BvS The Official Zack Snyder Directs Everything Thread

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

I would love to see the directors of The Lego Movie take on a Flash or Green Lantern movie.

I thought the same thing when I watched the movie.

Flash specifically.

I do hope when they make a Flash movie, that they don't feel the need to 'fit' with the visual style of other movies in the universe (MOS).

 

[DA_Champion]

I just watched Sucker Punch.

It's not nearly as bad as people have made it out to be. I was curious, and a part of me was expecting an experience as awful as Thor 2 or Green Lantern. It's not a great movie, it's mostly boring and I was confused for large swaths of it, but it's miles better than Thor 2 or Green Lantern . I don't know if the movie is a "*********ory fantasy", people jerk off over many different things.

There were recognisable similarities between Sucker Punch and Man of Steel. Sweet Pea stealing some clothes from a clothesline after escaping reminds me of Clark stealing clothes after the oil rig scenes, I think it's a little trick Snyder uses to convey the desperation of characters in certain situations. Also, babydoll first learning how to fly looked a lot like Clark first learning to fly, the effects came off as very similar.

I'm noticing a trend that Zach Snyder doesn't like perfectly happy endings. There is always a tradeoff. Leonidas in 300 dies so that his kingdom can survive, and Babydoll dies (is lobotomised) at the end of Sucker Punch so that her friend can escape, it's the best she can do. Clark saves the Earth in Man of Steel, but he has to lose part of his soul in the process by killing Zod. Snyder doesn't like victory to come for free. I think that might remove some of the rush audience members feel, but I kind of dig it. No free and total victories.

Snyder reflects our own ugly reality back us. In MoS we see how the world responds negatively to Clark in many places, or might, such that Clark has to stay hidden. In Sucker Punch, we see a main character who has nothing going for her but her ability to fantasise about steampunk and dragons ... kind of like us, the audience.

Overall Sucker Punch movie was bad with a few fun moments interspersed here and there. It's not as bad as the hate it got, but it's mediocre at best. It is however beautiful to look at. A real gorgeous film. I like how Snyder handles visuals... and I also now am pretty confident I don't like how he handles sound and music.

5/10.

 

[Lord]

I hated GL, but Sucker Punch being better? lol, What? Or even close to Thor 2? SP was one of the biggest failure in movies i've seen, somebody with a shallow style trying to be deep.

 

[DA_Champion]

I hated GL, but Sucker Punch being better? lol, What? Or even close to Thor 2? SP was one of the biggest failure in movies i've seen, somebody with a shallow style trying to be deep.

I gave it a 5/10, I think it was bad, but I don't think it's as bad as people made it out to be.

It's a lot better than GL, which was ugly and dumb, and Thor 2, which was the most psychologically painful experience I've ever had in a movie theatre. I think I gave those movies 2/10 and 1/10, respectively.

The script was weak, but it's a script that needed a re-write, not a script that needed to be completely replaced. The ideas there, but Snyder failed to converge.

 

[DA_Champion]

Another reading of Sucker Punch, from slash film:
http://www.slashfilm.com/defense-sucker-punch-uncovering-method-zack-snyders-madness/
This person clearly had a deeper understanding of the movie than I did, a lot of good comments too.

Some (limited) praise for the extended edition:
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/17940/is-the-sucker-punch-extended-cut-better
Apparently the studio made Snyder cut 17 minutes in order to have a friendlier rating.

It's a failure of a movie (in my opinion) but an interesting one.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Again.... old Zachary Edward thought he was unleashing his inner Quentin with SUCKER PUNCH... He just didn't know that his inner Tarantino was actually Frank Miller.

 

[DA_Champion]

Again.... old Zachary Edward thought he was unleashing his inner Quentin with SUCKER PUNCH... He just didn't know that his inner Tarantino was actually Frank Miller.

I didn't see much similarity to QT at all. More so to Inception and to Pan's Labyrinth... but that is in structural/narrative terms, not in implementation or thematic terms.

 

[CountOrlok]

I like Sucker Punch.. just an original (with clear influences), bugnuts insane, passion project. Not based on any existing property. A bit like Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands.

A hell of a lot better than the overrated Dawn of the Dead remake.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I didn't see much similarity to QT at all. More so to Inception and to Pan's Labyrinth... but that is in structural/narrative terms, not in implementation or thematic terms.

