1
Credit: DC / Warner Bros.During a Q&A at Zack Snyder’s Full Circle charity event, the director reflected on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) ‘s poor critical reception and why he thought it was panned.
Director Zack Snyder kicked his way into the public view with the film 300 (2007), an iconic film that felt like nothing that had been seen before. His work with comic book material like 300 and Watchmen (2009) got the attention of Warner Bros., who put him in charge of Man of Steel (2013). Since then, Snyder has become the main guy behind the DC Extended Universe.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse for the director when both Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League (2017) received poor critical reception. Snyder was removed from his position and replaced with Guardians of the Galaxy maestro James Gunn.
Since then, Zack Snyder has had plenty of time to reflect on his time with DC Studios, including the critical reception to Batman V Superman. This has led Snyder to conclude that the most significant issue was audience expectations.
Zack Snyder Laments Fans Expecting a Fun “Superhero Romp”
Related: Ben Affleck is the Biggest Zack Snyder Fan of All Time
During a Q&A at Zack Snyder’s Full Circle charity event, a fan asked Snyder about all of the layers in Batman V Superman, and the director responded quickly.
Yes, but I think that probably is what caused the movie to be so polarizing. I think, and maybe I’m wrong. But I feel like a lot of people went into the movies for going like, ‘Oh, it’s the superhero romp, right? Let’s have fun with it.'”
Related: Zack Snyder Reveals Wild Plans He Had For ‘Wonder Woman’
Snyder continued, “And we gave them this sort of hardcore deconstructivist, heavily layered, experiential modern mythological superhero movie that you really need to pay attention to. That was not cool [for them]. That’s not something anyone wanted to do. They were like, ‘What? No! That’s exhausting… I hate that.”
This sentiment is somewhat supported by others in the film industry, including former Warner Bros. Executive Greg Silverman.
In reply to a tweet claiming that the film’s hostile reception was more an attack on Snyder and less in response to the movie, Silverman said, “My suspicion always was that Zack’s kindness, openness, and enthusiasm created an environment for critics to undervalue his work. Because he is a decent, approachable, humble human, he didn’t fit the mold of an auteur. Should be the opposite.”
What’s your opinion on the Snyderverse? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!