I have seen three of the four films Zack Snyder has released pre-Man of Steel. Dawn of the Dead and Watchmen are his best films. 300 and Sucker Punch suck so much ass. I don't talk Watchmen and 300 as adaptations cause I personally never read the comic book counter parts. That being said. Here are the strengths his films have.
1: Strong Visuals
Let's start with the obvious. Zack Snyder's films are known for being entertaining to watch, visually. That's his strong suite. His films are understandably praised for their visuals. Watchmen is a perfect example. If that isn't, then his films must be bland visually. Oh wait.. never mind. Cause 300 is but, we'll get to that film later.
2: He's faithful and can cast actors (for the most part)
When given good, strong characters and have good actors cast as them as with any director, he can make interesting characters. But, when something like Watchmen or 300 is put in his hands, he tears them straight from the comics and is faithful to them. Man of Steel shows he can put together an ensemble of actors. Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach is a example of him casting perfectly. Sucker Punch proved he can can't cast at times for shit.
Now lets move onto his weaknesses.
Slow motion
This was cool at first but after the second or third use of it, it's become a weakness of his. Ever since 300, he can't make a damn movie without using slow motion.
Mixed performances from his actors
Admittingly, this broad can't act for shit. That being said, he hasn't been able to exactly pull many good performances from his actors. He gets a pass for Dawn of the Dead cause it was his debut movie. After that, there is no pass. 300 had terrible performances, Watchmen was pretty mixed but had overall good performances and Sucker Punch was 300 level of being absolutely terrible. Therefore, he doesn't exactly show that he's gonna get good performances from his Man of Steel ensemble (although, I won't judge that just yet).
Weak story teller
Zack Snyder is an amazing visual. That is no lie, it's actually the most obvious thing about him and his films. As a story teller though, he's very weak. At least with Marc Webb, he was able to make something simple like (500) Days of Summer or The Amazing Spider-Man and was able to make it a stronger story cause he is able to weave everything together and keep it engaging. He doesn't rely on visual eye candy. He focuses on story, character and that's it. Zack Snyder got lucky with Watchmen.
Analysis: If Zack Snyder is a great director then Michael Bay must be the next Steven Spielberg. Snyder's films have absolutely no depth. At least with Pearl Harbor and Armageddon, Michael Bay gave them depth. Zack Snyder (for as much as I dislike Superman) is a poor choice for a director unless you want straight up action. Not to mention that as a single writer, David Goyer isn't exactly a strong fit. Nolan trusts him but, The Dark Knight trilogy was more than one writer. Goyer's most successful solo writing career is in the Blade trilogy. Fun, action packed films. Not exactly, good movies. I don't think Man of Steel is going to be anything more than more action and violence than actual character depth that many are expecting.
Now that, that's out of the way. Here, I will rank my most anticipated of the four comicbook movies of the year.
4: Man of Steel
Well, can't say you didn't see this one coming. It's got nothing to do with my dislike for the character. I love the ensemble that Snyder put together but, his lack of good movies (entertaining, not exactly good with the exception of Watchmen. That's his best one) and David Goyer being a weak writer when on his own, I don't have a lot of faith in Man of Steel although it's a guaranteed success. Especially with the name, Nolan attached to it.
3: Thor: The Dark World
Epic set photos, epic premise. Game of Thrones director, and got two very entertaining actors as the villains. Thor: The Dark World is one I'm very much looking forward to, that and not to mention I love the first Thor movie. So, my excitement for The Dark World is very much there. Although, a trailer is still needed. This being part of the MCU though, I'm confident it'll be great.
2: Iron Man 3
Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin. Villain of the year, I'm calling it right now. The most recent trailer for Iron Man 3 was epic. It had everything to get fans excited. Iron Man army, Hulkbuster, Mandarin's epic presence and a more serious and ready to fight Tony. This trailer had it all. Iron Man 2 was a step back (although I still enjoyed it, therefore I don't think there is a bad Iron Man movie yet) but, Iron Man 3 is going to be epic.
1: The Wolverine
Under direction of James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma) and a script written from Mark Bomback (Unstoppable), Christopher McQuarrie (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) and Scott Frank (Minority Report). Based on the comic by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, starring Hugh Jackman. Score composed by Marco Beltrami. Give me reasons why this movie isn't going to be good. If you ask me, all the reasons listed above is what I need to convince me that this is going to be the best comicbook movie of 2013. It's a stand alone sequel, and Mangold promised us berserker Wolverine and a character driven movie. Again I ask, give me a reason to not look forward to it without using X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine as examples.
What do you think? Comment below and be civil.