Really? The abundance of super stylized "homages" to multiple genres? The fanboy fethishized production design and costuming? The way that when even in "the real world sequences" that it still takes place in a cinematic heightened reality universe? The use of 70's and early 80's B-movie and genre mainstay Scott Glenn, whose kind of obviously subbing for an unavailable Carradine?

 

[TheNextNolan22]

I can definitely see Japanese Anime/cinema influences in Sucker Punch and even briefly in MOS.
Man of Steel:

Godzilla: Final Wars:

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

I know people are excited for Fong collaborating with ZED again, but I actually want visual continuity with MOS. I worry that this will end up too much in the visual wheel house of WATCMEN or 300. It was a real surprise and I think to the film's benefit that Snyder toned things down and gave a realistic looking world for the most part.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Just because it's Fong, it doesn't mean it'll look like Watchmen.

MOS didn't look like Amir Mokri's typical work after all.

I'm ultimately fine either way, but I am definitely curious to see what visual direction they take.

 

[Smallville13]

I know people are excited for Fong collaborating with ZED again, but I actually want visual continuity with MOS. I worry that this will end up too much in the visual wheel house of WATCMEN or 300. It was a real surprise and I think to the film's benefit that Snyder toned things down and gave a realistic looking world for the most part.

Agreed. People attack the 'hand-held' style of MOS but I think for half the movie it was beautiful and very fresh for these type of blockbusters so I give Snuder a lot of credit there. The sequence where he's stealing clothes or the Smallville scenes (non-cgi action) it worked incredibly well. When the movie went too CGI though it just didn't really mix with the slick computer graphics.

I really hope we don't get that sterile Watchmen/300 aesthetic for BvS.

 

[Fallen Angel]

Just because it's Fong, it doesn't mean it'll look like Watchmen.

MOS didn't look like Amir Mokri's typical work after all.

I'm ultimately fine either way, but I am definitely curious to see what visual direction they take.

Agreed not expecting it to look totally different from MOS. Of course there will be changes but it will be pretty much the same.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

Just because it's Fong, it doesn't mean it'll look like Watchmen.

MOS didn't look like Amir Mokri's typical work after all.

I'm ultimately fine either way, but I am definitely curious to see what visual direction they take.

I'd love for Watchmen style for MOS, MOS style for the rest of the film (but with more color, and Avengers' Style for Metropolis

 

[MrsKent26]

I'd like for some scenes, the Gotham ones especially, to have a Watchmen look, but I wasn't impressed with the look of anything in the Avengers. I want something more unique and perhaps just a bit stylized.

 

[Batmannerism]

Snyder goes from strength to strength IMO (with Sucker Punch being the exception).

Unlike others I loved his palette in MOS because it was different than Watchmen, which looked a bit too much like grungy movie sets to me. In fact, if you watch Supernatural, you can see some of the sets they used in Watchmen (particularly the alley where Dan and Laurie fight the gang).

MOS looked very much like it was taking place in the real world - much in the same way that Nolan used a stylized comic version of Gotham in Batman Begins, and then dropped it for Dark Knight and Dark Knight Rises. Personally, I preferred that, and
liked how Snyder did the same for MOS, because to my mind it's a much greater achievement to seamlessly blend the fantastic with the realistic, then to have everything happen in a fantastic setting.

e.g. when the Kryptonian spaceship is flattening Metropolis, it doesn't give you that little itch you get when you see unconvincing CGI.

I find a lot of the CGI settings in the Hobbit film unconvincing, because my eyes are telling me that the landscape isn't real (which makes LOTR, which didn't use as much green screen, better films IMO), kind of like Avatar, it looks fantastic, but at the same time something is wrong about it, so much so that part of your brain is constantly reminding you that it isn't real - well of course it isn't real, but when the setting looks so obviously fake, then it not only prevents suspension of disbelief, but shatters it.


I think Snyder's change in style (from the heavily stylized 300, the somewhat stylized Watchmen to the real world of MOS) shows growth as a director. I'm also really glad he dropped the Slow-mo - again IMO, but it's overdone,

When Zod and Supes fight over metropolis, they move fast.....because that's exactly what they're meant to be doing. By having the buildings blur past, Snyder is trying to give us a "Superman's-eye-view"

The fact that he incorporated these changes into his direction, instead of relying solely on his previous approach to film-making shows growth, and very positive growth.

