Bro this mans star wars series is one of a kind, probably my favorite video essays on youtube. It really opened my eyes on how much of a masterpiece star wars is.
This was nothing short of incredible. I’m by no means a huge fan or apologist for Snyder, but this was a rather refreshing, concise, and neutral look at the man’s filmography and what he likes to bring to his films narratively/philosophically. That open-ended nature is frustrating, but it is undoubtedly different. Love that you’re branching out to other content, please keep up the great work.
*It's not that neutral. This tries to make Zack Snyder look like Christopher Nolan.* Nolan is giving audiences an idea to think about. Snyder is giving us pictures and... well, just walks away to let you figure it out after buying the movie ticket.
What I have always enjoyed about this channel is that it came out of the blue and dropped the hardest star wars analysis videos on the internet. Then continues to make amazing videos
I do like how you did something similar (and quite meta if I'm honest) for the video itself - is it pro-Snyder or anti-Snyder? Neither - it merely presents the two sides just as Snyder does in his own work
@@gavinmcphie6936 It still acknowledges the less favourable interpretations of his work, which is the point- Snyders work is open ended to his supporters and detractors
I love how you chose to focus on Snyder. I feel that him and Lucas are similar in the way they are willing to be stylishly vulnerable... and how their audiences tragically reject it.
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily Snyder’s audience that rejects him but more of those who don’t see film the way he does. Snyder is a cinematic storyteller in a medium that is primarily visuals. From what I can tell from the side that hate his work they focus more on things like dialogue or realism rather than the interpretation of the visuals. If you make a movie the visuals should be the primary method of conveying story in a visual medium.
@@Sci-Fi_Freak_YT Then maybe he should stick with paintings...? Loads of allegories in visual department with no substance to support them is just pretensiousness, which is what Snyder's critics are actually saying.
@@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom maybe it's the substances you are not engaged with . Cause, clearly, Zack Snyder makes expensive indie films with the story, plot points, executions and styles and cinematography.
Film critics are some of the laziest writers you’ll find out there. CZcamsr Local mentioned a lazy review The Guardian gave on Avatar 2. They really just say whatever they think will get the most eyeballs.
@@gianni206 it is if you actually look at all critics, or even just the famous ones. You only ever see the "loud" ones, the ones with the "hot takes" or the most extreme opinions, because those are naturally the most interesting. This is like the popular thinking that journalists or at least main stream media is nothing but clickbait anymore, when not only WE are the ones who keep clicking the bait, and more importantly (and worse), we only remember the clickbait headlines anyway
the thing is... EVERYTHIING HE MAKES BECOME A CULT CLASSIC.... WATCHMEN-300-BVS-MOS-JL.... AND TO ME... THAT WHAT MAKES SOMEONE A GOOD STORY TELLER... WRITING A GOOD STORY.... STORY THAT EFECTS DIFFERENT PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY..
I have been waiting 6 months for your next release and I was not disappointed. I am much less familiar with Snyder than Stars Wars, but your same artistic and clear way of breaking down directors and their vision was as keen as ever. I appreciate how you do not even give an opinion but instead, like Snyder, present a story that allows our own interpretation.
I know lots of people laugh at how hyper-masculine the Spartans look in 300 but, having literally just come back from a holiday in Greece, I think that also ties into the propaganda at play by Delios. In all of the Greek artistry on vases and statues, the strong men are depicted with abs. It's the Greeks portraying (in a romanticised sense) their own idealised version of a male body. The Spartans in 300 also bare those abs, as if taken straight from the marble carvings of a statue of Zeus. It's a glorification of the Greek body through their own propagandistic lens.
Greeks having a perfect body or not matters little when their history is filled with a ton of wars So they are worthy of having godlike bodies in their imagination Or if the correct nutrition and knowledge of how to work out your body to get a specific physique Ancient Greeks have one of the oldest histories and they are known worldwide for many reasons
"What is Zack Snyder's Justice League rated R for? I think it's rated R for violence and nudity - no, not nudity. That would be cool" - Zack 'Based' Snyder
Martha scene is breaking down Batman’s idea that Superman was an alien/god that was detached from humanity. When Superman was about to die his only plea was for him to save his mother. It wasn’t the name Martha that spared Superman but Lois Lane explaining that it is “His Mother”. In the scene you see that Bruce becomes more aggressive after hearing Martha but drops the spear when he realizes he was wrong about Superman. Batman was a villain in BvS that blamed Superman for what happened in Metropolis. Blame it on PTSD or Survivors guilt, it’s definitely a different take on Batman.
Batman wasn't wrong though, Superman really did a bad job at saving Metropolis, he didn't try to lure aliens away from city. This scene doesn't work because Superman calls his mother by name for some reason and because Batman already killed criminals punisher style, who had families too. This wouldn't stop him.
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p try to lure zod away from the city? How would Clark do that? Zod already said he would kill every human. If Clark left, Zod would start doing just that.
@@ParagonSlayer0 Not the finale. The battle in Smalville starts from Clark slamming Zod through factory and gas station because he threatened his mother on the farm (leaving mom with 3 other aliens, instead of just taking her and flying away). Which results in Faora and other guy coming for Zod and fighting Clark in the town. Or when Zod throws a gas truck at him, he dodges it instead of catching, which results in explosion of a building. I get that it barely matter on the grand scale of destruction, but it's not how a true hero should act.
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p it’s literally his first day on the job. The point is he still has a lot to learn and acts before thinking. This was all on service of the overall character arc for him through the five movie arc that was planned. Maybe that’s not “how a true hero should act”, but the movies focus is on Superman the person, a fallible, human character. He doesn’t know the right answer all the time, he’s not perfect.
@@ParagonSlayer0 I know. But they should have addressed the tragedy of people dying more clear. Maybe that's why he screams after killing Zod? Doesn't seem so. I expected him to be grown as a hero over the movies, but in ZSJL he is even more cruel and reckless. JL2017 did better job.
I was reluctant to watch this as every other Snyder video decides that he’s either the worst or the best and offers nothing of substance more but I’m so glad I watched this as it offered more insight than I could have ever expected
Zack Snyder is like George Lucas. Everyone praised him for his early works, then criticized him for the more philosophical approach, and now we all want both of them back.
No no no. Totally different. George Lucas creativity and simplisitic story never stopped. Zack Synder copy paste comics frame by frame without knowing the context for half of it. For context, the literal copy paste film - The Watchmen.
@@ashishhembrom3905 except he didn't even copy and paste half the actual symbolic scenes. For example, when Rorschach leaves a child killer handcuffed in a burning house, with an axe. instead, he just has Rorschach kill him. He's so bad at understanding any form of genuine symbology and philosophy
I do find his work to be highly fascinating for the reasons you listed -it presents us with two sides of the same coin concerning a conflict: - 300: Inspiration or propaganda? - Sucker Punch: Exploitation or empowerment? - Man of Steel: Salvation or destruction?
@@pierredufour6164 BvS to me strikes me more of a story about Power. Batman's arc is of a man learning to overcome his own anger over his own powerlessness (powerless to save his parents, powerless to save Robin, powerless to save his employees in Metropolis). As Alfred says to Bruce, "it's the feeling of powerlessness that turns a good man cruel." And that's what has happened to him. Superman, conversely, is confronted about having ultimate power and everyone on Earth having an opinion on what he should do with his power. This is carried over from Man of Steel a bit as his two father have different ideas on how he should use his powers. Even Lex Luthor has an arc related to the notions of power. Obviously, he wants to gain more power and kill the most powerful man in the world, but he also says something quite interesting to Superman, "I figured it out way back. If god is all powerful, then he cannot be all good. If he is all good, then he cannot be all powerful." And he says to Superman when he's on his knees, "and now god bends to my will." Anyway, the film doesn't quite put it all together, but there's interesting ideas that Snyder was going for.
@@TheGeorgeD13 my main issue with it, more than anything, is just how far he removes the characters from what their usual use case is, in that sense. Superman is, fundamentally, an accusation leveled at everyone who has ever used the excuse of "power corrupts" to explain a moral failing, as he is virtually all powerful, yet he still tries to help people instead of exploit them. Batman is a combination between dealing with trauma, and trying to use the emotions that trauma caused to help prevent others from feeling that same trauma. And Lex is a description of greedy, corrupt businessmen, but unlike most of them, is genuinely smart enough to deserve even a fraction of the wealth they possess. None of the characters Snyder produced touched on those more subtle cornerstones of their characters in a way that felt like he understood those cornerstones, which left them feeling more dark or, in Lex's case, more of a joke, than they more commonly are portrayed, and in a way which does not benefit my, and a decent number of other people's, enjoyment of the characters.
The Martha scene in BvS is not about Batman and Superman becoming “best friends” because they realized their moms had the same first name. That scene is about Superman reminding Batman of Bruce’s own humanity, and after self reflection, Batman realizes the error of his way. Bruce Wayne is coming to the brutal realization that he has become a villain to stop someone else from maybe becoming a villain, and his and Clark’s Mom’s name are completely coincidental. While we can argue about the execution of the scene, the purpose of it is extremely important to Batman’s character arc in the movie, and i find it quite absurd that people genuinely believe that Bruce’s ptsd flashback is actually just him and Superman turning into the super friends because of a stupid meme.
The nuances of that scene are completely lost on a lot of people. Afflecks performance was perfect in that moment, it was 90 percent body language. Someone with deep trauma can feel like they're in a deep trance. And hearing his mothers name snapped him out if it in that moment.
@@blw4089because the delivery flopped and they had to throw out all realism in dialogue to make it happen, even in this video he called it a clumsy move. I don't think anyone thinks it was about superman and batman becoming "best friends", everyone knew Batman would have to see the humanity in superman to come to a sort of truce, it's just how they reached it. Superman could of just said "lex luthor has my mom, can we continue this after I save her" and it would of had the same affect.
300 was written from the perspective of a witness to the battle of Thermopylae, and explorers in ancient times were known for exaggerating things they saw on their travels. Not only that, the story is deliberately embellished to hype up the other Greek city-states to fight the Persians.
@@SoUncivilized414 the problem when we see him telling the story...... All the Greeks are still shirtless and not wearing their historical armor. Xerxes is still seen as a monster not the zorrastian bearded king he was. Making it that yes all the things told was true
@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl that's the problem with visual storytelling, we tend to take for granted what we see, without making the biased perspective explicit we have no reason to believe it's not accurate. If Snyder really meant this to be biased, he failed (also it would've help not to make the villains more feminine and queer coded than the heroes, or make the heroes explicitly queer; homophia really undermines the argument that this isn't conservative propaganda)
Film is a visual medium. It's entirely dependent on visuals to communicate the story. And my point is when we pan out and see for ourselves the one eyed soldier telling us his story........ 5he visuals we are greeted with is that All of the Greeks are still shirtless and with out their historical armor. Xerxes is still a monster not the zorrastian bearded king he is. All of this despite we are no longer seeing the story through the one eye of that soldier.
I think BvS contains a lot of callbacks to it. hell, the Knightmare future is reminiscent to some of the dream sequences from Sucker Punch. it starts with narration and a funeral too...
