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Matthew Huntley: Of the Zack Snyder films I've seen:

Dawn of the Dead: B
300: B-
Watchmen: B+
Sucker Punch: C

I've listened to Snyder speak at Comic-Con and, using only that platform as a determinant, there's not a whole lot to the guy. He's not terribly well spoken; he doesn't seem very complex or emotional; and he doesn't go into a lot of depth when fans ask him questions. To me, he's just a guy who likes mainstream movies so he decided to make a career out of it. I agree with Bruce that the only reason Watchmen or 300 were probably any good was because of their source material. Snyder actually wrote Sucker Punch and it shows (the dialogue is rather pedestrian). He's visionary, sure, but I'm starting to notice a lot similarities between all of his movies as far as their look and design are concerned, so I wouldn't say he's diverse. I think he's mostly a director-for-hire whose movies happen to be financially successful, and now he's being given more offers than he probably should. To me, he's yet to prove himself as an artist.

Brett Beach: Dawn of the Dead (B-)

He had the genius/insight/cajones to give us Sarah Polley, action star. The opening 10 minutes are apocalyptic enough that the pessimism and grimness from them infest and permeate everything that follows. The closing credits footage is cryptic enough to end the film on an astonishingly indeterminate note. This may have been unnecessary but it wound up being not unwelcome.

300 (?)

I saw the last 20 minutes of this as part of a double feature while waiting for the Halle Berry-Bruce Wilis gonzo sex thriller Perfect Stranger to start. My sole thought was that I couldn't fathom having to sit through 100 minutes more.

Watchmen (C+)

Having no attachment to or much familiarity with the graphic novel means that I wasn't emotionally invested in the success or failure. It struck me as too tied to its source material in its fidelity, and that slavishness helped keep it emotionally at a distance. I second Haley's performance, even with just his voice at times, and enjoyed the private eye/noir aspects of its being.

Edwin Davies: I've seen Dawn of the Dead and 300. I really, really enjoy his version of Dawn of the Dead. It's nowhere near as clever, funny or satirical as Romero's, but as a action/horror hybrid it's an entertainly visceral experience. It also boasts one of the best opening ten minutes of any film I've ever seen (coincidentally, The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash has just started playing on my iTunes as I type this). I enjoyed 300 in a completely vapid action movie way the first time I saw it, but since then I can't help but think that it's really, weirdly fascistic in its worldview. Combined with how terrible the acting and writing is, the film went down hugely in my estimation when I rewatched it. I've avoided Watchmen for quite some time just because I don't really want to get dragged into the debate surrounding it, but I've rented it to watch this week before I see Sucker Punch.

I kind of view Snyder as someone who could very well be the next Michael Bay. They both have their own distinct style, crappy though they may be, neither of them seem overly fussed about infusing their work with any meaning or depth and both seem to aim they work squarely at the adolescent boy demographic.

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