I'd argue that MOS is his best film yet. Maybe the pacing of the last 30 minutes could have been a bit better (still worked for me) but I see that more as requiring a few tweaks, rather than major changes.

Plus, for a Snyder film there were actual believable characters, rather than cardboard cut-outs. Watchmen was a big step up from 300 in this regard, but you have to put a lot of that down to Moore creating such strong characterizations in the source material (and also the visuals of Dave Gibbons provided Snyder with pretty much storyboards for the whole film).

MOS was a much bigger ask as it was an original take on Superman - when I first heard he had the job, I was a bit nervous, but having seen the finished result, I've gained new respect for the man. Bring on the next film .

 

[BH/HHH]

Its funny because I only like Watchmen of Zack's past works but I was ecstatic when he got Man of Steel. I just thought he'd nail it and he did. I think its his best work and I love the way he filmed it. I just wonder if he's gonna do the same for Superman Batman.

 

[Boy Scout]

I'd like for some scenes, the Gotham ones especially, to have a Watchmen look...

I'd like him to take some inspiration from it, but not copy it exactly. Sometimes, Watchmen looks like a fan film. A visually impressive one, but a fan film nevertheless. I don't know if it's the cinematography or the sound stages/locations(?) he used, but...yeah.

but I wasn't impressed with the look of anything in the Avengers.

Me neither.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

Its funny because I only like Watchmen of Zack's past works but I was ecstatic when he got Man of Steel. I just thought he'd nail it and he did. I think its his best work and I love the way he filmed it. I just wonder if he's gonna do the same for Superman Batman.

Up until WW was announced, I thought MOS2 would be better. I think it'll be a lot more fun, anyway

 

[MrsKent26]

I'd like him to take some inspiration from it, but not copy it exactly. Sometimes, Watchmen looks like a fan film. A visually impressive one, but a fan film nevertheless. I don't know if it's the cinematography or the sound stages/locations(?) he used, but...yeah.



Me neither.

It might have been the glossiness of it all. I think if he toned down that look slightly, it would work. The atmosphere is really what I liked the most. The city in Watchmen had personality.

 

[The_Harvest]

http://screenrant.com/watchmen-movie-original-script-draft-details/

Joe Silver Reveals Original ‘Watchmen’ Movie Story Twist
For years, most Hollywood producers had accepted that Watchmen, the fan-favorite (albeit controversial) superhero story from Alan Moore, was unfilmable – that is until Warner Bros. and Man of Steel director Zack Snyder brought the graphic novel to the big screen. Unfortunately, while the filmmaker managed to turn Moore’s tale of political corruption, masked vigilanties, and a naked blue superhuman into a blockbuster film, fans and moviegoers remain mixed on whether Snyder proved that a three hour adaptation could successfully capture the spirit (and depth) of the core Watchmen narrative (read our original Watchmen review).

Critics and comic readers are still split on whether the film succeeded or failed in its lofty ambitions – while casual viewers simply did not turn out to support the 2009 movie in theaters, scoring only $107 million (domestic) on a reported $130 million budget. Of course, even viewers that enjoyed the movie and consider Snyder’s effort an enjoyable experience have to face the fact that, in order to make it “filmable,” major changes had to be made. Now, producer Joel Silver, who was at one point developing a Watchmen adaptation, is once again criticizing the final Warner Bros film – revealing how director Terry Gilliam intended to alter the story in their version.

Speaking with Coming Soon, Silver had tough words for Snyder’s adaptation – calling the Warner Bros. film a “slave” to the source material and implying his iteration would have made for a significantly better movie:

“It was a MUCH much better movie [...] I mean, Zack came at it the right way but was too much of a slave to the material. I was trying to get it BACK from the studio at that point, because I ended up with both “V For Vendetta” and “Watchmen” and I kinda lost “Watchmen.” I was happy with the way “V” came out, but we took a lot of liberties. That’s one of the reasons Alan Moore was so unpleasant to deal with. The version of “Watchmen” that Zack made, they really felt the notion. They went to Comic-Con, they announced it, they showed things, the audience lost their minds but it wasn’t enough to get a movie that would have that success.”

Spoiler

Silver is right that changes to V for Vendetta helped to ensure that the film adaptation, directed by James McTeigue, was satisfying to fans and casual viewers alike but Snyder’s Watchmen wasn’t a complete copy and paste job. The final act of Watchmen was often the primary hurdle for any writer attempting to develop a faithful screenplay of the graphic novel – which features Adrian Veidt (aka Ozymandias) faking an extraterrestrial attack (for the purpose of uniting warring Earth nations against a common threat) by teleporting a giant genetically engineered squid creature into the heart of New York City.