@@sunsetman22 BVS contains LOTS of references to Snyder's past work which I find very interesting: - The Knightmare sequence, the opening narration, the funeral (Sucker Punch) - The vigilante 'hero' of the story deals his own brand of justice against a criminal seen as degenerate in society (Watchmen) - The 'hero' of the story attempts to make the god king bleed with a spear to the cheek (300) It's through this manner of quoting his previous work that Snyder is able to carry on the themes present and address them in a new context, like Lucas did with his poetry in Star Wars or Coppola did in the Godfather series.
You've heard of death of the author where meaning of art is completely divorced from the intent of the author, this is its contraposed : the resurection of the author where you derive your own meaning by first understanding who the author is.
Some of my favorite movies are Watchmen, Sucker Punch, 300, Man of Steel. Shame on me for never realizing those movies have one thing in common, Zack Snyder. And after watching this video, it's pretty darn obvious. The way narrative is told and the cinematography. Pick a random timestamp from any of those, take a screenshot, and odds are you'll get a really cool desktop background. You made me make a decision to re watch every Snyder movie. Owl thing will be a new one for me. Big thanks, big like and a new sub. Keep up the great work
I love Snyder, hes a genius. I mean this video opened new way of me to see his movies, and you are right. Hes films are two movies at the same time, contradicting themselves. One makes sense and the other is genuinly hated.
what I don't like is that people go a bit too overboard with the hatred, and then it leads to a very toxic discourse around his films, and people treating him as if he were some sort of criminal, which is ridiculous and overdramatic to say the least. it speaks to the power of his films imo
I see what you did there, not giving us a resolution or picking a conclusion, and forcing us to actually contemplate Snyder's motivations. From someone who hates his interpretation of Superman... well done, you just forced me to tackle this from a completely off-balance perspective that short-circuited my usual response. While I believe Superman is best interpreted through a traditionalist perspective, with the core heart being the inherent clear goodness of Clark and the Kents, and that is my biggest criticism of Man of Steel, I will at the very least now find myself wrestling with Snyder's vision with fresh eyes. I may be due for a rewatch of his filmography. This isn't the first time you've done it either, providing an incisive take on the Prequels that resonated with me as well. This was all just a long way of saying thank you, once again.
@@godzillazfriction Not at all. But do go on, provide a counter point if you have such a scholarly perspective, lol. Or sit down and stfu while the adults in the room are talking. Your choice!
@@bretts8070 ooooooo... that conclusion is very superficial of you. gotta love that faux idyllic way of perceiving what an 'adult' ought to be as; makes you feel higher & mightier to fill that precious ego, & a higher set of perceived standards.
I sure know Snyder isn't perfect and has some writing and executing problems, but I love his depth and symbolism and how his movies aren't following Hollywoods philosophy of only money. His movies are art that does exactly what it's supposed to do: split the opinions and tastes of the people. And pitifully the mainstream isn't on board.
@@user-mx4is4fx3c A screenplay has to follow a story blueprint. Snyder most definitely wrote the treatment. Terrio definitely followed Snyder’s structure.
@@brucewayne8158 While that's undeniably true, if you look at interviews it's clear that Terrio had a lot of input. And in general when people criticize writing usually they do on how the script communicates the blueprint. And that's on the writer
This is a perfect summation of Snyder's impact on the industry, his films are meant to be divisive and more layered than your typical Blockbuster. It's nice to see an objective view of his work, because as you mentioned, people go way overboard with the hate and serious accusations he receives. Some people push for the narrative that this man is a facist, and that's fucked up, especially when everyone who has worked with him has nothing but nice things to say about him.
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p Plus made to where Sucker Punch was colourful instead of it being too damn dark and grey. And made it less depressing. Also. He sucks at adapting other stories (Snyder sucks ass as a director, Plain and simple)
I have loved snyder much longer than I thought. I never knew he did the Guardians of ga'hoole. That movie is so freaking good. The ending being brothers battling because of their differences. I just remember seeing the imagery and being wowed. Gosh, I know what I'm watching tonight. When it comes to movies if they do not explore ideas, they're not doing their jobs. I appreciate the thinkers and ones willing to discuss ideas. If you could not create a video that is two minutes or less discussing the general concept and idea of a movie and think wow "I should watch that" the movie sucks.
I don't necessarily agree with your last sentence (fully support everything else). Take the movie Locke, for example (I bring it up because I just saw it). It's literally just about a guy driving through evening traffic and making phone calls as he tries to salvage his life and deal with the consequences of a big mistake on a buskness trip. Granted, Tom Hardy is a great actor, and it probably would have failed with a lesser performer, but it was actually really captivating. As a general rule, I completely agree. I usually need a sales pitch of a compelling premise to get me to care about checking something out, but there are definitely a fair amount of examples where the premise itself isn't all that, and it's still done really well. Even things with a very well trod and even an over done premise can be done so well that the fact its similar to so many other things doesn't matter.
People are completely oblivious about 300 i swear. First of all it’s based on the graphic novel first, not historical accuracy. Secondly, the reason there are strange monsters and giant elephants and such is because of who narrates the story throughout the movie. The guy missing an eye, like most other Greeks have never seen or heard of much outside of Greece. When he describes the elephants to his soldiers he’s doing it from the perspective of someone who had never seen/heard of elephants before. To the Greeks the elephants are giant and monstrous because they’re new, and this goes for everything that is portrayed as monstrous. It’s all exaggerated because it’s a story being retold by someone.
This was your first video I've watched that analyzed movies I (mostly) hadn't seen myself, and I want to say, it was still fascinating, entertaining, and thought provoking. So now you and I have some evidence that I didn't like all your previous stuff just because I'm a glutton for Star Wars. Nice work!
AMAZING FILM REVIEW! Finally a critic who understands Snyder’s style of storytelling. Also in a time where movies and entertainment is constantly preaching to us and telling us what to think, this essay GETS why I love him as a filmmaker/ storyteller. His film always stir interesting debates which is something that can’t be said about most of Hollywood’s Directors.
When people try to assume Snyder's political leanings from his movies, they often fail to consider how much of his work are adaptations from various sources of different political leanings. Yes, he has brushed with the right wing Miller in adapting '300' and has expressed a desire to adapt the Fountainhead, but he also adapted the anti-fascist owl books and 'Watchmen', which was created by the anarchist Alan Moore. Looking at his original work (such as his DC films or Sucker Punch), it's clear that Snyder is more of a generic liberal, not the quasi randian/fascist/nihilist that people claim him to be
When it came to 300 I always thought we were being shown the legend, partly because none of us know the truth of what happened, and partly because few of us actually want to know. As for Suckerpunch, when you actually look at the protagonists, the only innocent among them is the one that leaves/escapes, and each of them comes to the conclusion during their escapades that she is the only one who deserves it. The bus driver at the end, and his face showing in all the fantasy scenes, suggests that there is a supernatural element encouraging them to redeem themselves, and they do so by sacrificing themselves for her, but that's just a pet theory of mine.
The moment you see the demonic portrayal of the Persians is the moment it should become evident that this part of the story is purposely propagandistic and one sided narratively (within the text) to the Spartans
@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl I wasn't aware that there were any neutral records of the matter. I know there are accounts but the odds that they aren't slanted one way or another is slim, and for the matter, details have been lost. Facts on matters this long ago are best guesses. What facts were I twisting because I was stating opinions?
@@keflyn09 you are trying to present this battle as some how a mystery. When in reality it is on of the most documented battles in all of ancient world.. Using written records like herodotus and archeology we can establish many facts about the battle and tactics used and numbers.
I feel like not including Dawn of the Dead takes away from Snyders obvious stylistic touches that he's built on with every subsequent film. A lot can be seen in it that he refined later, it's almost bizarre.
Both of his zombie films are outliers in terms of thematic interest though. They're not really about the shapes of narratives, especially mythical narratives, like his other movies very clearly are.
@@TheGeorgeD13 Yes and his first film also showcases a lot of the presentation and close up slow motion shots he uses later in basically everything he continued to make. That's what I meant by style, the certain something that lets me know I'm watching a Zach Snyder film.
Speaking of 300, many criticize it for it's atrocious historical accuracy, but I realized that it is historically accurate in all of it's details: It's a story, narrated by an ancient Greek. It is supposed to be biased, and Spartans wear no armour and show their abs because ancient Greek heroes were depicted naked by ancient Greeks. The epic story is exaggerated, but the film is accurate to the epic story.
"But what about the monsters" Have you SEEN the myths that the Greeks came up with? They're so pervasive in our modern ideals of what mythology is that we still use them as monsters in our modern art. The hydra, medusa, kraken etc etc etc are all commonly known monsters to this day because the greeks loved telling tales about them. It makes absolute sense for a soldier to hype up his king and fellow fallen soldiers by telling them of the horrors they had to face.
Can't say I liked Sucker Punch. In fact, I kind of hated it. To me, it felt like the work of a man who fell in love with visuals. No matter the underlying _meat_ of it, the message-that-be was something that could have been condensed into a thirty minute short film. The idea that the movie also wasn't exploitative because it lampshaded itself... That never quite flew with me either. The promotional material was quite clear on this, and coming out after the fact that I was in the wrong for seeing the movie based on that? Nowadays, I'm used to promoters spitting in the face of potential consumers but back then that was quite the slap. Really soured everything.
300 was never meant to be historically accurate, it was an adaptation of a graphic novel and one of the best done ever from novel to film. Critics do not take that into account its complete fiction in the same realm of Netflix's Blood of Zues.
Your comment about the womens sexuality in Sucker Punch being both exploitative and empowering reminds me of what the Worms Hole said about how many women in nerd culture portray this dual nature. Like with Wonder Woman or any other female comic book character - are they feminist icons or just there to titillate the senses? Both can be true. Snyder is taking that point and extrapolating it onto women in culture as a whole. Throughout history, their bodies have been preyed upon and exploited by men, but have also served as an empowering tool to get by in society.
I have a problem with a statement like "critics couldn't decide if it was good or not," based on an average rating. The truth is more that some liked it and some didn't. A lack of consensus among critics doesn't mean they were undecided. It just means the opinions of several individual critics weren't agreeing on whether it was good or bad. I doubt any of those critics wrote or said "I don't know if this was good or bad." That nitpick aside, great video!
Well at least one thing we can all agree on is how cool it is that every person who worked with Snyder has nothing but praise for him. Both Emily Browning and Gal Gadot were about to leave the acting business but working with Snyder changed their minds
@@thabreez456 I always thought that Suckerpunch was the point where Snyder went downhill. I never saw the women in that movie as strong female characters. I saw them as superhero versions of the women from Coyote Ugly and the Spice Girls. They didn’t feel like characters and that is not what I want to see from a female lead movie. I don’t like Movies like Capt Marvel but Suckerpunch wasn’t better either
17:57 « Snyder seems less interested in telling you what to think, than to give you things to think about ». It’s what defines a storyteller, as Brandon Sanderson said in The Way of Kings. Powerful quote, perfectly used here in this video !
