I’m sure anyone who is reading this article is a cinephile and considering that, Zack Snyder doesn’t need any special introduction. So, let’s dive into the topic straight away. If you’ve been following Zack Snyder for a while, and you reading this proves you have, then you know why this discussion is so important. It boggles my mind that a filmmaker who is trusted to helm productions more than $200 million+ worth has rarely had any critical success in his long career of twenty years. So, why do you think this is the case? And please, I understand a lot of Snyder fans will be reading this but please don’t think that critics love to gang up on one man. So, in this discussion let’s try to objectively unearth the reason behind Zack Snyder’s critical failures.
Is The Critics’ Hate For Zack Snyder Justified?
Let’s begin with a list of some Zack Snyder films alongside their critical and audience score. It appears as if there is a huge gap between the audience’s score and critics’ score. An example of the same is below: 
I have to admit that I’m not a Zack Snyder fanatic, but at the same time I’m not a critic or hater either. I’m simply a cinephile and I view his films as such. Based on what little I understand about filmmaking, Snyder’s approach towards his films in whichever genre is always loud and distinct. There is a certain flare and style to his filmmaking. If you watch a Zack Snyder film, you know it is a Zack Snyder film based on the visuals and the audio. This is generally considered to be a good thing, however, I believe this has led to his undoing.
Snyder’s films are difficult to differentiate, they’re similar stories with identical style and look. When you watch his work you don’t see a film, you see Snyder’s obsession. His style can be easily described as style over substance. There is a lot of attention given to the film’s visual beauty and scale. However, what Snyder’s films have always lacked is depth. There has rarely been a solid core of emotions in his films that compels you to join the action frenzy. All you see are episodic set-pieces, each bigger than the last one.
I will admit that Snyder is one of the most gifted filmmakers when it comes to visual storytelling but ironically the story that he is telling is not worth it. He desperately tries to wrap a dull story in his “cool” style, massive action sequences, supreme visuals and brilliant technicalities but at the end, what everyone really cares about is the story. All the other aspects are rendered moot when we don’t care for your character because the character is your story.
There is a niche audience like you and me who can appreciate Zack Snyder ‘s technical brilliance but not everyone. I think we’re all aware that critics mostly judge any film based on its writing and Snyder rarely gets it right in this department. Speaking about the difference of opinion between the audience and the critics, I think this is easy to figure out – the audience is more forgiving. Normal cinemagoers don’t judge any film as harshly as critics. Snyder makes a movie good enough that the regular masses doesn’t see its flaws because of the brilliant packaging.
However, critics can see through the fancy packaging that the product is not worth it. To put it bluntly, Zack Snyder films are to Hollywood what our masala action movies are to Indian cinema. They’re successful and the audience likes them but none of them get any critical acclaim as they’re not good. Snyder’s style can get exhausting and there is a limit until when people will just ignore the glaring errors in his storytelling under the banner of “it looks so cool”.
I believe these are all the reasons why Snyder films are never a critical success and based on his attitude, it doesn’t look like that is going to change. After working in the industry for more than two decades, his latest venture Rebel Moon debuted with a Rotten Tomatoes score of only 9%, making it a Netflix Disaster. I mean I have say that’s a little shameful. One of the major flaws of Rebel Moon is said to be its focus on worldbuilding rather than characters. A consistent trait/flaw in Snyder’s filmmaking. I’m sure Rebel Moon Part One will be a visual delight with great sound mixing and VFX but in the end its the story that holds me but Snyder doesn’t seem to understand that.
One should look at Denis Villeneuve’s filmmaking, he has cracked the formula of creating a magnum opus with excellent worldbuilding, character development, beautiful visuals and terrific sound designing. His films rival Snyder’s technical prowess in every way and beats him at storytelling. Which is why critics can’t stop loving Villeneuve. Before I sign off, I just want to clarify, I don’t intend any hate to Zack Snyder. I’m simply expressing my thoughts on the subject matter. You can counter me if you don’t agree with the points I presented above.
Zack Snyder is not only directing Rebel Moon but has also taken writing responsibility as he is co-writing the screenplay of Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad. The film is also based on Kurt’s original story. The film’s cast includes Djimon Hounsou, Sofia Boutella, Ray Fisher and Ed Skrein. Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon will release in two parts. Part 1 – The Child of Fire will debut on Netflix on 22nd December 2023 and Part 2 – The Scargiver will release on April 19th 2024.
If you have any questions regarding Netflix’s Rebel Moon, feel free to ask in the comments below. For more content, stay tuned. As usual, like, subscribe and share our articles as we are trying to build a community of people High on Cinema!
