will determine the success of a given movie, but at the same time, handing that kind of authority over to the rabid fan base is kind of like giving your kids the keys to the car. Marshall Honorof of Tom’s Guide has more to say on this matter. Obviously the real-world implications aren’t quite as dire as that but the idea of giving fans the kind of control over the creative process and what needs to be accepted is bound to be a huge detriment to the film industry since getting fans to agree on anything is likely to go awry rather quickly, since fans agreeing on what should and shouldn’t make its way into a movie is bound to end in a humongous argument that will stall any production. I could catch some flak for saying this, but the plug needs to be pulled on the Snyder cut for good just to remind the fans that they don’t have much of a say as to what happens when it comes to what gets the green light and what doesn’t. Suggestions are always to be welcomed of course, and even listened to, but in the end the fans aren’t the ones behind the camera, or in front of it putting in the work, so their say kind of starts and ends when it comes to whether or not they want to watch the end result.
Plus, did we really need to see any more of Jared Leto’s milquetoast Joker? Some people actually liked it, but those are typically the same folks that like Jared Leto to begin with, and could care less who he’s playing. Nathanael Arnold of the Cheatsheet has more to say on this topic. But the gangster Joker was so far out of true with what a lot of people expected of the famed clown prince of crime that he’s easily been relegated to the bottom of many top five or ten lists when it comes to the character. Seriously, animated versions of the Joker have been rated higher than Leto, and rightfully so. Being fair about this, Leto is a good actor and worth quite a bit, but the Joker was not the right role for him, no matter what anyone’s been thinking about this so-called Ayer cut. It’s time for Warner Bros. to put the white flag away and remind people that they’re valued as fans, but their input is only desired insofar as to how the movie works, or doesn’t.
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