Writers David Hayter and Alex Tse both made significant alterations to that challenging final act – replacing the infamous squid with weaponized energy reactors that make it appear as though Dr. Manhattan turned on humanity and destroyed major cities around the globe (establishing him as the target of humanity’s now united efforts). While many fans derided the change as a cop-out, others felt as though Tse’s version was actually tidier but just as impactful as Moore’s original concept.

Yet, Silver maintains that Gilliam had an even better solution – one that would have been a significant departure from the source material:

What Terry had done, and it was a Sam Hamm script–who had written a script that everybody loved for the first “Batman”–and then he brought in a guy who’d worked for him to do work on it [Charles McKeown, co-writer of "Brazil"]. What he did was he told the story as-is, but instead of the whole notion of the intergalactic thing which was too hard and too silly, what he did was he maintained that the existence of Doctor Manhattan had changed the whole balance of the world economy, the world political structure. He felt that THAT character really altered the way reality had been. He had the Ozymandias character convince, essentially, the Doctor Manhattan character to go back and stop himself from being created, so there never would be a Doctor Manhattan character. He was the only character with real supernatural powers, he went back and prevented himself from being turned into Doctor Manhattan, and in the vortex that was created after that occurred these characters from “Watchmen” only became characters in a comic book.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Dr. Manhattan wasn’t in the movie at all. Silver seems to imply that where Ozymandias would teleport a squid (or energy reactor) into New York City – killing millions of innocent people – he would, instead, persuade Dr. Manhattan to go back in time to prevent his former self, Jon Osterman, from ever being trapped inside the nuclear test chamber. Considering that Dr. Manhattan is the only actual superhuman in the film, responsible for years of influencing global politics, his absence would then drastically alter the film’s 1980s present.

It’s an interesting idea, and one that could have easily worked; though, fans might have rolled their eyes at the part about the Watchmen heroes becoming displaced “characters in a comic book.”

Silver elaborated further on the fates of Rorschach, Nite Owl, and Silk Spectre – and how the rest of the world would perceive them (following Dr. Manhattan’s reality-bending change):

“So the three characters, I think it was Rorschach and Nite Owl and Silk Spectre, they’re all of the sudden in Times Square and there’s a kid reading a comic book. They become like the people in Times Square dressing up like characters as opposed to really BEING those characters. There’s a kid reading the comic book and he’s like, “Hey, you’re just like in my comic book.” It was very smart, it was very articulate, and it really gave a very satisfying resolution to the story, but it just didn’t happen. Lost to time [...] But I did like the [2009] movie, very much. Zack did great stuff in it!”

The Dr. Manhattan aspect might provide a satisfying resolution but it’s hard to imagine how Gilliam would have actually made that plan for Rorschach and Nite Owl and Silk Spectre work on the big screen. Would everyday moviegoers and comic fans have considered such an on-the-nose connection to superhero lore satisfying – especially considering the world is left entirely unaware of its alternate history (and the heroes who fought for it)?

Let us know which version of Watchmen you prefer. As for the future (read: past) of the series, we’ll keep you updated on whether or not the Before Watchmen prequel comic ever makes it to the big or small screen.

I'm happy they didn't use the Joe Silver version.

 

[snpklsdmbldr]

no matter what people say about Zack Snyder, Watchmen is my all time favorite comicbook movie!

 

[DA_Champion]

I couldn't stand the heavy-handed criticism of George Bush Jr. in V for Vendetta, it felt fake somehow... and then I went online and read that Alan Moore called it an "American liberal fantasy"... I felt vindicated.

 

[matt47]

I know people are excited for Fong collaborating with ZED again, but I actually want visual continuity with MOS. I worry that this will end up too much in the visual wheel house of WATCMEN or 300. It was a real surprise and I think to the film's benefit that Snyder toned things down and gave a realistic looking world for the most part.

Simply put.
I want it to be shot like Man of Steel.
But I want the color palette do be a bit brighter. I think it would fit better with the movie IF they decide to make Superman more of a "hero" ala the amazing spider man 1 being more dark and gritty but it seems the second one if a lot more brighter.