It's funny, the order of the videos you have been making has been tracking almost exactly with the movies I have been watching or thinking about at the time. Always great to hear your insights
I wouldn’t say the Martha scene is clumsy. I think its actually pretty realistic tbh. Bruce goes into shock when he hears that name and then comes to the realization that superman might be more human than he previously thought
Simply put….but correct…people make videos on how batman realizes superman has a human mother all Other bullshit …but this is correct…martha scene serves the purpose of only Kicking his PTSD in. Then he turns little sane and understands that superman maybe is a good person.
@@itsvignan Not only that but the fact that even when he was about to die, he still worried more about his mother than himself. Batman realized two things, first that Superman was more human and caring than him and second, that he was about to take a childs life away from his mother, the same way that robber took his parents life away.
The clumsy part of this scene is not Batman, is Superman in the brink of being murdered and knowing that in his death his mother will die is worried about his secret identity and pleads the bloodthirsty murder blind by self-righteous rage to save "Martha". Someone that for the perspective of Superman/Clark will be a complete stranger and meaningless women and name to Batman. The only in-fiction explanation to him saying that instead of "Save my mom" or something like that, is that Superman is worried to reveal to Batman who he is, something that makes completely no sense given the context he is in. The out of fiction reason for that, is that Snyder wanted REALLY REALLY bad to drown parallel between both having the same mother name because is something he found out and thought was really clever. The majority of the problems with Snyder films is not intent is execution. There thing about Batman realizing that Superman is more human that he thought could easily be accomplished with a desperate Superman pleading Batman to save his mother. The scene would work and not be ridiculous. Hell you could maybe even salvage the "Martha" thing if you incorporate it in a more substantial dialogue. Like I don't know Superman pleads to save his mother, Batman doesn't wavier so Superman tell's a little anecdotal about his mother in his infancy and mentions her name. Snyder is not a fan of subtly but this sometimes would improve his work greatly.
@@VitorHugoOliveiraSousa I always took it as Superman giving out as much information as he can to Batman before he kills him. Like if Superman says Save my mom and then dies, Batman would just assume it's another alien or even if he comes to his senses later and trues to save Supes' mom, how would he know who she is?
It's odd how much I hated him then suddenly fell in love with his work. Getting the brief chance to work with him, was one of the coolest moments of my life
Snyder may have faults in his storytelling. But he fails with honor. He is unapologetic about what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. That’s why I deeply respect and admire his work. He’s not afraid of the audience. Or money. Or failing. He makes art in the purest form. That’s rare nowadays
With Suckerpunch it felt like he was making a porno with the only good acting coming from Oscar Isaac and the woman with short blond hair. Emily Browning is a terrible actress.
i neither love nor hate a dude that directs movies. you have hits, you have misses, and unless you're a creative that has gone through that and been judged by many, you won't understand.
@@onemoreminute0543 I will be honest, I never got bored of any of his movies, even including Airbender adaptation, after earth, glass, Old, The Village, The Visit, The Happening. All of his movies in my opinion are subjectively just as enjoyable as the good, bad and the ugly movie, perfectly pure entertainment.
Glad you make this, shows you can competently speak of movies aside from Star wars and your analysis is on point Personally I don’t like BvS but I like Snyder, he keeps is dreams but isn’t an ass to those who dislike him which is too rare in Hollywood Again, congrats for the vid
I've never seen any of Snyder's films, but I've heard no shortage of opinions on them, heh. It was really cool hearing you talk about his work~ I hope you'll do more stuff like this in the future, and continue to tackle films and directors and etc outside the Star Wars universe. :)
I overall recommend the 9 movies he directed Dawn Of the dead unrated cut 300 Watchmen ultimate cut Legends of the guardians Owls Of Gahoole Sucker Punch extended cut Man Of Steel Dawn Of Justice Ultimate edition Justice League 2021 Army Of The Dead
I was somewhat reluctant to be convinced, but I can see Snyder from a new perspective now. I think you could do a follow up, though, because I think he reveals more of himself than you give him credit for, in the way he presents both these dichotomies themselves, and the respective sides of them.
Great to see you making videos again. You 100% have the most intelligent, sophisticated and interesting breakdown and analysis videos on the internet. Incredible work! I hope to see more soon
The fact he presents questions about really complex ideas and leaving you to answer them for yourself with the pieces he's presented is a big reason why I like pretty much all of his movies (I still haven't seen Army of the Dead tbh). In a lot of ways, he's very antithetical to the mainstream of Hollywood these days, which I think is partially why he's so divisive. Honestly, I think the media in particular has had it out for the guy ever since Sucker Punch for all of the reasons you described. Is it accurate or fair? No, but good on him for taking it all in stride (even if he does have some off moments). I don't think he's perfect at everything he sets out to do, amd I can always find some specific creative decision I don't particularly love, but he always knows how to leave an impression that keeps me mulling his movies over in my mind well after I see them, which is something I always love when a director is capable of doing that. He puts more thought and consideration into everything he does on a subtextual level than most big name diriectors imo, which is why he's definitely one of my favorite directors working today.
One of the reasons I am a huge Snyder fan is the fact that he puts so much substance in his films. It's more than just what you see on screen, there's so much subtext that goes into each image and composition. It's a visual feast that makes me think at the same time. I always get flak for liking his DC films, yet that doesn't deter me. His take on Superman, and the rest of the Justice League was honestly awesome.
Another great video. When you say that Snyder leaves it to the audience to decide, I had to think of David Lynch. Which is funny cuz I wouldn’t compare the two ever, not in a million years. But your video did kinda open my eyes a little more to Snyder’s intent. But let’s not speak about Army of the dead
Blue Velvet and Sucker Punch both start with shots of curtains (blue and red, respectively). there's one Lynch connection I can think of right off the bat. plus Zack was inspired by Dune 1984 for the Krypton scenes.
While I’ve always loved his sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant symbolism, I’ve also always appreciated how most of Snyder’s movies really make you think. They don’t force a narrative or message down your throat, but that doesn’t mean they are devoid of meaning. He doesn’t treat his audience like idiots who need everything spelled out for them, which I think has unfortunately become commonplace in movies and TV.
It really feels natural for you to tackle a filmmaker like Snyder after your videos on George Lucas & Star Wars. I consider them both as some of the greatest auteurs of our time, but at the same time a lot of their work seems to be the most controversial. For that reason, I would love to see that video on Avatar next. Despite a lot of the praise and success of James Cameron in the past, I feel like he's a filmmaker who's sparked a lot of controversy with his upcoming Avatar sequels. It would be an interesting topic to explore, because it's undoubtedly one of the most ambitious projects we've seen from a single filmmaker since the Star Wars prequels, but on the other hand there's a lot of people out there who think it's a massive waste of time trying to build off a film like Avatar to such a degree. But in many ways I think Avatar is very comparable to the original Star Wars in how it tells a familiar story in a new way, and so it doesn't surprise me why James Cameron would see the potential for what it could do next. After all, as you explored in your How Empire Turns Star Wars On Its Head video, Cameron shares a lot of similarities to Lucas with their approach in how they continue to explore ideas in their sequels.
James Cameron was inspired to become a filmmaker by Star Wars and became a personal friend of George Lucas later in life. Just goes to show that the "never meet your heroes" philosophy isn't completely true. It's USUALLY true but Lucas proved to be one of the exceptions to that rule since Cameron must have built him up in his head for years and when he finally met him, they became friends.
I do love how everyone is already going to the comments and arguing over whether Snyder is a visionary or a hack, when the video itself acknowledges both sides but makes the astute observation of concepts undeniably present in his work regardless of if you love him or hate him
Well, i mean, it would be hard to call him a hack after this video showed so much substance. The negative standpoint should be that of misguidedness or naivety. A hack would not offer any substance at all
@@BboyCZcamsHandle Subtance should be developed and integrated well in the story. Ideas are not enough without execution. Otherwise The Last Jedi is a great movie.
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p and with Snyder it is except for maybe with Army of the Dead, something the video also avoided. The Last Jedi puts more effort into alienating the audience and subverting tropes than it does integrating its substance, that’s the big problem
Brilliant video. You really nailed down the core idea of every Snyder movie is about exploring ideas bigger than the movie itself. And yes some of the points he makes in his films are more for us to discuss than him resolving themselves, but it's why his movies are always interesting to watch.
Not a fan of Snyder (but I realise a lot of that comes from disliking his adaptations) but its undeniable the man is different. His movies have this confident air around them, he knows what he's doing and he's doing it deliberately and I think writing off his style as stupid or ignorant is doing him an immense disservice.
Awesome video! I was certainly taken aback by the mentioning of the Guardians of Ga'hool. Seemed like it was an incredibly movie that is rarely mentioned nowadays. I look forward to seeing your next video!
Snyder’s movies are my absolute favorite. I still haven’t seen Sucker Punch - but I can’t rewatch BvS enough. Ironically, that movie had a very real life example of how this story plays out with WB cutting 30 minutes from the film and two sides completely hating each other without trying to see eye-to-eye. I hated the theatrical version, but I am awestruck by the Ultimate Edition. I have seen that film no less than 15 times and it gets better every rewatch.
It's hilarious how the people who claim that Snyder's work is nihilist are also the same people complaining about his overtly obvious Christian imagery lol
@@robotlobster2197 I think it's pretty obvious he's not a nihilist. There's definitely no contradiction there. The fact that people seem to think that nihilism equals 'brooding/edgy/grainy filter' nowadays is quite frankly embarrassing. On that front, media literacy really is dead.
@@onemoreminute0543And considering after Rebel moon R rated versions have released, I'd say Chalice Of Blood and Curse Of Forgiveness are still just as awesome as his superman trilogy so far.
@@AwSamWeston I think it's simply an acknowledgement of the complexity of certain issues: The point about the women in Sucker Punch both being exploited and empowered due to their sexuality reminds of a point the worms hole made about Wonder Woman (and other female comic book characters), about how in nerd culture she is both a feminist icon AND a form of eye candy to titillate the senses. Both can be true, and Snyder is essentially extending that dichotomy to the experience of women in history as a whole. A woman's body is what was preyed upon and exploited by men throughout the ages, but it's also what she can use to dig her way out of situations and get by in society. To focus solely on one of these viewpoints (exploitation/empowerment) would be naive and neglect the existence of the other. From that standpoint, I suppose Snyder is just trying to be sincere with the duality he shows in his work, be it with fact and fiction (300) or salvation and destruction (Man of Steel)
Thanks! I've seen only Man of Steel and loved it, but heard only bad things about the other movies (except 300). But from what I hear Snyder does stuff that I like, and old enough to enjoy.
Man of Steel says that Superman is above the law. But he isn’t. It says Superman doesn’t need humility but he does. It says that his power is absolute but it isn’t. power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That isn’t who Superman is
One thing I love about Snyders movies is that if you take random clips from all his movies and put them together like you did at the end of this video, it seems to create one universe
I just love love love that you're branching out to different movies now. Your Star Wars breakdowns were all amazing, and I'm glad you have the freedom to cover whatever you want. You really captured my own feelings on Zack Snyder as a filmmaker. Everything about him is so contradictory yet somehow works, and it works in a way that nobody else could pull off.
All I know is after watching the newest Thor, the only thing that could cure my cape-shit induced headache was ZSJL. That says something, I don't know what, maybe snyder does...
