Rage may be flowing through your veins after you read the headline, or perhaps you’re nodding your head at your phone in agreement. If you’re upset, take a minute to discover why Zack Snyder might be a better director than anyone at Marvel.
It’s Not About Marvel Hate
The headline may seem inflammatory to some, but this claim is not to diss on Marvel. The studio is still a top earner, but their credibility has taken a knock. Their box office is also slowly losing steam when compared to previous years. The reasons for the studio’s decline are varied but can be distilled down to a handful. Amongst these, a chief reason for their downgrade is a need for more visionary directors.
So thus, far from hating on Marvel, it’s an acknowledgement that a great studio has lost its way and needs to get back on course. Saying Zack Snyder is better than anyone else at Marvel is meant to help the MCU, not to insult Feige or anyone else at Marvel; ok, maybe some directors would feel insulted, but context is vital.
DCEU Movies Have a Better Style Than MCU Movies
No one’s hating on Marvel, and no, this isn’t the ravings of a Snyder cultist chanting #RestoreTheSnyderverse or #SellSnyderVerseToNetflix. It’s simple: Marvel needs more independent directors who, while taking recommendations from the studio, can create something unique, not cookie-cutter, like so many Marvel films and series. Snyder, whether you love or hate him, is unique. He makes films that bear his stamp, his style. Everyone may not agree with that style, but he can’t be labelled as unoriginal.
Marvel, at this point in time, lacks originality and flair. They have hemmed themselves in with formulas and an approach which they feel is safe. The MCU’s success comes from blood, sweat, tears, and understanding their audience. Marvel gave their audience what they wanted, but they also had some originality and a real vision.
Look, it wasn’t Tommy Wiseau or Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight kind of vision but a recognizable approach that reflected the artistic aspirations of the directors and creative teams involved. As time wore on, this vision became obscured by the Marvel machine, powered by presets while running in perpetual safe mode.
Iron Man is the bedrock of the MCU. As much as it becomes tiring talking about the film all the time, you’re forced to keep referencing it because it was a perfect blend of the Marvel formula, which is lightness, not too dark, and humour mixed in with emotion and exciting action, great formula, right there. Yet, it still had director Jon Favruea’s personal touch; you could see his stamp all over the film, and this combination of the studio influence and Favreau’s style set the tone and standard for the MCU.
Why, then, is the MCU beginning to falter? Those elements in Iron Man are still present; look at The Marvels and Eternals; these features had all those qualities. Ok, Eternals lacked humour; it needed a little more, but it had touching emotional moments and a few fantastic action scenes.
However, it lacked proper direction and structure. As with Secret Invasion, The Marvels, Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania, they all featured subpar storytelling and lacked a strong director to pull all the facets of what makes a great Marvel film together, as Favreau and the Russo brothers did.
Jon and the Russo’s worked within Marvel’s confines, balancing humour, drama, and action while placing their mark on their films, be it Iron Man or Captain America: The Winter Soldier. These other films failed to do that, lacking in vision and intrigue from storytelling, action and visual points of view.
The MCU gets too much flak oftentimes from some sectors of the fan community, who are too critical of the films mentioned. Still, criticism has to be made, not as vitriolic as some are guilty of, but fair criticism that sees Marvel’s quality dipping.
Why Zack Snyder Is Better Than Most Marvel Directors
Yes, Snyder was at the head of the DCEU, and it failed to live up to expectations, but if you want to be fair, much of that criticism was unfair. Man of Steel is ever-increasing in popularity despite being lambasted by many when it was released. The same goes for BvS. Those films have flaws, but the negativity toward them when they were released was overblown.
Snyder took risks and got blasted in the short term but is reaping the rewards and praise in the long term. His films, like Watchmen, have aspects within the story and the visuals that keep viewers returning to them. His films aim high, and while they don’t always work on every level, they are ambitious and have depth, a depth which most Marvel films lack.
So, while the Zack Snyder hate is hot right now, let’s remember that despite what some say, he is still better than most directors at the MCU and, if given a suitable script, could make a fantastic MCU film. However, to imagine something like that actually occurring is unthinkable, or is it?
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What do you think? Is Snyder better than anyone at Marvel?
