Kob

Okay, so Snyder has had a hard time of it recently. His films have flopped ever since Watchmen with his most recent film, Sucker Punch, being critically mauled. Snyder is simply a visual impresario (don’t laugh) able to conjure up striking images that most directors today are unable to do. Granted 300 isn’t the best film when it comes to substance but it doesn’t matter when the visuals are the meat (for a lack of a better word) of the film. You can’t dispute that his action scenes are coherent and superbly staged though.

Richard

His films look awful purdy, for sure. But that is NOT ENOUGH. Every time I watch a Zach Snyder trailer I nearly weep with joy. But that’s the problem; his films only make good trailers. Two minutes of glorious action is all you need. As soon as you embark on the full length exercise in slow-motion that is a Zach Snyder film you’ll be exhausted and bored within minutes. The prologue to Watchmen: great; the rest of the film: atrocious. I’d love to know how long Watchmen would have been if everything happened at normal speed. It probably would have qualified as a short. And don’t get me started on 300. Every shot in that film is Zach Snyder slowly tossing himself off. There needs to be more substance. Just a bit more. It’s ok to say action films should be action films but if it isn’t backed up my some story and something to get emotionally invested in you WILL get uninterested.

Kob

NEEDS more substance? Maybe his films don’t fit the requirements of your movie-watching habits? For many others Snyder’s lack of substance is a draw, it’s unadulterated and uncomplicated movie watching. He showed he can do substance with Watchmen, one of the most complex and ambitious comic books ever written. With slow-motion, this has been used as a stick to beat Snyder with for a long time. Yeah, his use of “ramping” can get a bit old but come on, over-exaggerate much? Here’s another reason why he’s good, look at how diverse his films are. He hasn’t stayed in one genre, Dawn of the Dead is a horror, 300 a war film, Guardians is animated. He’s ambitious and takes a risk, that’s something to be commended.

Richard

Yeah the action is great, of course it is. But my point is that you need something else. Seeing a beautifully crafted action sequence is great the first time round but if there isn’t something to hook you in and make sure the next one will have you saying “shit! Don’t do that!” or “crikey, he deserves a lovely slow-motion punch” then what’s the point? As far as doing different genres goes… what?! The differences in those films are really subtle when you really think about it. They are all basically animated, they include so much CGI (forgetting Dawn of The Dead). 300 and Legends of the Guardian are both basically war movies, and all of them are violent, fighty action flicks with some as of fantasy! Comparing them all by genre is like comparing different coloured peppers. He’s no Stanley Kubrick, now he swapped genres.

Kob

Alright you won’t give him that but what about this? He has a unique stamp on his films. I’m not going to call him an auteur but you know a Zack Snyder film when you see it and that’s a hard trait to develop. He’s fought to keep his directorial imprint on his films and you only have to have a brief look at the studio system to see how many directors have fallen by the wayside or developed bland directorial styles. He’s inventive, he’s exciting and that makes him an interesting director in this bland film landscape.

Richard

Believe me when I say I completely agree with you. You can DEFINITELY spot a Snyder film when you see one, oh boy. But don’t confuse this with uniqueness. Nearly all of his films have been unoriginal and developed from something else. Dawn of the Dead was a pure remake of George A. Romero’s classic. 300 and Watchmen were adapted from comics and even Guardians was adapted from a popular children’s book. Ok, so Sucker Punch is adapted from anything but it’s just a big mixing bowl of any kind of action, fantasy, prison, mental-ward or war film. Ooh but it’s with girls! Big Deal.

Kob

He services the audience by making entertaining films, that’s all he really needs to do. He knows his limitations and works within them. Sure it doesn’t always work but not all Spielberg films are perfect either. Let’s stop ragging on Snyder and just accept him for what he is. If you want some thought provoking nonsense check out Ken Loach or Lars von Trier, if you want style check out Snyder.

Richard

That’s great. Obviously there needs to be some people out there that do those kinds of films. But he has the potential to be AMAZING. If he was just a guy who made kids films, or wasn’t someone who showed the potential for greatness we wouldn’t be having this debate. As it stands I am succeeding that he is a talented guy. If he tried to stretch his limitations just a bit he could do something really good I’m sure. And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like him. With Superman: Man of Steel he has a film which is in dire need of a good, new story line and plenty of room for emotional scope. All I’m saying is don’t let me down Zack, like you have done so many times before, pull your finger out and try and make a great film. If he doesn’t this time round I completely give up.

By Kob Monney and Richard Parkin