This honestly puts Snyder into a perspective that I could never explain, and I feel like the world should see this. He complicates things, but the complication can be misunderstood, and I think the best way to understand it, as you mention, is to find the contradictions at play within each film’s narrative. The film narratives themselves aren’t contradictory, but it’s the contradictions they propose through the way they’re pointed out when viewing tools of a story. Man of Steel did this masterfully based on how you put it, and I applaud you for it. I genuinely do think Snyder gets a bad wrap for many reasons, but this video helps clear things up a lot. Side note: I think the real flaw behind the drama surrounding 300 is that people think it’s based on the actual battle, and it helps if people know it’s really based on a COMIC BOOK DEPICTION of the battle. The characterization and narration by Dilios should put that into perspective. Aside from Dilios’s own story, it doesn’t seem to put it into a propaganda mindset, and to put it bluntly, it’s really made as a wild comic adaptation that seeks to elaborate more on the 300 spartans’ complex themes in a better way than the book. Is it 100% perfect? No. But I think it comes back to that slight misunderstanding of the movie’s motivation and directive purpose. Oh, and the criticism of it relating to Hitler was just flat out dumb.
Beautifully done. As a person who's been preaching the gospel of "Snyder's movies have a DIY interpretation" for years now, I teared up a bit towards the end of this. Thank you for making and sharing this with the world.
I remember coming across a Reddit thread where someone asked 'Should Zack Snyder be allowed to direct a Star Wars movie?' and literally everyone in the thread said NO. Sheesh, talk about close mindedness.
1) it's a Reddit Star Wars thread, it was over before it even began 2) Zack's upcoming Rebel Moon will be better than anything Disney Star Wars has been able to produce since 2015, I can guarantee that.
The only gripe that I have about your video is that you did not include his directorial debut which was the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. I bring that one up because much like his later films there is some divisive qualities about Dawn of the Dead. Such as Zach having a character who is basically a stand-in for what would be considered an alt-right personality who survives to the end of the movie meanwhile the one character who claims to be a gay former chior boy is killed. But also like his later films it is one hell of a ride that very much calls upon the tropes of the zombie genre and was part of this new wave of zombie films that included films like 28 days and 28 weeks later. That being said I am glad that you did not neglect Legend of the Guardians. Or the other major films in his filmography such as his comic efforts and Sucker Punch( since I'm pretty sure that the graphic novel which 300 is based off of was actually published by Dark Horse or vertigo which if my memory serves are DC properties there for they fall within the Warner purview of the DC rights) . Speaking frankly I am one of those people that you reference in the video who likes how substantive Zack's work is. How his films are layered with narratives that speak Beyond just simply what's on the screen. And to that end I have very much been of the belief especially in recent years since ZSJL actually came out, that his work being misinterpreted is very much like the works of Lucas particularly the prequels. And like Lucas while the detractors have been getting more and more fervent in their hatred of anything new, the last bastions of his Creative Vision have gained quite the reputation as misunderstood and over hated. And I've noticed a shift particularly in the lead-up to the release of ZSJL, that shows that there is room and there are fans for that kind of creativity within the Hollywood System. Hell I'd even add the likes of Rian Johnson as well as Lana and Lily Wachowski to the list. And I must say that it is rather gratifying watching people who enjoy their works be able to get the satisfaction of having their intuitions proved correct. And so even though I had the one complaint about your video much like with all of your Star Wars content I am blown away
Snyder made me love superman,he is the reason why I started reading superman comics and loved wholesome superman(all star superman) so without him I would think that Superman is boring
It would be nice to see another Star Wars video, but considering avatar 2 is coming out this year, I think a deep dive into Cameron and/or Avatar as a whole would be interesting, not to mention topical
Its been my feeling, that Snyder tells complex stories, where everything is not explicitly explained to you, that you actually have to pay attention to. He makes movies, they way someone might write a book, except the opposite. When reading a book, the events that happen, the way the characters look, and the actions they take, are all viewed by your imagination. You have to fill in the holes of the visual for yourself. Snyder tells a story with complex visuals, but allows you to fill in the holes yourself with a great amount of visual details but leaves its meaning up to the viewer as to what that image means. A great example is in BVS, when we see the massacred outfit of Jason Todd, the movie doesn’t tell us that Bruce has been batman for awhile now, nobody talks about the events of Batman. Instead we get one visual that tells us that Bruce has been batman longe enough to have have had at least Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. It tells us that this is an old, bitter, scarred batman, who has become so caught up in his mission, he’s even killing now. Its a complex story, and unfortunately most people don’t want complex, they want easy, they want every detail explained to them.
Great video. Funnily enough, at mass today the priest was talking about the scene in Man of Steel where Superman goes to Church. Can’t wait for more of your videos. Maybe do one on Vince Gilligan/Peter Gould? I know I’d be down for that
Was it in appreciation of the scene? One thing I noticed is that older people (though I don't know the age of your priest) seem to really understand and like Snyder's movies. A very smart commentator on geopolitics I follow (58yo) once said that Watchmen was one the best movies he'd ever seen. Which makes sense since the movie frames aspects of American imperialism and American self implosion as a society, themes this commentator specializes in. Now when you look at what our generation usually thinks of the movies... I almost lose hope in humanity lol. They are so clueless... Snyder rocks!
This video mades a really good point that Snyder's superhero narrative is pulled between two different ideas: superheroes as benevolent gods versus superheroes as destructive gods, and that this duality pervades Snyder's works. But I think it misses the criticism many people make of Snyder's work, which is that he thinks of superheroes as gods, as übermensch that are better than humanity and can (should?) rule over it. This is the quasi fascism many people find in Snyder's works. Looking at Jor-El and Jonathan Kent's messages can show this. There's a long history of Superman being pulled between his kryptonian heritage and his earthly heritage. In Snyder's version Jor-El wants Kal-El to be a savior whereas Jonathan Kent wants Clark to hide because gods are dangerous. However, there are many versions in which Jonathan Kent's message is not for Clark to hide, but for him to not lose sight of the everyday/everyman values that he was raised with, e.g., respect for others, the value of a hard day's work, justice, fairness, etc. In other words, in these versions Superman is pulled between being human and being a god whereas in Snyder's version Superman is pulled between two different ideas of goodhood. And this is why many people find Snyder's superheroes impersonal and distant.
I think Snyder got the fathers backwards, Jonathan Kent should've been the one encouraging Clark to be a hero, and Jor-El to hide; it's what makes some people read objectivism in this movie because humans are weak and stupid and need to be ruled by the special ones, I don't think that's what he meant but it's what's on the screen
I never noticed your southern accent until now. I'm only a few minutes into the video, my question is whether you'd been hiding it previously or brought out a thicker version for this video..? specifically.
Bro this mans star wars series is one of a kind, probably my favorite video essays on youtube. It really opened my eyes on how much of a masterpiece star wars is.
So true! A lot of new aspects to things you've not thought about, disregarded, and even somewhat agreed with already
@@derrickstorm6976 absolutely
Have you checked the ring theory on SW?
@@psychfi4995 No I haven’t, thanks for the recommendation.
@@wheet5782 you think SW is a masterpiece now... you'll be even more impressed
This was nothing short of incredible. I’m by no means a huge fan or apologist for Snyder, but this was a rather refreshing, concise, and neutral look at the man’s filmography and what he likes to bring to his films narratively/philosophically. That open-ended nature is frustrating, but it is undoubtedly different. Love that you’re branching out to other content, please keep up the great work.
*It's not that neutral. This tries to make Zack Snyder look like Christopher Nolan.* Nolan is giving audiences an idea to think about. Snyder is giving us pictures and... well, just walks away to let you figure it out after buying the movie ticket.
@@hulkhatepunybanner Didn't watch the video.
@@julianseguin2748 *Sure. And I have the PTSD to prove it.* Happy Christmas.
@@hulkhatepunybanner typical Zack Snyder hater. Extremely fragile, severely lacking intelligence, and refuses to let him have his credit.
@@hulkhatepunybanner You may disagree on that perspective, but funnily enough it just makes me understand why those 2 are friends in real life hahaha
What I have always enjoyed about this channel is that it came out of the blue and dropped the hardest star wars analysis videos on the internet. Then continues to make amazing videos
Have you seen the channel Rick Worley?
We’ll said!
I do like how you did something similar (and quite meta if I'm honest) for the video itself - is it pro-Snyder or anti-Snyder? Neither - it merely presents the two sides just as Snyder does in his own work
No, this video is very absolutely pro-Snyder. It uses a lot of neutral language but the bias is clear
@@gavinmcphie6936 It still acknowledges the less favourable interpretations of his work, which is the point- Snyders work is open ended to his supporters and detractors
@@gavinmcphie6936 I think so too. He called snyder of things that are clearly compliments. An artist that makes you think. Can't get better than that.
Creating discussion and controversy with your films really isn’t a big achievement.
@@borkwoof696 That's usually how art house films work
Your practice of posting high quality, thoughtful videos every couple months is an inspiration
I love how you chose to focus on Snyder. I feel that him and Lucas are similar in the way they are willing to be stylishly vulnerable... and how their audiences tragically reject it.
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily Snyder’s audience that rejects him but more of those who don’t see film the way he does. Snyder is a cinematic storyteller in a medium that is primarily visuals. From what I can tell from the side that hate his work they focus more on things like dialogue or realism rather than the interpretation of the visuals. If you make a movie the visuals should be the primary method of conveying story in a visual medium.
@@Sci-Fi_Freak_YT Then maybe he should stick with paintings...? Loads of allegories in visual department with no substance to support them is just pretensiousness, which is what Snyder's critics are actually saying.
@@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom you do realize that film started off being SILENT without DIALOGUE right? How did they convey story? VISUALS.
@@Sci-Fi_Freak_YT They had dialogue, in text. And a lot of those silent movies still has far more substance than the average Snyder stuff.
@@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom maybe it's the substances you are not engaged with .
Cause, clearly, Zack Snyder makes expensive indie films with the story, plot points, executions and styles and cinematography.
I loved your Star Wars videos, and was beyond elated when you teased one about Snyder -- and you didn't disappoint.
Glad to deliver for you!
@@SoUncivilized414 this video made me unsubscribe, just saying.
film critics calling anything “politically naive” just sets me off in a way I didnt know existed
film critics are known to publish some of the dumbest takes imaginable
Film critics are some of the laziest writers you’ll find out there.
CZcamsr Local mentioned a lazy review The Guardian gave on Avatar 2. They really just say whatever they think will get the most eyeballs.
bit unfair to lump in all critics because of the few clickbaiters who get the most attention
@@Toxodos Lol it’s not a few
@@gianni206 it is if you actually look at all critics, or even just the famous ones. You only ever see the "loud" ones, the ones with the "hot takes" or the most extreme opinions, because those are naturally the most interesting.
This is like the popular thinking that journalists or at least main stream media is nothing but clickbait anymore, when not only WE are the ones who keep clicking the bait, and more importantly (and worse), we only remember the clickbait headlines anyway
the thing is... EVERYTHIING HE MAKES BECOME A CULT CLASSIC.... WATCHMEN-300-BVS-MOS-JL.... AND TO ME... THAT WHAT MAKES SOMEONE A GOOD STORY TELLER... WRITING A GOOD STORY.... STORY THAT EFECTS DIFFERENT PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY..
