Zack Snyder has been the DCEU's scapegoat for years when, in fact, other creatives were involved, namely David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan (Man of Steel's writer).
Despite his relatively early departure, for many fans, the entire previous phase of the DCEU seemed like Zack Snyder's only creation. Every aspect of Man of Steel seems to permeate the core concept of the DCEU, culminating in a much darker tone than some fans expected.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe revels in its light-hearted comedy and exhilarating action, the DCEU is focused on giving some of its most iconic characters a fresh, edgy look. The only problem is that Zack Snyder -- and only Zack Snyder -- made some of the most divisive changes to the source material. At least, that's what some DC fans believe.
When most people think about why they disliked Snyder's version of the DCEU so much, most mention how Superman spends more time brooding than the shining beacon of hope he's supposed to be, or how Batman gives criminals Branding to effectively sentence them to death was his mark. This follows Snyder's usual approach to the superhero genre -- after all, we've seen some of the same trademarks in his Watchmen adaptations.
However, some fans seem to be consciously ignoring a key aspect of Snyder's role as creative head of the DCEU: he's only here to direct, not write. Of all the films in the DCEU, Snyder directed just two: Man of Steel and Batman v Superman.
If we're going to engage in a blame game for what happened in the DCEU, it's only fair to point our collective finger at David S. Goyer. The writer began his DC live-action career in 2005 when he wrote the script for Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins -- a film that essentially set the tone for most future DC films.
Now, it's worth noting that there's nothing wrong with Goyer's script. The writers were just expressing their claim to him, a more "mature" version of these classic comic book characters. Seeing the success of Batman: The Dark Knight, producers may have thought that casting darker characters in the lead roles would be better profitable, but they were wrong.
Considering that Nolan's Batman was already more "serious" than the Batman in the comics, Goyer had to go to extremes and make a more aggressive caped fighter. That's probably why Batman v Superman featured that shady Dark Knight using his armored Batmobile to take out criminals for good. Likewise, it could explain Snyder's more "realistic" take on Superman in Man of Steel.
Arguably, the "damage" Nolan's Batman trilogy did to the larger DCEU was convincing the studio that they needed darker colors to compete with Marvel's usually lighter tone. The result was the confusing timeline we know today and the slander of Zack Snyder as a filmmaker.
The truth is, if we're judging him on his merits, Snyder has been fantastic in the DCEU. Not only has he left us with some of the most memorable visual work of comic book stories in live-action cinema, but he also oversaw the production of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, two of the most successful non-Marvel superhero films of the past decade.
I think it's time to re-evaluate Snyder's role in the DCEU, especially now that he's likely to be out of the cinema for a while. At the very least, the Snyder Cut will forever serve as a reminder of what could have been and the power fans really have over studios.
So the next time you're thinking about putting all the blame for the DCEU's Man of Steel and Batman v Superman on Zack Snyder, consider that Christopher Nolan produced both films (and with David Goyer shared the Man of Steel story credit) and Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer wrote Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Snyder was not the mastermind behind the entire operation. He's just directing.
No comments:
Post a Comment