Zack Snyder Movies
When Hollywood tapped wunderkind director Zack Snyder to guide their big-budget FX-heavy epics Dawn of the Dead (2004) and 300 (2006) through to fruition, they pulled him straight from the pinnacle of the advertising world. Snyder already had a veritable plethora of Clios under his belt, thanks to his fluidly filmed, ingenious spots for Corona beer, Nokia cell phones, and other products. He typically held double-duty on the ads as both director and cinematographer, and culled a healthy amount of Tinseltown recognition as a result. Dawn of the Dead represented Snyder's debut. An effects-heavy remake of George A. Romero's 1979 sequel -- about hordes of flesh-hungry zombies storming a shopping mall -- the picture starred Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley. The independent production banners Strike and New Amsterdam co-produced the splatter movie; Universal released it. Unsurprisingly, the film grossed a whopping amount at the box office, enabling Snyder and his wife to run their own shingle, Cruel and Unusual Films; the movie also earned a number of favorable critical reviews.For his follow-up effort, Snyder beseeched Warners to greenlight a mega-budget adaptation of Frank Miller's best-selling graphic novel 300, about the siege at the Battle of Thermopylae. The studio hesitated, given the lumbering weight of their projects Alexander and Troy, but eventually conceded to Snyder's request. Shot mostly indoors, against a blue screen in a Montreal production facility, the film did healthy business comparable to that of its predecessor, and also drew enthusiastic notices from the likes of Entertainment Weekly, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The New York Daily News.
For Snyder's next cinematic venture, he decided to take the reins of a project long (long) in development: the dystopian, effects-laden fantasy actioner Watchmen (2008). Set in an "alternate" version of 1985 and adapted from the comic books by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, the movie concerns a number of superheroes, including Ozymandias, Silk Spectre, and Dr. Manhattan, who join forces following the enigmatic death of one of their own. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
Sin City author Frank Miller's sweeping take on the historic Battle of Thermopylae comes to the screen courtesy of Dawn of the Dead director Zack Snyder. Gerard Butler stars as Spartan King Leonidas and Lena Headey plays Queen Gorgo. The massive army of the Persian Empire is sweeping across the globe, crushing every force that dares stand in its path. When a Persian envoy arrives in Sparta offering King Leonidas power over all of Greece if he will only bow to the will of the all powerful Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), the strong-willed leader assembles a small army comprised of his empire's best fighters and marches off to battle. Though they have virtually no hope of defeating Xerxes' intimidating battalion, Leonidas' men soldier on, intent on letting it be known they will bow to no man but their king. Meanwhile, back in Sparta, the loyal Queen Gorgo attempts to convince both the skeptical council and the devious Theron (Dominic West) to send more troops despite the fact that many view Leonidas' unsanctioned war march as a serious transgression. As Xerxes' fearsome "immortals" draw near, a few noble Greeks vow to assist the Spartans on the battlefield. When King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan warriors fell to the overwhelming Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, the fearless actions of the noble fighters inspired all of Greece to stand up against their Persian enemy and wage the battle that would ultimately give birth to the modern concept of democracy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, (more)
- 2013
Xerxes, the Persian villain from 300, takes center stage in this Warner Bros. picture based on Frank Miller's follow-up to his best-selling comic series. Smart People's Noam Murro directs from a script by Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, (more)
The feature-film debut of director Zack Snyder, Dawn of the Dead is a modern retelling of George Romero's 1978 horror classic, which was actually the second film in a trilogy that began with Night of the Living Dead and concluded with Day of the Dead. Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames star as two of the last remaining people on an earth that has been ravaged by flesh-eating zombies. After escaping to a shopping mall with a handful of other survivors, they decide that they only way to truly elude the approaching throng of undead is to somehow make their way to an island that is supposedly zombie-free. Jake Weber and Mekhi Phifer also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, (more)
- 2010
- PG
- Add Legend of the Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole to Queue Add Legend of the Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole to top of Queue
Director Zack Snyder teams with screenwriters John Collee and John Orloff to adapt author Kathryn Lasky's popular series of children's books about a group of kidnapped owlets who take flight to save their kingdom from an ancient evil by locating the legendary Guardians of Ga'Hoole. As a young hatchling, Soren would sit transfixed whenever his father would tell the tale of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole and their tireless efforts to defeat the malevolent Pure Ones, whose aim was to exterminate the entire owl population. After hearing the high-flying tales of adventure, Soren would fantasize about gliding through the clouds with the brave owl soldiers while his jealous older brother, Kludd, attempted to gain their father's favor by becoming a skilled hunter. One day, Kludd's anger gets the best of him, and the next thing he knows he's tumbling over the edge of the nest with Soren. But instead of falling to the ground, the siblings are quickly snatched up by the dreaded Pure Ones, and are taken to a place where their parents will never find them. Incredibly, Soren and group of fearless young owls manage to stage a daring escape. With the future of the owl kingdoms hanging in the balance, brave Soren and his newfound friends travel to the ends of the earth in hopes of finding the mythical Great Tree and convincing the Guardians of Ga'Hoole to help defeat the Pure Ones once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, (more)
- 2013
- PG13
- Add Man of Steel to Queue
