5. Zack Snyder
For the longest time I considered not putting him on the list at all because of his reputation for
Sucker Punch and divided reception on MoS. I thought that instead I should put David Fincher, but the only true CBM he directed was
Alien 3. But it isn’t like Zack Snyder doesn’t have credibility at all. He did direct
Watchmen and
300 and that is exactly why he is on this list.
4. Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright commands this position for his work on
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, with its action, comedy, romance and heart, which leaves many a fan desperately awaiting his upcoming work on Marvel’s phase 3 film Antman.
3. Matthew Vaughn
For this position, look no further than
Kick-Ass and
X-Men: First Class.
Kick-Ass would have been enough to cemented Vaughn on my list, but extra merit goes to his work on reviving, against seemingly all odds, a franchise thought almost to be beyond saving: X-Men. Though it did come with its own set of problems, they are almost nothing compared to the epic story of First Class. Matthew Vaughn not only delivered on a rushed schedule, worrying reshoots, and nearly insurmountable pressure from both the studio and fans alike.
2. Richard Donner
Before
Superman, super heroes were looked at as being nerd material, and while it was still looked at that way after
Superman’s release, it was a concept which Donner had begun the downfall of, and started in mainstreaming, for better or worse. His work on
Superman and
Superman 2 are considered not only to be classics, but as essential for watching as the likes of
Star Wars and
The Wizard of Oz.
1. Christopher Nolan
I think we all knew he was going to be on this list somewhere. His work on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is unparalleled. This man has single handedly revolutionized the super hero genre, with his only black mark being
The Dark Knight Rises. This being said,
The Dark Knight Rises was never a bad idea, just one I consider to be half baked as far as writing goes. But even this film has its fans, and when your worst film is still liked by many, you know you have a master director.
Honorable mentions go to
Darren Aronofsky, Joss Whedon, Joe Johnston, Jon Favreau, Guillermo Del Toro, Tim Burton, Josh Trank, Sam Raimi (Whom I will not forgive for the god awful Oz)
, Joseph Kosinski and Niell Blomkamp.