Zack Snyder's Justice League Part 3: Beloved Mother, Beloved Son - My Favorite Shots + Breakdown

 What's good Y'all. 

Long time no post about ZSJL right? Yeah I know, but I love this film and could not ignore finishing the posts about the cinematography. Not only is it my favorite Comic Book Movie of all time, but I think it's an insanely beautiful film. With that being said, Lets get it started!

One thing I love about Zack is he doesn't waste a single moment in his photography. This doesn't seem like much but not only do I like how the shot is framed, it's the first domino block being tipped over to get the story started. 

Gotta love the Central City sign! Nothing too special in regards to technique but again; The domino blocks continue to drop without a word being said. If you're a DC fan, you know what territory we're going into. Also, I feel like that population number is a reference to a Flash comic but I can't remember what it is exactly. Let me know in the comments if you are aware!

Subtle humor that's a parallel to the "THIS JOB HAS WORKED 106 DAYS WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT," sign in Man of Steel. Not to mention it's foreshadowing of what's to come. 

I love how you can see Iris' reflection in the window as Barry stares. Again, it mirrors that sequence in Batman v Superman, when Bruce and Diana formally meet and speak in the museum .

I really love the composition of each shot. They look like pictures pulled straight from a story book, especially the stoplight. The yellow and red really pop amongst the neutral backdrop of this setting. Wait... Yellow and Red... Aren't those the Flash's colo - - I'm reaching, or am I?

It doesn't get more graphic novel panel than this. Such a small but dope choice to make Barry use his finger to break through the glass, showcasing how much power he has, with his increase in speed. The shards spread while the blue lightening emerges making for a perfect introduction to the Speed force.

 

More Comic book panels brought to the screen in each of these next 3 shots. Each frame looks magnificent because of the 4:3 aspect ratio allowing you to see so much detail. The blue lightening in this 1st shot moves your eyes in the direction of motion.

 The depth of field through the shattered glass in this 2nd shot gives you a full look at what's happening by capturing the entire street at a glance. 

 The 3rd shot displays the lens flare placing a slight kiss of light on Iris' cheek to accentuate Barry's gentle touch.  I love these small attributes of each shot. 

This is Barry's first hero moment, and the camera is held just long enough for you to feel the impact of it. That's the whole point of slow motion that some tend to overlook.

This frame works much better in motion but I just love how her reaction goes from, "wtf just happened," to, "Wow, this dude saved me..  and he's kinda hot," without a word being spoken. You're only able to pick up on this because the camera is held for the right amount of time to capture her performance. 

The photo realism of the vfx on these parademons is nothing short of insane. This is the vfx team flexing their muscles by having the effects react with the water. I love the blocking here too, as the pull the useless Atlantean soldiers out of the sea.

Steppy looks amazing. Framing him in a way, lets the vfx shine with nothing but his visual presence to fill the shot. A subtle but great choice here. 

Look how real this fool looks. It's truly a spectacle that they vfx crew pulled this off in such a short amount of time. I also love the play on colors here to help differentiate what side each character is on. The warm gold of the Atlantean has a royal heroic factor. While Steppenwolf has the cold grey metal armor that speaks to his harsh villainous persona.

God I love these shot. That open sky feels like a blank canvas to show off the blocking and vfx. It's also a great way to let the audience see the actual size of Steppenwolf, in comparison to normal sized beings.

So much is said in a single frame. It feels like when the widow of a soldier is looking at a rectangular folded flag, remembering who they are not only them, but also the world.

Film class 101, on depth of field and how to use it. As well as manipulating the light to streamline the focus through shadows. Diana watched this by herself the first time, and now she has a chance to discuss it with someone else.

Zack's color grading choice makes every frame look luxurious. I guarantee this same footage, would not look anywhere as good with that color grade.

Great way to show how isolated from the world Victor is from just these 2 shots. You don't even need to know the context of why. The first shot shows him in a dark place. The 2nd shot shows a reflection of the outside world, which is a visual storytelling queue that a flashback is next. 

Zack should make a football film. Never seen a sports sequence crafted in such an epic way.

I loved these shots of the stones. Off the rip, you can tell Mrs. Stone is all business, while Victor has a smart ass smirk on his face. It exudes confidence and control, and I love it. Like Diddy said, Black excellence is present. 

It's honestly incredible how Zack is able to sculpt such gorgeous shots every second of this film. I don't know what anyone else would say is the cause of this but for me, the color grading ( I sound like a broke record I know) creates an extremely dramatic mood, that applies the need to focus. Also, did you spot that "WAYNE ENTERPRISES" on the scoreboard?

Two powerful images that say so much, without a single word of dialogue. The 1st shot, a proud mother while The 2nd shot reminds me of a line in Spiderman 2. Mary Jane tells Peter, "After all these years, you're nothing but an empty seat." A sentiment that can be felt in the next frame. Visual storytelling at its best. 

Outside of Victors disappointed gaze, this shot doesn't look like much. However, there's this on going theme throughout this trilogy of movies that I haven't been able to connect the dots with. It seems like when a character is in deep thought, the shot is framed with that character surrounded by other heads. Superman being pulled into a ground of skulls, Superman rescuing the girl in Mexico, Steppenwolf going after the motherboxes on Thymescria. Y'all got any theories?

So much pain in these 3 shots. I love how the duality switches from son crying over his father missing his life, to father crying over his son missing from his life. Man, that is poetic and heartbreaking. 