DOES THE LAST JEDI COUNT?
@@WL1264TLJ isn't Snyder's film
@@ChucNguyen-yb4bq I know
@@WL1264Then why're you mention it here?
The Room is a cult classic too
I have been waiting 6 months for your next release and I was not disappointed. I am much less familiar with Snyder than Stars Wars, but your same artistic and clear way of breaking down directors and their vision was as keen as ever. I appreciate how you do not even give an opinion but instead, like Snyder, present a story that allows our own interpretation.
I know lots of people laugh at how hyper-masculine the Spartans look in 300 but, having literally just come back from a holiday in Greece, I think that also ties into the propaganda at play by Delios.
In all of the Greek artistry on vases and statues, the strong men are depicted with abs. It's the Greeks portraying (in a romanticised sense) their own idealised version of a male body.
The Spartans in 300 also bare those abs, as if taken straight from the marble carvings of a statue of Zeus. It's a glorification of the Greek body through their own propagandistic lens.
Greeks having a perfect body or not matters little when their history is filled with a ton of wars
So they are worthy of having godlike bodies in their imagination
Or if the correct nutrition and knowledge of how to work out your body to get a specific physique
Ancient Greeks have one of the oldest histories and they are known worldwide for many reasons
True and there is nothing inherently wrong with this, it is wonderful and should be praised. Just like beautiful women.
"What is Zack Snyder's Justice League rated R for? I think it's rated R for violence and nudity - no, not nudity. That would be cool"
- Zack 'Based' Snyder
Cringe
Martha scene is breaking down Batman’s idea that Superman was an alien/god that was detached from humanity.
When Superman was about to die his only plea was for him to save his mother. It wasn’t the name Martha that spared Superman but Lois Lane explaining that it is “His Mother”.
In the scene you see that Bruce becomes more aggressive after hearing Martha but drops the spear when he realizes he was wrong about Superman.
Batman was a villain in BvS that blamed Superman for what happened in Metropolis. Blame it on PTSD or Survivors guilt, it’s definitely a different take on Batman.
Batman wasn't wrong though, Superman really did a bad job at saving Metropolis, he didn't try to lure aliens away from city.
This scene doesn't work because Superman calls his mother by name for some reason and because Batman already killed criminals punisher style, who had families too. This wouldn't stop him.
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p try to lure zod away from the city? How would Clark do that? Zod already said he would kill every human. If Clark left, Zod would start doing just that.
@@ParagonSlayer0 Not the finale. The battle in Smalville starts from Clark slamming Zod through factory and gas station because he threatened his mother on the farm (leaving mom with 3 other aliens, instead of just taking her and flying away). Which results in Faora and other guy coming for Zod and fighting Clark in the town. Or when Zod throws a gas truck at him, he dodges it instead of catching, which results in explosion of a building. I get that it barely matter on the grand scale of destruction, but it's not how a true hero should act.
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p it’s literally his first day on the job. The point is he still has a lot to learn and acts before thinking. This was all on service of the overall character arc for him through the five movie arc that was planned. Maybe that’s not “how a true hero should act”, but the movies focus is on Superman the person, a fallible, human character. He doesn’t know the right answer all the time, he’s not perfect.
@@ParagonSlayer0 I know. But they should have addressed the tragedy of people dying more clear. Maybe that's why he screams after killing Zod? Doesn't seem so. I expected him to be grown as a hero over the movies, but in ZSJL he is even more cruel and reckless. JL2017 did better job.
I was reluctant to watch this as every other Snyder video decides that he’s either the worst or the best and offers nothing of substance more but I’m so glad I watched this as it offered more insight than I could have ever expected
Zack Snyder is like George Lucas. Everyone praised him for his early works, then criticized him for the more philosophical approach, and now we all want both of them back.
Yes and no. George Lucas is a infinite font of creativity. Zach almost wholly lacks it
That is not at all true lmao
@@trequor hahaha..yeah..cuz WB nowadays made more than 500 million after Zack left😂
No no no. Totally different. George Lucas creativity and simplisitic story never stopped. Zack Synder copy paste comics frame by frame without knowing the context for half of it. For context, the literal copy paste film - The Watchmen.
@@ashishhembrom3905 except he didn't even copy and paste half the actual symbolic scenes. For example, when Rorschach leaves a child killer handcuffed in a burning house, with an axe. instead, he just has Rorschach kill him. He's so bad at understanding any form of genuine symbology and philosophy
I do find his work to be highly fascinating for the reasons you listed -it presents us with two sides of the same coin concerning a conflict:
- 300: Inspiration or propaganda?
- Sucker Punch: Exploitation or empowerment?
- Man of Steel: Salvation or destruction?
BvS: fear or faith
Army of the Dead: greed or convictions
@@pierredufour6164 BvS to me strikes me more of a story about Power. Batman's arc is of a man learning to overcome his own anger over his own powerlessness (powerless to save his parents, powerless to save Robin, powerless to save his employees in Metropolis). As Alfred says to Bruce, "it's the feeling of powerlessness that turns a good man cruel." And that's what has happened to him.
Superman, conversely, is confronted about having ultimate power and everyone on Earth having an opinion on what he should do with his power. This is carried over from Man of Steel a bit as his two father have different ideas on how he should use his powers.
Even Lex Luthor has an arc related to the notions of power. Obviously, he wants to gain more power and kill the most powerful man in the world, but he also says something quite interesting to Superman, "I figured it out way back. If god is all powerful, then he cannot be all good. If he is all good, then he cannot be all powerful."
And he says to Superman when he's on his knees, "and now god bends to my will."
Anyway, the film doesn't quite put it all together, but there's interesting ideas that Snyder was going for.
@@TheGeorgeD13 my main issue with it, more than anything, is just how far he removes the characters from what their usual use case is, in that sense. Superman is, fundamentally, an accusation leveled at everyone who has ever used the excuse of "power corrupts" to explain a moral failing, as he is virtually all powerful, yet he still tries to help people instead of exploit them. Batman is a combination between dealing with trauma, and trying to use the emotions that trauma caused to help prevent others from feeling that same trauma. And Lex is a description of greedy, corrupt businessmen, but unlike most of them, is genuinely smart enough to deserve even a fraction of the wealth they possess. None of the characters Snyder produced touched on those more subtle cornerstones of their characters in a way that felt like he understood those cornerstones, which left them feeling more dark or, in Lex's case, more of a joke, than they more commonly are portrayed, and in a way which does not benefit my, and a decent number of other people's, enjoyment of the characters.
The Martha scene in BvS is not about Batman and Superman becoming “best friends” because they realized their moms had the same first name. That scene is about Superman reminding Batman of Bruce’s own humanity, and after self reflection, Batman realizes the error of his way. Bruce Wayne is coming to the brutal realization that he has become a villain to stop someone else from maybe becoming a villain, and his and Clark’s Mom’s name are completely coincidental. While we can argue about the execution of the scene, the purpose of it is extremely important to Batman’s character arc in the movie, and i find it quite absurd that people genuinely believe that Bruce’s ptsd flashback is actually just him and Superman turning into the super friends because of a stupid meme.
The nuances of that scene are completely lost on a lot of people. Afflecks performance was perfect in that moment, it was 90 percent body language. Someone with deep trauma can feel like they're in a deep trance. And hearing his mothers name snapped him out if it in that moment.
@@blw4089because the delivery flopped and they had to throw out all realism in dialogue to make it happen, even in this video he called it a clumsy move.
I don't think anyone thinks it was about superman and batman becoming "best friends", everyone knew Batman would have to see the humanity in superman to come to a sort of truce, it's just how they reached it.
Superman could of just said "lex luthor has my mom, can we continue this after I save her" and it would of had the same affect.
@@Era-lk1lo and Batman attacked him immediately. And even is he had said that, Bruce was in no state of mind to listen to him in that moment.
300 was written from the perspective of a witness to the battle of Thermopylae, and explorers in ancient times were known for exaggerating things they saw on their travels. Not only that, the story is deliberately embellished to hype up the other Greek city-states to fight the Persians.
Yep, exactly. It's very much in the spirit of what it's showing.
@@SoUncivilized414 the problem when we see him telling the story...... All the Greeks are still shirtless and not wearing their historical armor. Xerxes is still seen as a monster not the zorrastian bearded king he was. Making it that yes all the things told was true
@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl that's the problem with visual storytelling, we tend to take for granted what we see, without making the biased perspective explicit we have no reason to believe it's not accurate. If Snyder really meant this to be biased, he failed (also it would've help not to make the villains more feminine and queer coded than the heroes, or make the heroes explicitly queer; homophia really undermines the argument that this isn't conservative propaganda)
Film is a visual medium. It's entirely dependent on visuals to communicate the story. And my point is when we pan out and see for ourselves the one eyed soldier telling us his story........ 5he visuals we are greeted with is that All of the Greeks are still shirtless and with out their historical armor. Xerxes is still a monster not the zorrastian bearded king he is. All of this despite we are no longer seeing the story through the one eye of that soldier.
Sucker punch is a great movie
I think BvS contains a lot of callbacks to it. hell, the Knightmare future is reminiscent to some of the dream sequences from Sucker Punch. it starts with narration and a funeral too...
@@sunsetman22 BVS contains LOTS of references to Snyder's past work which I find very interesting:
- The Knightmare sequence, the opening narration, the funeral (Sucker Punch)
- The vigilante 'hero' of the story deals his own brand of justice against a criminal seen as degenerate in society (Watchmen)
- The 'hero' of the story attempts to make the god king bleed with a spear to the cheek (300)
It's through this manner of quoting his previous work that Snyder is able to carry on the themes present and address them in a new context, like Lucas did with his poetry in Star Wars or Coppola did in the Godfather series.
@@Onezy05sad part is that most people would rather die than actually recognise Zack as anything other than "trash".
You've heard of death of the author where meaning of art is completely divorced from the intent of the author, this is its contraposed : the resurection of the author where you derive your own meaning by first understanding who the author is.
Damn, that's a great way of putting it
Some of my favorite movies are Watchmen, Sucker Punch, 300, Man of Steel. Shame on me for never realizing those movies have one thing in common, Zack Snyder. And after watching this video, it's pretty darn obvious. The way narrative is told and the cinematography. Pick a random timestamp from any of those, take a screenshot, and odds are you'll get a really cool desktop background.
You made me make a decision to re watch every Snyder movie. Owl thing will be a new one for me. Big thanks, big like and a new sub. Keep up the great work
Ew sucker punch
I friggin love suckerpunch
Does anyone care what critics think, anymore?
They care.
I love Snyder, hes a genius. I mean this video opened new way of me to see his movies, and you are right. Hes films are two movies at the same time, contradicting themselves. One makes sense and the other is genuinly hated.
what I don't like is that people go a bit too overboard with the hatred, and then it leads to a very toxic discourse around his films, and people treating him as if he were some sort of criminal, which is ridiculous and overdramatic to say the least. it speaks to the power of his films imo
I see what you did there, not giving us a resolution or picking a conclusion, and forcing us to actually contemplate Snyder's motivations. From someone who hates his interpretation of Superman... well done, you just forced me to tackle this from a completely off-balance perspective that short-circuited my usual response. While I believe Superman is best interpreted through a traditionalist perspective, with the core heart being the inherent clear goodness of Clark and the Kents, and that is my biggest criticism of Man of Steel, I will at the very least now find myself wrestling with Snyder's vision with fresh eyes. I may be due for a rewatch of his filmography.