Superman flies back onto the big screen in this Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures production directed by Zack Snyder (Watchmen), produced by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight), and featuring a screenplay by David Goyer (Blade, The Dark Knight). Born on the alien planet of Krypton, Kal-El is sent by his parents to live on planet Earth, where he is given the name Clark by kindly farmer Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) and his wife, Martha (Diane Lane), who raise him as if he were their own son. As a young boy,Clark displays incredible superpowers that instill him with a profound sense of personal responsibility. Later, the amiable Clark (Henry Cavill) becomes a reporter for the Metropolis newspaper "The Daily Planet," and strikes up a friendship with crackerjack journalist Lois Lane (Amy Adams). But when his new world is attacked by a force that humans are powerless to defend themselves against, Clark assumes the identity of Superman and fights to protect the entire human race. Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road, Boardwalk Empire) co-stars as General Zod and Laurence Fishburne steps into the role of "Daily Planet" editor-in-chief Perry White. Russell Crowe and Christopher Meloni co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, (more)
Basketball legend Michael Jordan stars in this quirky video about a young basketball player who was cut from his high school team. Jordan, playing himself, meets the young man on a playground and proceeds to try and boost the youngsters apparent lack of self esteem. By walking the young man through his own life, Jordan shows how he overcame being cut from his high school team to become a collegiate and NBA champion; showing that if he can do it, anyone can. The film may or may not encourage youngsters, but the footage of Jordan's career is almost worth sitting through his tepid acting performance. The images of Jordan twisting and turning in air to score an impossible basket will capture the attention of the viewer, not the script Jordan is reading from. The words of wisdom expounded by Jordan are honorable and well intended. The video also includes a music video with Jordan basketball clips and rappers Kid n' Play. ~ Ed Atkinson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Jordan
The story of Alice in Wonderland receives a hyper-violent makeover in Watchmen and 300 director Zack Snyder's fantastical tale of a young psychiatric patient who escapes into a vivid world of fantasy after being committed to a mental hospital by her abusive stepfather. Set in the 1950s, Sucker Punch takes viewers on an incredible journey into the mind of Babydoll (Emily Browning), who finds herself at the mercy of her malevolent stepfather after her mother passes away. With no remaining family and no friends to turn to, her stepfather has her committed to a bleak mental hospital, where she is scheduled to receive a lobotomy in five days. As the procedure draws near, Babydoll creates a phantasmagorical alternate reality in which she must seek out five items in order to secure her freedom. Should she fail, her mind isn't the only thing she stands to lose. Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Carla Gugino, and Jon Hamm co-star in a film co-written by Snyder and Steve Shibuya. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, (more)
Named after the comic book that appeared in the original Watchmen graphic novel as a story-within-a-story, this animated companion piece to director Zack Snyder's feature film version of Watchmen finds an inner-city youth reading a story entitled "Marooned" from the eponymous comic book. In "Marooned," a young mariner cast adrift at sea attempts to return to his hometown in order to warn the locals of the approaching Black Freighter. In order to accomplish this formidable task, the desperate seaman must shed his inhibitions, using the bodies of his dead shipmates as a raft, and killing anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way. Arriving back in town under the assumption that the crew of the Black Freighter has already taken over, the mariner mistakenly attacks his own wife in the darkness of the couple's home. Realizing his tragic mistake, he ventures back to the shore to see the Black Freighter approaching, and swims out toward the ship to confront the crew. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2010
Zack Snyder brings Ray Bradbury's anthology The Illustrated Man to the big screen with this modern-day retelling of a man whose tattoos foretell the future. The story was originally adapted in 1969 as a Rod Steiger vehicle. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2014
Zack Snyder helms this tale of two men (Sean Penn and Christian Bale) bound by a photograph who travel to Afghanistan on an obsessive quest. Frequent Snyder collaborator Kurt Johnstad provides the script. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- 2008
A mysterious photograph prompts two men to embark on a perilous journey into war-torn Afghanistan in this road drama written by Kurt Johnstad and produced by Zack Snyder. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- PG
Discover how Hollis Mason became the masked avenger known as Nite Owl while learning how the original Minutemen were formed in this live action, documentary-style special starring Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. A faux, tell-all autobiography written by Hans Rodionoff and directed by Eric Matthies, Under the Hood was produced by Wesley Coller in tandem with Zack Snyder's 2009 film Watchmen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
300's Zack Snyder brings Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' critically acclaimed comic book Watchmen to the big screen, courtesy of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures. Set in an alternate universe circa 1985, the film's world is a highly unstable one where a nuclear war is imminent between America and Russia. Superheroes have long been made to hang up their tights thanks to the government-sponsored Keene Act, but that all changes with the death of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a robust ex-hero commando whose mysterious free fall out a window perks the interest of one of the country's last remaining vigilantes, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley). His investigation leads him to caution many of his other former costumed colleagues, including Dr. Manhattan, Night Owl (Patrick Wilson), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), Sally Jupiter (Carla Gugino), and her daughter, The Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman). Heralded for bringing the world of superheroes into the literary world, Watchmen gave the super-powered mythos a real-life grounding that had been missing in mainstream comics to that point. The film adaptation had languished in one form of development hell or another for years after the book's release, with various directors on and off the project, including Terry Gilliam, David Hayter, and Darren Aronofsky, as well as Paul Greengrass, whose eventual dismissal stemmed from budget conflicts with the studio. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
- Starring:
- Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, (more)
- 2008
Experience Alan Moore's groundbreaking graphic novel as never before in this twelve episode series that puts the original artwork into motion, adding voiceover actors and an original score to give it the feel of a comic book come to life on the screen. Illustrated by Dave Gibbons, Watchmen: The Motion Comic is narrated by Tom Stechschulte and produced by Zach Snyder. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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