With Batman Vs. Superman set to start principle photography any day now what can we expect to see from visionary director Zach Snyder? Well, we can get a pretty good idea from looking back at his filmography. Snyder blasted onto the scene in 2004 by pulling off one of the most difficult feats in film-making — successfully remaking a classic horror film in Dawn of the Dead.
In 2006 he put together a visually stunning adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel 300, before taking on the herculean task for translating Alan Moore's magnum opis Watchmen to the big screen. His next project was an animated movie Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and then Sucker Punch in 2011, which he also wrote.
Following Sucker Punch, which was a critical and box office flop, Snyder quickly signed on the direct Man of Steel and will follow that successful reboot with 2016's Batman Vs. Superman. In preparation for this new film I decided to go back and re-watch some of his previous work and began to notice a few patterns. Here (in list form) are a few scenes and images that keep popping up in each of his films (full disclosure I have not and will not be seeing Sucker Punch):
Disclaimer: This list is for FUN, so please don't fly off the handle...
5. Slow-Motion
Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way right off the bat. The "Synder uses too much slow motion" knock has been around since 300 and with Man of Steel using none of his formerly signature slo-mo/fast-mo transitions I think we can safely say we won't be seeing much of this in Batman Vs. Superman. But three still makes a trend and Snyder does like to play around with the visual speed of his films. While I haven't seen Sucker Punch I understand it takes this visual tool and does its best to completely break it.
Used in: 300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch
Primary offender: Sucker Punch
4. Skulls
This one is a little unfair I suppose, but he has used PILES of skulls in at least two movies (300 and Man of Steel) and Watchmen has two scenes involving skeletons. You may say, in the case of 300 and Watchmen, he was just sticking to the source material. Well, he did choose to direct these films so I'm counting it. Also the skulls are often given a lot of prominence both in their visual representation (300 has multiple close ups on skulls and actually opens the film on a shot of a pile of skulls) and in their importance to the story (the codex in Man of Steel in the shape of a skull).
Used in: 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel
Primary Offender: 300
3. Men on Fire
I remember when Watchmen was coming out a special feature was released showing a behind the scenes look at the prison break scene. It focused largely on a random prisoner being set on fire, which I found some what odd at the time. Looking at his other films men on fire has been something to appear consistently across his filmography from his first film (Dawn of the Dead) to his latest (Man of Steel). So might Superman set Batman on fire in Man of Steel 2? Well, the Scarecrow did it in Batman Begins so why not?! The men on fire gimmick really gets ramped up in Watchmen though, where at least a half dozen men in four different scenes are set ablaze.
Used in: Dawn of the Dead, Watchmen, Man of Steel
Primary Offender: Watchmen
2. Awkwardly graphic 'love making'/rape
This was one of my biggest fears heading into Man of Steel. In every single one of his movies up to this point there was at least one scene of a graphic sexual encounter or rape. Some films like 300 and Watchmen had both! Would we see Clark and Lois doing it in slo-mo like Leonidas and his wife? Or maybe like Nite Owl and Silk Specter II Superman would rip of his costume in the fortress of solitude? Thankfully neither happened and I pray Lex Luther does not rape Lois Lane in ANY upcoming Superman movies.
Used in: Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch (I assume)
Primary Offender: Watchmen
1. Screaming into the Camera While Falling to Your Knees
Ahhhhhh! It is the emotional climax of the film and I don't know any other way to convey emotions! Ahhhhh! Ok, this is the one that made me want to write this list. In 300, Watchmen and Man of Steel every time something emotionally charged happens Snyder has his actor look into the camera and just scream. Your son's head was cut off? Scream into the camera. Your being shot with arrows? Scream into the camera. Your partner is disintegrated? Scream into the camera. You just snapped your enemy's neck? Scream into the camera. There are hundreds of ways to convey sadness, anger, regret, pain, etc. on screen, why is this same shot done over and over and over again? I don't know, but I am willing to bet at one point in Man of Steel 2 Batman falls to his knees and screams right at the camera.
Used in: Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen, Man of Steel
Primary Offender: Zach Snyder