This isn't the first time you've done it either, providing an incisive take on the Prequels that resonated with me as well. This was all just a long way of saying thank you, once again.
jeezzzz... you have a superficial standpoint regarding Superman as a being/figurehead.
@@godzillazfriction Not at all. But do go on, provide a counter point if you have such a scholarly perspective, lol. Or sit down and stfu while the adults in the room are talking. Your choice!
@@bretts8070 ooooooo... that conclusion is very superficial of you.
gotta love that faux idyllic way of perceiving what an 'adult' ought to be as; makes you feel higher & mightier to fill that precious ego, & a higher set of perceived standards.
@@bretts8070 also, can't 'say' anything by 'typing' via text format.
@@bretts8070 unless you were insinuating shutting those fingers up.
I sure know Snyder isn't perfect and has some writing and executing problems, but I love his depth and symbolism and how his movies aren't following Hollywoods philosophy of only money. His movies are art that does exactly what it's supposed to do: split the opinions and tastes of the people. And pitifully the mainstream isn't on board.
But he only wrote like two of his films.
@@user-mx4is4fx3c he wrote the Snyder cut
@@brucewayne8158 No, Chris Terrio did.
He did help with the story but the script was written by Terrio
@@user-mx4is4fx3c A screenplay has to follow a story blueprint. Snyder most definitely wrote the treatment. Terrio definitely followed Snyder’s structure.
@@brucewayne8158 While that's undeniably true, if you look at interviews it's clear that Terrio had a lot of input.
And in general when people criticize writing usually they do on how the script communicates the blueprint. And that's on the writer
This is a perfect summation of Snyder's impact on the industry, his films are meant to be divisive and more layered than your typical Blockbuster. It's nice to see an objective view of his work, because as you mentioned, people go way overboard with the hate and serious accusations he receives. Some people push for the narrative that this man is a facist, and that's fucked up, especially when everyone who has worked with him has nothing but nice things to say about him.
Snyders insanely left leaning like what tf
@@billyboleson2830 Oh I know, but some people like to spread lies
@@billyboleson2830 not super left but definetly not right
He's too shallow to be a facist. I think he just love facistic imageries without really much thinking the implication.
Suckerpunch was definitely anime inspired. So if things are a little off, like in the combat scenarios, yeah that’s why. Anime can be quite crazy
@Skeksorist If only he integrated a good story in it...
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p Like he doesn’t make good stories, which shouldn’t be questioned as he definitely does
@@teleportedbreadfor3days He is good at adapting someone else's stories, but bad at writing his own.
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p Plus made to where Sucker Punch was colourful instead of it being too damn dark and grey.
And made it less depressing.
Also. He sucks at adapting other stories (Snyder sucks ass as a director, Plain and simple)
It is Snyder porn
I have loved snyder much longer than I thought. I never knew he did the Guardians of ga'hoole. That movie is so freaking good. The ending being brothers battling because of their differences. I just remember seeing the imagery and being wowed. Gosh, I know what I'm watching tonight.
When it comes to movies if they do not explore ideas, they're not doing their jobs. I appreciate the thinkers and ones willing to discuss ideas. If you could not create a video that is two minutes or less discussing the general concept and idea of a movie and think wow "I should watch that" the movie sucks.
Couldn't agree more.
I always hated what he did with ga’hoole
I don't necessarily agree with your last sentence (fully support everything else). Take the movie Locke, for example (I bring it up because I just saw it). It's literally just about a guy driving through evening traffic and making phone calls as he tries to salvage his life and deal with the consequences of a big mistake on a buskness trip. Granted, Tom Hardy is a great actor, and it probably would have failed with a lesser performer, but it was actually really captivating. As a general rule, I completely agree. I usually need a sales pitch of a compelling premise to get me to care about checking something out, but there are definitely a fair amount of examples where the premise itself isn't all that, and it's still done really well. Even things with a very well trod and even an over done premise can be done so well that the fact its similar to so many other things doesn't matter.
People are completely oblivious about 300 i swear. First of all it’s based on the graphic novel first, not historical accuracy. Secondly, the reason there are strange monsters and giant elephants and such is because of who narrates the story throughout the movie. The guy missing an eye, like most other Greeks have never seen or heard of much outside of Greece. When he describes the elephants to his soldiers he’s doing it from the perspective of someone who had never seen/heard of elephants before. To the Greeks the elephants are giant and monstrous because they’re new, and this goes for everything that is portrayed as monstrous. It’s all exaggerated because it’s a story being retold by someone.
Fun fact, tha elephant part is historically accurate since Pirrus beat the romans in Benevento because they were afraid of elephants.
This was your first video I've watched that analyzed movies I (mostly) hadn't seen myself, and I want to say, it was still fascinating, entertaining, and thought provoking. So now you and I have some evidence that I didn't like all your previous stuff just because I'm a glutton for Star Wars. Nice work!
AMAZING FILM REVIEW! Finally a critic who understands Snyder’s style of storytelling. Also in a time where movies and entertainment is constantly preaching to us and telling us what to think, this essay GETS why I love him as a filmmaker/ storyteller. His film always stir interesting debates which is something that can’t be said about most of Hollywood’s Directors.
When people try to assume Snyder's political leanings from his movies, they often fail to consider how much of his work are adaptations from various sources of different political leanings.
Yes, he has brushed with the right wing Miller in adapting '300' and has expressed a desire to adapt the Fountainhead, but he also adapted the anti-fascist owl books and 'Watchmen', which was created by the anarchist Alan Moore.
Looking at his original work (such as his DC films or Sucker Punch), it's clear that Snyder is more of a generic liberal, not the quasi randian/fascist/nihilist that people claim him to be
Anti-fascism in not left-wing, fascism was (and is) a left-wing movement. They were called National Socialists for a reason.
When it came to 300 I always thought we were being shown the legend, partly because none of us know the truth of what happened, and partly because few of us actually want to know. As for Suckerpunch, when you actually look at the protagonists, the only innocent among them is the one that leaves/escapes, and each of them comes to the conclusion during their escapades that she is the only one who deserves it. The bus driver at the end, and his face showing in all the fantasy scenes, suggests that there is a supernatural element encouraging them to redeem themselves, and they do so by sacrificing themselves for her, but that's just a pet theory of mine.
The moment you see the demonic portrayal of the Persians is the moment it should become evident that this part of the story is purposely propagandistic and one sided narratively (within the text) to the Spartans
Wrong. We know many historical facts about battle of thermoploy and the Greeks there. Please don't twist the facts
@@MohamedRamadan-qi4hl I wasn't aware that there were any neutral records of the matter. I know there are accounts but the odds that they aren't slanted one way or another is slim, and for the matter, details have been lost. Facts on matters this long ago are best guesses. What facts were I twisting because I was stating opinions?
@@keflyn09 you are trying to present this battle as some how a mystery. When in reality it is on of the most documented battles in all of ancient world.. Using written records like herodotus and archeology we can establish many facts about the battle and tactics used and numbers.
@@keflyn09 the facts about the Greek side of things is actually very clear.
The only other CZcams channel that has the same upload schedule and content quality as Vsauce! (Keep up the good work.)
I feel like not including Dawn of the Dead takes away from Snyders obvious stylistic touches that he's built on with every subsequent film. A lot can be seen in it that he refined later, it's almost bizarre.
Both of his zombie films are outliers in terms of thematic interest though. They're not really about the shapes of narratives, especially mythical narratives, like his other movies very clearly are.
@@TheGeorgeD13 Yes and his first film also showcases a lot of the presentation and close up slow motion shots he uses later in basically everything he continued to make. That's what I meant by style, the certain something that lets me know I'm watching a Zach Snyder film.
Speaking of 300, many criticize it for it's atrocious historical accuracy, but I realized that it is historically accurate in all of it's details: It's a story, narrated by an ancient Greek. It is supposed to be biased, and Spartans wear no armour and show their abs because ancient Greek heroes were depicted naked by ancient Greeks. The epic story is exaggerated, but the film is accurate to the epic story.
"But what about the monsters"
Have you SEEN the myths that the Greeks came up with? They're so pervasive in our modern ideals of what mythology is that we still use them as monsters in our modern art.
The hydra, medusa, kraken etc etc etc are all commonly known monsters to this day because the greeks loved telling tales about them. It makes absolute sense for a soldier to hype up his king and fellow fallen soldiers by telling them of the horrors they had to face.
It is not in any way accurate to the epic story. If anything, it’s accurate to what racist, fascist, and nazi propaganda are.
it's a GRAPHIC NOVEL adaptation.
Can't say I liked Sucker Punch. In fact, I kind of hated it. To me, it felt like the work of a man who fell in love with visuals. No matter the underlying _meat_ of it, the message-that-be was something that could have been condensed into a thirty minute short film. The idea that the movie also wasn't exploitative because it lampshaded itself... That never quite flew with me either. The promotional material was quite clear on this, and coming out after the fact that I was in the wrong for seeing the movie based on that? Nowadays, I'm used to promoters spitting in the face of potential consumers but back then that was quite the slap. Really soured everything.
300 was never meant to be historically accurate, it was an adaptation of a graphic novel and one of the best done ever from novel to film. Critics do not take that into account its complete fiction in the same realm of Netflix's Blood of Zues.
Your comment about the womens sexuality in Sucker Punch being both exploitative and empowering reminds me of what the Worms Hole said about how many women in nerd culture portray this dual nature.
Like with Wonder Woman or any other female comic book character - are they feminist icons or just there to titillate the senses? Both can be true.
Snyder is taking that point and extrapolating it onto women in culture as a whole. Throughout history, their bodies have been preyed upon and exploited by men, but have also served as an empowering tool to get by in society.
I have a problem with a statement like "critics couldn't decide if it was good or not," based on an average rating. The truth is more that some liked it and some didn't. A lack of consensus among critics doesn't mean they were undecided. It just means the opinions of several individual critics weren't agreeing on whether it was good or bad. I doubt any of those critics wrote or said "I don't know if this was good or bad." That nitpick aside, great video!
Well at least one thing we can all agree on is how cool it is that every person who worked with Snyder has nothing but praise for him. Both Emily Browning and Gal Gadot were about to leave the acting business but working with Snyder changed their minds
Emily isn’t a good actresses
@@biguy617 how is this exactly relevant?
@@thabreez456 I always thought that Suckerpunch was the point where Snyder went downhill. I never saw the women in that movie as strong female characters. I saw them as superhero versions of the women from Coyote Ugly and the Spice Girls. They didn’t feel like characters and that is not what I want to see from a female lead movie. I don’t like Movies like Capt Marvel but Suckerpunch wasn’t better either
17:57 « Snyder seems less interested in telling you what to think, than to give you things to think about ». It’s what defines a storyteller, as Brandon Sanderson said in The Way of Kings. Powerful quote, perfectly used here in this video !
