the jerry cut

Are You Watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League or Tom & Jerry?

Tom (left), Jerry (right). Photo-Illustration: by Vulture; Photos by HBO Max and Warner Bros.

On Monday, after years of fans begging Warner Bros. to release Zack Snyder’s fabled cut of Justice League, the studio dropped it like a big cartoon anvil on a few people accidentally. Some subscribers to HBO Max who were looking to enjoy the Chloë Grace Moretz vehicle Tom & Jerry found themselves suddenly watching the Snyder cut itself, which isn’t supposed to come out until March 18. HBO Max quickly fixed the issue, but lest the glitch in the streaming-service matrix pops up again, we’re here to provide a public service for anyone who happens to click play on Tom & Jerry and isn’t quite sure what movie they are watching. If you need help, we, like Tom working for hire in a fancy New York hotel, are here to provide.

It’s a grand battle between the forces of order and justice against chaos and evil.
That’s Tom & Jerry. Have you heard of symbolism?

There’s a good amount of live-action footage, but it’s mostly animated.
Justice League! Those blockbusters are pretty much all doctored at this point.

There is a lot of extreme violence that should probably be killing the main characters and yet somehow they survive.
No way to tell.

Jared Leto is there talking about how we live in a society.
That’s Justice League, and it’s twisted.

Colin Jost is there and it’s kinda grating, but sure, whatever.
Oh, you probably made a mistake and put on SNL. Or wait, Coming 2 America. But yes, he’s also in Tom & Jerry.

Everyone is getting ready for the wedding of the century.
Tom & Jerry is about Colin Jost marrying Pallavi Sharda, and the wedding is indeed described that way. Does that make it anti-royalist, actually? Suck it, Will and Kate and Harry and Meghan, you just can’t compete with this!

Everyone is worried about what Steppenwolf might do.
You’re a Chicago theater producer trying to map out your next season and you really don’t want to be overshadowed.

It was once number one at the box office.
I have no idea how you got that information from watching that movie, but that’s Tom & Jerry, somehow! Justice League was number one when it came out in 2017, but that was the other, Joss Whedon–finished version of the movie of which we do not speak.

It employed the talents of one James Cross.
Sorry, but that doesn’t narrow it down for you. Cross is credited as a “crowd runner: dailies” on Tom & Jerry and as “set production assistant: dailies” on Zack Snyder’s Justice League. He’s the only person credited on both movies! How did you pull out that specific name? I mean, I know it, because I used IMDb’s common-crew search, but you’re supposed to be sitting there watching HBO Max without a clue in the world. Stop violating the rules of this exercise!

Kaley Cuoco has woken up in a Bangkok hotel room next to a dead body and she doesn’t know what to do.
Oh, you hit the wrong HBO Max button and started The Flight Attendant. Keep watching, though, it’s a good time.

It begins with an animated pigeon rapping A Tribe Called Quest’s “Can I Kick It?” over shots of New York City
I mean, I haven’t actually seen Zack Snyder’s Justice League, so you never know.

Are You Watching the Snyder Cut or Tom & Jerry?