3 Zack Snyder Movies That Don’t Get Enough Love From Fans

Love him or hate him, Zack Snyder has one of the most easily distinguishable styles in Hollywood today. With his undying affinity for slow-motion effects and what could be described as an obsession with a muted color palette, films directed by Zack Snyder are in a league of their own when it comes to style. That hyper-stylized approach to filmmaking has earned him a successful and long-running career, and he’s shown no signs of abandoning that trademark approach any time soon. With films such as 300, Man of Steel, and Justice League under his belt, Zack Snyder has been at the helm of several blockbuster hits that have hauled in a collective $3.1 billion at the box office throughout his career. That’s some serious cheddar – but what about his films that don’t get enough love from fans?

Like most famous directors, Zack Snyder began his career far away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. He wet his creative beak making national commercials and directing music videos for famous musical artists such as ZZ Top and Morrisey. Okay, maybe he’s always been smack dab in the center of all the glitz and glamour, but that experience helped define who he is as a filmmaker; it’s also why we think he should take a stab at becoming a gaming director. Snyder’s DC films have received the bulk of the glory, but he’s also directed a handful of films that fans have overlooked. And they deserve more love.

Dawn of the Dead

As Zack Snyder’s debut feature-length film, the remake of Dawn of the Dead was the perfect vehicle to show off his unique style and approach to storytelling. Based on George A. Romero’s 1978 classic horror film of the same name, this zombie-filled action thriller never lets its foot off the gas pedal. Led by Ana Clark (Sarah Polley), Sergeant Kenneth Hall (Ving Rhames), and Michael Shaunessy (Jake Weber), a group of terrified survivors attempt to outrun and outlive a vicious horde of flesh-eating monsters when a zombie apocalypse suddenly rears its ugly head in a Milwaukee community. Left with very few options, the group of survivors decide to take refuge in a gigantic shopping mall.

Released in 2004, Dawn of the Dead was among the films that helped revitalize the mainstream popularity of the zombie subgenre at the start of the new millennium. With a modest budget of $26 million, Dawn of the Dead would go on to earn $100 million at the worldwide box office, putting Zack Snyder on the Hollywood map and launching his film career. While the film’s narrative was nothing groundbreaking, critics and audiences appreciated the stylistic approach and relatable characters. 20 years later, the movie has become somewhat drowned out in the wake of the zombie overload, but it still holds up as one of the most entertaining entries in the genre.

You can stream Dawn of the Dead on Starz.

[RELATED: Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead Universe Reportedly Scrapped by Netflix]

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole may have a pretty forgettable name, but the movie is anything but. Legend of the Guardians is a heck of an effort and one of Zack Snyder’s most underrated movies. The movie follows two young barn owls, Soren (Jim Sturgess) and Kludd (Ryan Kwanten), who are told stories about the Guardians, a legendary collection of owls whose duty is to protect the kingdom of Ga’Hoole and ensure peace. In a dramatic turn of events, the two young owls are then brought in by a gang of owls who are working for an evil owl called Metalbeak (Joel Edgerton), who has enslaved many other owls with the hopes of creating one master race of birds. But as Soren and Kludd each learn of Metalbeak’s intentions, they find themselves on opposite ends of a great battle that’ll soon pit them against each other.

Zack Snyder made Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole just one year after the critical and box office success of his 2009 film Watchmen. Despite all of the momentum he had built up throughout the 2000s, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole was a bit of a stumble. The American-Australian collaboration never quite found its footing with audiences and struggled at the box office despite its $80-million budget. Although the movie was marketed as a children’s adventure, there are several dark and poignant themes woven throughout the story, which could be seen as particularly relevant in today’s world. For a movie that was originally intended to be a video game, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is a compelling and engaging film that is well worth a watch.

You can rent Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole on Prime Video.

Sucker Punch

Described as his very own take on Alice in Wonderland, Sucker Punch is perhaps Zack Snyder’s most original and creative film. After a traumatic incident, a young woman named Babydoll (Emily Browning) is locked away inside a shady mental hospital. While trapped inside, she retreats to an array of fantasy worlds that are shaped by the inner workings of her mind. Determined to fight for real freedom, she finds four women, Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), Amber (Jamie Chung), and Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish) to join together and escape their prison. Locked in a desperate fight to win their freedom, the women must do anything in their power to defeat their captors and make it out safely.

Sucker Punch may have been an attempt by Zack Snyder to branch out with his own creative concepts, but the film was bashed by critics and audiences alike. With a 22% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Sucker Punch is one of his worst-reviewed movies to date. However, that doesn’t mean that the movie doesn’t have its strengths. While the structure of the film could be seen as a mess, you have to give credit to Zack Snyder for taking a swing for the fences. Not everything works in Sucker Punch, but the fever dream quality of the film makes it an entertaining watch that is worth some love.

You can rent Sucker Punch on Apple TV.