#RestoreTheSnyderVerse and #ReleaseTheSnyderPunch. That is all.
Gets asked why did you dress the girls like that
Synder: you did that
Me: lol bro I wasn’t on set that day
It's funny, the order of the videos you have been making has been tracking almost exactly with the movies I have been watching or thinking about at the time. Always great to hear your insights
Same. I only finished Snyders DC trilogy for the first time a few months ago
I wouldn’t say the Martha scene is clumsy. I think its actually pretty realistic tbh. Bruce goes into shock when he hears that name and then comes to the realization that superman might be more human than he previously thought
Simply put….but correct…people make videos on how batman realizes superman has a human mother all
Other bullshit …but this is correct…martha scene serves the purpose of only
Kicking his PTSD in. Then he turns little sane and understands that superman maybe is a good person.
@@itsvignan Not only that but the fact that even when he was about to die, he still worried more about his mother than himself. Batman realized two things, first that Superman was more human and caring than him and second, that he was about to take a childs life away from his mother, the same way that robber took his parents life away.
The clumsy part of this scene is not Batman, is Superman in the brink of being murdered and knowing that in his death his mother will die is worried about his secret identity and pleads the bloodthirsty murder blind by self-righteous rage to save "Martha". Someone that for the perspective of Superman/Clark will be a complete stranger and meaningless women and name to Batman. The only in-fiction explanation to him saying that instead of "Save my mom" or something like that, is that Superman is worried to reveal to Batman who he is, something that makes completely no sense given the context he is in. The out of fiction reason for that, is that Snyder wanted REALLY REALLY bad to drown parallel between both having the same mother name because is something he found out and thought was really clever. The majority of the problems with Snyder films is not intent is execution.
There thing about Batman realizing that Superman is more human that he thought could easily be accomplished with a desperate Superman pleading Batman to save his mother. The scene would work and not be ridiculous. Hell you could maybe even salvage the "Martha" thing if you incorporate it in a more substantial dialogue. Like I don't know Superman pleads to save his mother, Batman doesn't wavier so Superman tell's a little anecdotal about his mother in his infancy and mentions her name. Snyder is not a fan of subtly but this sometimes would improve his work greatly.
@@VitorHugoOliveiraSousa I always took it as Superman giving out as much information as he can to Batman before he kills him. Like if Superman says Save my mom and then dies, Batman would just assume it's another alien or even if he comes to his senses later and trues to save Supes' mom, how would he know who she is?
@@beastyyypie true. Plus Batman's rock-heavy boot was on Superman's throat. It was a struggle for Superman to even get those words out.
Impeccable work my man! Thank you for commiting to low volume and excellent quality!
It's odd how much I hated him then suddenly fell in love with his work.
Getting the brief chance to work with him, was one of the coolest moments of my life
Same (the first part)
Snyder may have faults in his storytelling. But he fails with honor. He is unapologetic about what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. That’s why I deeply respect and admire his work. He’s not afraid of the audience. Or money. Or failing. He makes art in the purest form. That’s rare nowadays
With Suckerpunch it felt like he was making a porno with the only good acting coming from Oscar Isaac and the woman with short blond hair. Emily Browning is a terrible actress.
There is no faults, that's called different viewpoint
@@SergyMilitaryRankings which, in our conceited and self-absorbed era that we live in today, is sadly seen as a "fault".
I’d more than argue that he is more like Christopher Nolan then some realize :-)
i neither love nor hate a dude that directs movies. you have hits, you have misses, and unless you're a creative that has gone through that and been judged by many, you won't understand.
M.Night Shyamalan is a good example of this. Some really great stuff, but admittedly some quite large hiccups in his career too.
@@onemoreminute0543 I will be honest, I never got bored of any of his movies, even including Airbender adaptation, after earth, glass, Old, The Village, The Visit, The Happening.
All of his movies in my opinion are subjectively just as enjoyable as the good, bad and the ugly movie, perfectly pure entertainment.
Glad you make this, shows you can competently speak of movies aside from Star wars and your analysis is on point
Personally I don’t like BvS but I like Snyder, he keeps is dreams but isn’t an ass to those who dislike him which is too rare in Hollywood
Again, congrats for the vid
Well , I hope you can enjoy the ultimate Edition after a month.
Well, have you tried the ultimate Edition??
Bravo! Love that you’re interested in snyder’s work !
Can’t wait for the next star wars video though 💙
I've never seen any of Snyder's films, but I've heard no shortage of opinions on them, heh. It was really cool hearing you talk about his work~ I hope you'll do more stuff like this in the future, and continue to tackle films and directors and etc outside the Star Wars universe. :)
I overall recommend the 9 movies he directed
Dawn Of the dead unrated cut
300
Watchmen ultimate cut
Legends of the guardians Owls Of Gahoole
Sucker Punch extended cut
Man Of Steel
Dawn Of Justice Ultimate edition
Justice League 2021
Army Of The Dead
@@kartikadewi3270Sucker punch and army of the dead were really bad, out of this list I'd recommend 300, Watchmen and man of steel.
I was somewhat reluctant to be convinced, but I can see Snyder from a new perspective now. I think you could do a follow up, though, because I think he reveals more of himself than you give him credit for, in the way he presents both these dichotomies themselves, and the respective sides of them.
Great to see you making videos again. You 100% have the most intelligent, sophisticated and interesting breakdown and analysis videos on the internet. Incredible work! I hope to see more soon
You should have more views because this video is so good
The fact he presents questions about really complex ideas and leaving you to answer them for yourself with the pieces he's presented is a big reason why I like pretty much all of his movies (I still haven't seen Army of the Dead tbh). In a lot of ways, he's very antithetical to the mainstream of Hollywood these days, which I think is partially why he's so divisive. Honestly, I think the media in particular has had it out for the guy ever since Sucker Punch for all of the reasons you described. Is it accurate or fair? No, but good on him for taking it all in stride (even if he does have some off moments). I don't think he's perfect at everything he sets out to do, amd I can always find some specific creative decision I don't particularly love, but he always knows how to leave an impression that keeps me mulling his movies over in my mind well after I see them, which is something I always love when a director is capable of doing that. He puts more thought and consideration into everything he does on a subtextual level than most big name diriectors imo, which is why he's definitely one of my favorite directors working today.
Great video! I agree with almost everything! #RestoreTheSnyderVerse
bro the way this guy edits his videos.. I absolutely love it.
One of the reasons I am a huge Snyder fan is the fact that he puts so much substance in his films. It's more than just what you see on screen, there's so much subtext that goes into each image and composition. It's a visual feast that makes me think at the same time. I always get flak for liking his DC films, yet that doesn't deter me. His take on Superman, and the rest of the Justice League was honestly awesome.
Another great video. When you say that Snyder leaves it to the audience to decide, I had to think of David Lynch. Which is funny cuz I wouldn’t compare the two ever, not in a million years. But your video did kinda open my eyes a little more to Snyder’s intent. But let’s not speak about Army of the dead
I haven't seen AOTD, but I've heard a weird theory that's it's an allegory for Snyder himself having to retrieve and rescue the Snyder cut of JL
@@onemoreminute0543 I mean, the Snyder cut reel is literally on the safe with the money lol
@@Cinna316 Is it? Again, I haven't seen the movie, but that's actually kind of cool
@Erik Kemeey Because the plot and characters are terrible.
Blue Velvet and Sucker Punch both start with shots of curtains (blue and red, respectively). there's one Lynch connection I can think of right off the bat. plus Zack was inspired by Dune 1984 for the Krypton scenes.
Surprisingly nuanced take on Snyders work. Rare to find on yt.
*"In the world of the blind the one-eyed man is king."*
While I’ve always loved his sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant symbolism, I’ve also always appreciated how most of Snyder’s movies really make you think. They don’t force a narrative or message down your throat, but that doesn’t mean they are devoid of meaning. He doesn’t treat his audience like idiots who need everything spelled out for them, which I think has unfortunately become commonplace in movies and TV.
It really feels natural for you to tackle a filmmaker like Snyder after your videos on George Lucas & Star Wars. I consider them both as some of the greatest auteurs of our time, but at the same time a lot of their work seems to be the most controversial. For that reason, I would love to see that video on Avatar next. Despite a lot of the praise and success of James Cameron in the past, I feel like he's a filmmaker who's sparked a lot of controversy with his upcoming Avatar sequels. It would be an interesting topic to explore, because it's undoubtedly one of the most ambitious projects we've seen from a single filmmaker since the Star Wars prequels, but on the other hand there's a lot of people out there who think it's a massive waste of time trying to build off a film like Avatar to such a degree. But in many ways I think Avatar is very comparable to the original Star Wars in how it tells a familiar story in a new way, and so it doesn't surprise me why James Cameron would see the potential for what it could do next. After all, as you explored in your How Empire Turns Star Wars On Its Head video, Cameron shares a lot of similarities to Lucas with their approach in how they continue to explore ideas in their sequels.
Gonna try to beat Way of Water to a release with that one.
I think most this had to do with his comments regarding Avengers, while he announced his new Avatar films.
James Cameron was inspired to become a filmmaker by Star Wars and became a personal friend of George Lucas later in life. Just goes to show that the "never meet your heroes" philosophy isn't completely true. It's USUALLY true but Lucas proved to be one of the exceptions to that rule since Cameron must have built him up in his head for years and when he finally met him, they became friends.
I do love how everyone is already going to the comments and arguing over whether Snyder is a visionary or a hack, when the video itself acknowledges both sides but makes the astute observation of concepts undeniably present in his work regardless of if you love him or hate him
Well, i mean, it would be hard to call him a hack after this video showed so much substance. The negative standpoint should be that of misguidedness or naivety. A hack would not offer any substance at all
@@BboyCZcamsHandle Exactly. I don't think he's a hack at all. He just has unique artistic sensibilities.
@@BboyCZcamsHandle Subtance should be developed and integrated well in the story. Ideas are not enough without execution. Otherwise The Last Jedi is a great movie.
@@user-xx6vy9ri8p and with Snyder it is except for maybe with Army of the Dead, something the video also avoided. The Last Jedi puts more effort into alienating the audience and subverting tropes than it does integrating its substance, that’s the big problem
@@BboyCZcamsHandle And Sucker Punch. And Justice League. And BvS.
Brilliant video. You really nailed down the core idea of every Snyder movie is about exploring ideas bigger than the movie itself. And yes some of the points he makes in his films are more for us to discuss than him resolving themselves, but it's why his movies are always interesting to watch.
Not a fan of Snyder (but I realise a lot of that comes from disliking his adaptations) but its undeniable the man is different. His movies have this confident air around them, he knows what he's doing and he's doing it deliberately and I think writing off his style as stupid or ignorant is doing him an immense disservice.
Awesome video! I was certainly taken aback by the mentioning of the Guardians of Ga'hool. Seemed like it was an incredibly movie that is rarely mentioned nowadays. I look forward to seeing your next video!
