Zack Snyder is almost certainly an auteur: he works within the studio system, consistently adding his own visual and thematic flourishes to his films. Where, exactly, he would fall in Sarris’ hierarchy, I couldn’t say. But I do think he deserves more respect than he tends to get. As such, allow me to do the impossible and rank Zack Snyder’s body of work.
I know! I know. It’s like choosing which child you love the most. The bottom two aside, these are all stone-cold four star classics. But bear with me. We will get through this together.
7. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole
You probably haven’t seen this animated feature about martial owls defending themselves from, um, other owls. It’s an odd film, and kind of forgotten. But this is the greatest thing I’ve ever read:
AVC: You actually choreographed the fights with actors wearing owl suits, fighting each other. How’d that work?
ZS: Yeah. When we got to the fight scenes, one of the things was like—these owls are supposedly an ancient culture, and they have a martial tradition that we can’t just make up. It’s gonna look goofy if they’re just clawing at each other. So I got with my stunt choreographer and fight coordinator, Damon Caro, who’s done all my movies. We got my all stunt team from 300 and made them put these cardboard wings on and basically fight each other.
Emphasis mine in the response, because you have to admire that kind of commitment!
6. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice
I have extensive thoughts on what went wrong with this film—and how DC could have credibly built a cinematic universe—that I hope to share next week after folks have seen the film. Until then, you’ll have to make do with my review and this piece on the failure of Lex Luthor, as a character, that I wrote for the Washington Post.
5. Sucker Punch
I know, I know: so low? As I’ve written elsewhere, Sucker Punch is a fascinating, yet flawed, film. A lot of people were desperate to dismiss it as sexist fanboy fluff, yet there’s something interesting going on here. Snyder plays with expectations and point of view in a way that’s almost … literary, to be honest. This is to say nothing of the action choreography, which is top notch, and a soundtrack that is pretty great too.
Still. I understand why some are hesitant to embrace its charms. Its intellectual ambition exceeds its reach. And it sometimes feels like a video game to you respectable sorts. That being said, I can’t help but feel as though this one will be rediscovered by the French in 15 years, at which point you’ll all have to acknowledge that I was right all along.
Just laying down a marker, folks. Just laying down a marker.
4. Watchmen
Alan Moore’s Watchmen is about a gang of sociopaths who think that they’re making the world a better place. Zack Snyder’s Watchmen is about a gang of sociopaths who ARE making the world a better place. I’m not sure Snyder quite groks the difference—or, for that matter, that there is much of one. Either way, #TeamRorschach.
Indeed we are. Indeed we are.
3. Man of Steel
A lot of people don’t like this movie because it’s not "happy" or "lighthearted."
Relatedly, a lot of people are boring garbage with terrible opinions on film who think Christopher Reeve was a good Superman.
2. 300
A comic book film that comes closest to aping the actual style of a comic book, 300 makes the best use of Snyder’s patented slo-mo shots to create a sort of comic-book-frame effect. 300 tells a simple and timeless story, brilliantly and without irony. For this, it was hated by critics, as the great Neal Stephenson noted. Heroism and sacrifice without a wink and a sneer? What is this, the 1980s?
1. Dawn of the Dead
Better than the original, tbqh. Slow zombies are lame and not frightening. Fast zombies and baby zombies are way more terrifying. "Oh, but the original had so much social commentary!" Wow, malls and commercialism are soul-crushing, real deep broseph. Let me know how that Master's turns out. Also: creepy zombie Phil Dunphy! Sorry, your argument is invalid.