I LOVE the blocking here. Squares within squares, directing your eye on what to look at. Another comic book panel brought to life. 

Victor returns the favor of what he felt from his dad, before he "died".

Victor is still in that dark place but at the end of the film, he restores the tape player and there's an identical shot of this with the bright sun lighting the room. He's accepted who he is, and made his way into the light. 

A mirrored sequence of the first flight in Man of Steel. The son of a scientist, being coached by his father about how limitless his power is. It's done in such a subtle way, you'd probably miss it unless you watched the 3 films back to back. 

He's only willing to listen to his Dad as a scientist, the one thing he can't deny that he is great at. I also like the visual queue of seeing the tape player and Victor as one. That alone could be taken many ways.

BEAUTIFUL shot. I love that the setting of victors mind & what he can access appears to be infinite. Also, yet another Spiderman 2 reference comes to mind.  "The power of the sun, in the palm of my h--" you get it. 

Such a smart visual storytelling beat to display what kind of power is really in his hands. He has the power to wipe out the entire human race, and wait... Doesn't that sound familiar? Bruce's past ignorance is full circle. 

Ah God I love these images. Limitless access to any and everything possible. Victor is a literal God on earth because of how much we've ingrained technology into our everyday lives. 

First flight 2.0. I've never seen cyborg with the full mask like this and I think it's pretty damn cool. Every other human has a mask for protection, why not him? 

I dig how much this looks like a painting as well. The way the clouds move as he rips through the sky is a nice detail too. The image feels really mythic and fantasy inspired. 

Such a heroic but small gesture to help someone in need. Great use of blocking to lead your eye to the reveal of this moment.

What do you think causes frightened look on that couples face as they walk by Victor? 

"Now I'm speaking to you as your father." Honestly nothing too crazy about this frame but I really love Cyborg's design. Like Stepponwolf, when he's on screen, the shot looks beautiful. 

I got crazy looks for this take but I believe this shot was definitely framed to mirror Malcom X waiting by the window with his rifle. The hoodie is already a tribute to Trayvon Martin (Rest in Power King) but knowing what Ray Fisher stands for and the freedom he was allowed; I think it's plausible. 

I love the design of Barry's lair. With the ability to tap into the speed force, I assume all of his senses are hyper elevated. Explaining the need for multiple televisions that are spread across the room. You can get a sense of the characters personality from seeing all these screens alone. 

It's honestly so cool to see such iconic characters interacting. In this one shot, there's enough to give you an idea of what's happening. The lightening is a dead give away that the dude catching the batarang is the flash. Only Batman has uses batarangs, so where **Sees blurred person in the background** Oh there's Bruce.

These vfx are gorgeous. The light composition is captured perfectly in such a realistic way, it looks like it's real suit enhanced by CGI.

FANTASTIC shots. Talk about crafting a mood, jeez. The moonlight slightly breaking through the darkness to create endless silhouettes from both victor and the tombstones. It looks like a modern day painting.  

Something straight out of a horror movie. I'm a sucker for playing with shallow depths of field. It ramps the intensity up to insane levels when the control is perfect,

Another Justice league panel brought to life. It's a  childhood dream come true to see these 3 iconic characters staring up at a bat signal. I really love how hazy the lights look,  clearly indicating rainfall is near. 

I love what James Wan did with Aquaman, so don't take this as a jab but I can't lie; I love this take on the Atlanteans a little bit more. I think the armor and dialect have an old world royal quality that makes it feel a lot more mythic. Even the color pallet being a bit toned down changes the mood of the visual. 

Steppenwolf looks f***ing INCREDIBLE man. I love, love, LOVE this design and I honestly didn't think I would at first. His physicality with the new design is felt immensely by taking up most of the frame.  

Great looking VFX and the quality is increased by having them react with the real world. Did I mention how much I love this aspect ratio? I know, I did but I wanted to reiterate it because it totally transforms the movie. 

There's something about this shot that I love. Spit balling my thoughts here but it could be the determination in Arthur's face. That confidence to the unknown says a lot about his character.

Such a mythic image. I love the inclusion of the stained glass shining between the both of them, highlighting the power struggle. 

The vfx and how the lighting realistically reacts here is what steals the show for me. So much detail from how the light is distributed on Mera's face, to the bubbles created from Steppy's Axe.

Another epic frame that looks like something from a fantasy epic, that you wouldn't think was adapted from a comic book. Steppenwolf's design looks like he would be a creature of the water here. Again, the destatured blue of the water really does this sequence more justice of fulfilling the mood and how dyer the situation really is.

Framed like a panel from a comic book. It's excellent. What does this shot say to you? For me, the emphasis is put heavily on the glasses. Knowing what's next, maybe it's visual queue for victor to look through the broken glass for an explanation. 

I've loved this shot since the first time I saw it in the teaser. Again, another stunning shot that looks like it's ripped from a page.

And of course, the reverse coverage is dope! Seeing that light hit the sky from cyborg's perspective says so much about this world. What other heroes or metahumans are nearby? Can they see it & what's their reaction to it?

Steppenwolf is ART. Nuff said.

Alright folks, these are my favorite shots from ZSJL Part 3. I promise to finish the rest of the film and I won't take this long next time. What are your favorite shots? Are there any shots that you received a different message from? 

Leave a comment to let me know and thanks for reading! 

Peace ✌🏾