Snyder’s movies are my absolute favorite. I still haven’t seen Sucker Punch - but I can’t rewatch BvS enough. Ironically, that movie had a very real life example of how this story plays out with WB cutting 30 minutes from the film and two sides completely hating each other without trying to see eye-to-eye. I hated the theatrical version, but I am awestruck by the Ultimate Edition. I have seen that film no less than 15 times and it gets better every rewatch.
I honestly don't think the ultimate cut is that much better. It's still very shallow
that trash was compromised since day one. it's a corporately mandated advertisement for the next movies in line
It's hilarious how the people who claim that Snyder's work is nihilist are also the same people complaining about his overtly obvious Christian imagery lol
@@robotlobster2197 I think it's pretty obvious he's not a nihilist. There's definitely no contradiction there.
The fact that people seem to think that nihilism equals 'brooding/edgy/grainy filter' nowadays is quite frankly embarrassing. On that front, media literacy really is dead.
@@onemoreminute0543And considering after Rebel moon R rated versions have released, I'd say Chalice Of Blood and Curse Of Forgiveness are still just as awesome as his superman trilogy so far.
I don't know. Sounds to me like Snyder just doesn't have the stones to actually commit to one philosophy.
Not at all. He's a very "non-nihilist" guy and his movies show that.
@@psychfi4995 Being against a philosophy is not a substitute for having a philosophy.
There's a difference between presenting multiple philosophies and not having a philosophy of your own.
@@AwSamWeston I think it's simply an acknowledgement of the complexity of certain issues:
The point about the women in Sucker Punch both being exploited and empowered due to their sexuality reminds of a point the worms hole made about Wonder Woman (and other female comic book characters), about how in nerd culture she is both a feminist icon AND a form of eye candy to titillate the senses.
Both can be true, and Snyder is essentially extending that dichotomy to the experience of women in history as a whole. A woman's body is what was preyed upon and exploited by men throughout the ages, but it's also what she can use to dig her way out of situations and get by in society.
To focus solely on one of these viewpoints (exploitation/empowerment) would be naive and neglect the existence of the other.
From that standpoint, I suppose Snyder is just trying to be sincere with the duality he shows in his work, be it with fact and fiction (300) or salvation and destruction (Man of Steel)
Thanks!
I've seen only Man of Steel and loved it, but heard only bad things about the other movies (except 300). But from what I hear Snyder does stuff that I like, and old enough to enjoy.
Man of Steel says that Superman is above the law. But he isn’t. It says Superman doesn’t need humility but he does. It says that his power is absolute but it isn’t. power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That isn’t who Superman is
@@biguy617 Too much thought. I'm not a fan of comics, I liked the more serious interpretations and that he was forced to kill in the end.
I like Snyder's films. Good video! Thanks!
One thing I love about Snyders movies is that if you take random clips from all his movies and put them together like you did at the end of this video, it seems to create one universe
I just love love love that you're branching out to different movies now. Your Star Wars breakdowns were all amazing, and I'm glad you have the freedom to cover whatever you want. You really captured my own feelings on Zack Snyder as a filmmaker. Everything about him is so contradictory yet somehow works, and it works in a way that nobody else could pull off.
All I know is after watching the newest Thor, the only thing that could cure my cape-shit induced headache was ZSJL. That says something, I don't know what, maybe snyder does...
This honestly puts Snyder into a perspective that I could never explain, and I feel like the world should see this. He complicates things, but the complication can be misunderstood, and I think the best way to understand it, as you mention, is to find the contradictions at play within each film’s narrative. The film narratives themselves aren’t contradictory, but it’s the contradictions they propose through the way they’re pointed out when viewing tools of a story. Man of Steel did this masterfully based on how you put it, and I applaud you for it. I genuinely do think Snyder gets a bad wrap for many reasons, but this video helps clear things up a lot.
Side note: I think the real flaw behind the drama surrounding 300 is that people think it’s based on the actual battle, and it helps if people know it’s really based on a COMIC BOOK DEPICTION of the battle. The characterization and narration by Dilios should put that into perspective. Aside from Dilios’s own story, it doesn’t seem to put it into a propaganda mindset, and to put it bluntly, it’s really made as a wild comic adaptation that seeks to elaborate more on the 300 spartans’ complex themes in a better way than the book. Is it 100% perfect? No. But I think it comes back to that slight misunderstanding of the movie’s motivation and directive purpose. Oh, and the criticism of it relating to Hitler was just flat out dumb.
Beautifully done. As a person who's been preaching the gospel of "Snyder's movies have a DIY interpretation" for years now, I teared up a bit towards the end of this. Thank you for making and sharing this with the world.
I love your channel, not only it has s tier content but your relaxing voice and your script makes your videos a relaxing movie lesson.
I remember coming across a Reddit thread where someone asked 'Should Zack Snyder be allowed to direct a Star Wars movie?' and literally everyone in the thread said NO.
Sheesh, talk about close mindedness.
Snyder's too good for the train wreck that Star Wars has been since 2015. Why would he even want to get involved in that dumpster fire?
1) it's a Reddit Star Wars thread, it was over before it even began
2) Zack's upcoming Rebel Moon will be better than anything Disney Star Wars has been able to produce since 2015, I can guarantee that.
@@sunsetman22 Damn straight
The only gripe that I have about your video is that you did not include his directorial debut which was the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. I bring that one up because much like his later films there is some divisive qualities about Dawn of the Dead. Such as Zach having a character who is basically a stand-in for what would be considered an alt-right personality who survives to the end of the movie meanwhile the one character who claims to be a gay former chior boy is killed. But also like his later films it is one hell of a ride that very much calls upon the tropes of the zombie genre and was part of this new wave of zombie films that included films like 28 days and 28 weeks later. That being said I am glad that you did not neglect Legend of the Guardians. Or the other major films in his filmography such as his comic efforts and Sucker Punch( since I'm pretty sure that the graphic novel which 300 is based off of was actually published by Dark Horse or vertigo which if my memory serves are DC properties there for they fall within the Warner purview of the DC rights) . Speaking frankly I am one of those people that you reference in the video who likes how substantive Zack's work is. How his films are layered with narratives that speak Beyond just simply what's on the screen. And to that end I have very much been of the belief especially in recent years since ZSJL actually came out, that his work being misinterpreted is very much like the works of Lucas particularly the prequels. And like Lucas while the detractors have been getting more and more fervent in their hatred of anything new, the last bastions of his Creative Vision have gained quite the reputation as misunderstood and over hated. And I've noticed a shift particularly in the lead-up to the release of ZSJL, that shows that there is room and there are fans for that kind of creativity within the Hollywood System. Hell I'd even add the likes of Rian Johnson as well as Lana and Lily Wachowski to the list. And I must say that it is rather gratifying watching people who enjoy their works be able to get the satisfaction of having their intuitions proved correct. And so even though I had the one complaint about your video much like with all of your Star Wars content I am blown away
Amagazing video. Zack is a artist. He is my favorite director
Do people realize that 300 is based on a comic book? Because a lot of the critics do not seem to get that...
My god what a masterpiece batman v superman is
The fact you don’t have over a Million subs is an absolute crime. Keep up the great work man!
One of these director video essays would be great for Christopher Nolan
A lot to think about here, thank you
Snyder made me love superman,he is the reason why I started reading superman comics and loved wholesome superman(all star superman) so without him I would think that Superman is boring
It would be nice to see another Star Wars video, but considering avatar 2 is coming out this year, I think a deep dive into Cameron and/or Avatar as a whole would be interesting, not to mention topical
Its been my feeling, that Snyder tells complex stories, where everything is not explicitly explained to you, that you actually have to pay attention to. He makes movies, they way someone might write a book, except the opposite. When reading a book, the events that happen, the way the characters look, and the actions they take, are all viewed by your imagination. You have to fill in the holes of the visual for yourself. Snyder tells a story with complex visuals, but allows you to fill in the holes yourself with a great amount of visual details but leaves its meaning up to the viewer as to what that image means. A great example is in BVS, when we see the massacred outfit of Jason Todd, the movie doesn’t tell us that Bruce has been batman for awhile now, nobody talks about the events of Batman. Instead we get one visual that tells us that Bruce has been batman longe enough to have have had at least Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. It tells us that this is an old, bitter, scarred batman, who has become so caught up in his mission, he’s even killing now. Its a complex story, and unfortunately most people don’t want complex, they want easy, they want every detail explained to them.
Great video, I think this may become one of my favourite video essay channel honestly.
Will you be making a video or videos on "Rebel Moon" when part 1 and/or part 2 come out? Sense "Rebel Moon" was originally a "Star Wars" pitch of his.
Dude, you're just amazing..
Great video. Funnily enough, at mass today the priest was talking about the scene in Man of Steel where Superman goes to Church. Can’t wait for more of your videos. Maybe do one on Vince Gilligan/Peter Gould? I know I’d be down for that
I was literally just about to ask if he'd do something covering the BreakingBadverse. Perhaps my favourite narrative drama of all time.
Was it in appreciation of the scene? One thing I noticed is that older people (though I don't know the age of your priest) seem to really understand and like Snyder's movies. A very smart commentator on geopolitics I follow (58yo) once said that Watchmen was one the best movies he'd ever seen. Which makes sense since the movie frames aspects of American imperialism and American self implosion as a society, themes this commentator specializes in. Now when you look at what our generation usually thinks of the movies... I almost lose hope in humanity lol. They are so clueless... Snyder rocks!
@@psychfi4995 "This film makes us think. 0/10 would not recommend."
@@bluesbest1 lol
@@psychfi4995 I am a rather young person, and I like Snyder's movies too.
This video mades a really good point that Snyder's superhero narrative is pulled between two different ideas: superheroes as benevolent gods versus superheroes as destructive gods, and that this duality pervades Snyder's works.
But I think it misses the criticism many people make of Snyder's work, which is that he thinks of superheroes as gods, as übermensch that are better than humanity and can (should?) rule over it. This is the quasi fascism many people find in Snyder's works. Looking at Jor-El and Jonathan Kent's messages can show this.
There's a long history of Superman being pulled between his kryptonian heritage and his earthly heritage. In Snyder's version Jor-El wants Kal-El to be a savior whereas Jonathan Kent wants Clark to hide because gods are dangerous.
However, there are many versions in which Jonathan Kent's message is not for Clark to hide, but for him to not lose sight of the everyday/everyman values that he was raised with, e.g., respect for others, the value of a hard day's work, justice, fairness, etc. In other words, in these versions Superman is pulled between being human and being a god whereas in Snyder's version Superman is pulled between two different ideas of goodhood. And this is why many people find Snyder's superheroes impersonal and distant.
I think Snyder got the fathers backwards, Jonathan Kent should've been the one encouraging Clark to be a hero, and Jor-El to hide; it's what makes some people read objectivism in this movie because humans are weak and stupid and need to be ruled by the special ones, I don't think that's what he meant but it's what's on the screen
@Erik Kemeey that's why I say that the message is probably not intentional
I never noticed your southern accent until now. I'm only a few minutes into the video, my question is whether you'd been hiding it previously or brought out a thicker version for this video..? specifically.
It's kind of inconsistent in real life tbh.
_"we don't have to depend upon the kindness of strangers"_
wow what an intro.
Loved this, I’d love to see you talk about Zack Snyder’s Justice League in depth