Per Matt
Tweaking comics canon for the big screen can be a tricky business. Whenever filmmakers alter beloved storylines by many, the fanboys and fangirls who grew up with those characters will generally speak out, while holding nothing back. They feel involved in the process, but voicing complaints louder and more often than the general public doesn’t mean you’re always right. It generally means you’re the most annoying.
I’m not saying Zack Snyder’s DCEU movies didn’t deserve constructive criticism — because they did — but with some recent developments, it seems like Snyder, who was completely vilified in the press for his underperforming films, may not have been the problem, after all.
So, does Zack Snyder actually need a career reboot? Or does he simply need to stay out of the Warner Bros. wheelhouse?
I’m not gonna lie: Man of Steel wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t super, either. Batman v. Superman was a mess, along with Justice League. But I really enjoyed Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Growing up, I loved reading Batman comics and crossover characters were some of my favorites. These movies were released during a time when dark movies were all the rage. Unfortunately, jamming that kind of themed storyline down these characters’ throats didn’t really amount to much at the box office. And then a personal tragedy was all it took to jettison the head creative guy.
The box office didn’t really respond to Justice League and months later, the film’s stars would complain about Director Joss Whedon’s behavior, who was brought in to touch-up the script and bring some levity. It really seems that Warner Bros. was heavy handed in regards to Zack’s filmmaking freedom. So, when the four-hour Snyder cut was released, fans’ opinions of the filmmaker immediately changed. #RestoreTheSnyderVerse may have been too little, too late.
Much like the redemption of Rian Johnson to Star Wars fans began with Knives Out, will Zack Snyder’s career also receive a rebirth after Army of the Dead gets released? Moving from Geek Culture back to horror culture could prove successful. Will Army remind fans of his successful Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Watchmen releases? Or will it harken back to the misfires of Sucker Punch and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole?
It seems like his films are toss-ups, whether they’re based on original stories or they’re adaptations…
“There are no handcuffs on me at all with this one,” Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought this was a good palate cleanser to really dig in with both hands and make something fun and epic and crazy and bonkers in the best possible way.”
Within a 32-hour window, a team has been tasked to enter the quarantined zone, rob a Vegas casino’s underground vault of $200 million and get out before the Zombies get them. But the best-laid plans are never that easy. This one involves smarter, faster and organized hordes of the undead. A couple of R-rated adventures like this could be just what the box office ordered for Zack Snyder.
Maybe he doesn’t really a total career makeover. Maybe he just needed to add a little nightmare fuel to his repertoire. I’m looking forward to watching Army of the Dead and I really can’t wait to cheer on the future successes of the filmmaker.
Maybe he should stay away from superheroes, for the foreseeable future.