Breaking Down the Ranking of Zack Snyder's Films: From Dawn of the Dead to Rebel Moon

With the release of the two Rebel Moon films, I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts and ranking of Zack Snyder's films. Zack Snyder has a very unique filmmaking style. He is great at creating intense action sequences and likes to utilize slo-mo in his movies. A big characteristic of his films is that they are very polarizing. Zack Snyder has a particular flavor to him and not everyone likes it so most of his movies are very divided among viewers. I enjoy Zack Snyder's films more than I dislike them but can still admit he has made a few duds. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of Zack Snyder's eleven films. 

11. Rebel Moon- Part Two: The Scargiver

Rebel Moon - Part Two is the newest Zack Snyder film and also the worst of his films. This film had so much potential by being an original Sci-fi story but totally ruined it by being totally derivative and devoid of any compelling characters. Part 2 is the worst of the films, as it essentially has no real story or arc. It takes the final act of The Magnificent Seven and just does that again. It doesn't give any sort of arc to any of the characters nor does it tell a complete or compelling story. It also feels like it only has about an hour's worth of material that was somehow stretched into two hours. Several of the characters are completely wasted as well. The main villain seems like he isn't given much of anything to do and I have no idea why the Anthony Hopkins robot is in this at all. Overall, I was very disappointed by this film. Hopefully, the R-rated cut will be better. 

Score: 4/10 Grade: D

10. Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire

Rebel Moon: Part 1- A Child of Fire was the most disappointing film I saw this month. On paper, it checks all the right boxes to be great. It is Zach Snyder's version of Star Wars and is an original Sci-Fi story. There were a few cool moments in it. All the visuals were very well done. Zach Snyder has a great style to him. I also thought a lot of the action sequences were great. They also do a great job of including Slo-mo which looks cool. What keeps this film so low is that that story is just so unoriginal and the characters are just so hollow. This movie is a beat-for-beat knockoff of The Magnificent Seven. Everything down to the plot structure is just Magnificent Seven in space. I also felt like the characters were all wasted in this film. None of them really have any sort of defining character trait or motivation and we don't even get to see any of their skills in the action sequences. The only reason this is above part one is I felt the world-building and visuals with this film. In the end, I really wanted this movie to be good but it just did not have the depth that it needed to. 

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

9. Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch is definitely the oddest of Zach Snyder's filmography. It isn't much better quality-wise than the Rebel Moon films, but it is a lot more fun. This movie definitely has Zack Snyder's signature style but loses in story quality as he goes for style over substance. He goes all in with his stylistic choices and forgets to put together a logical plot with interesting characters. The thing that makes the film somewhat interesting to watch is the unique action sequences that each utilized a different genre such as samurai, sci-fi, fantasy, WW2, and others. The best way to describe this movie is it is the punk rock genre as a film. What keeps this movie down, is that Snyder was so occupied with these over-the-top action sequences, that he didn't create a logical story. The main plot gets super confusing as many events take place within the main character's imagination with some events taking place in the imagination of her imagination. Overall, this film is just way too weird and doesn't really work as a cohesive film. 

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

8. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole

This movie is the odd one out in Zack Snyder's filmography. He is mainly known for making violent dark R-rated films and this movie is a PG animated movie for families. As a positive, the movie does a decent job with world-building. We get to see this world of Owls established, with both the villains and heroes having areas that get quite a bit of time spent there. The animation is also a unique style and very well done. What keeps this movie down is that Zack Snyder was the wrong person to direct a film like this. The style that Snyder has just does not fit in the realm of animated kids movies. It gets way too dark as Snyder leans into his movie-making style and has several moments that would definitely traumatize kids. The plot itself is also not all that memorable. I remember the basic premise but could not tell you many details about the plot. Overall, while the film has some good moments, Zack Snyder was not a good fit to direct this. 

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

7. Army of the Dead

Army of the Dead is the first of two Zombie movies by Zack Snyder. This movie has quite a fun premise as it is a Zombie Heist movie in Las Vegas, so basically Ocean's 11 but with Zombies. This movie gives quite a few solid action sequences and even fleshes out some Zombie lore in this world. I had a lot of fun with this movie with many solid action sequences and just an overall fun premise. I also thought several of the characters on the team were a lot of fun. The German locksmith character was a standout for me. It was also fun to see Dave Bautista and a role different than Drax the Destroyer. The main issue that keeps this film lower is that it just has a few too many subplots. I was on board with a zombie heist film that establishes a different type of zombie culture but then the movie also attempts to throw in this father-daughter backstory, a side relationship with two of the characters, and several others that just don't have the time to be fully fleshed out. In the end, while this movie was a lot of fun, I think it needed to trim a bit of the extra weight to be a little more straightforward. 

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

6. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is definitely one of the most ambitious of Zack Snyder's films. It had a very strong story and interesting premise with the main focus being on the value of Superman in the public eye. It also had a lot of good action sequences, specifically all the scenes Batman was in. The things this movie does right, it does quite well. I think both the Superman and Batman stories had some interesting ideas that worked very well. But ultimately, its ambitions are what keeps it out of the top half. The film tries to do way too much, a Man of Steel sequel, a Batman solo film, introduce The Justice League, and deliver on the epic battle promised in the title. It was just way too much in a single film and isn't able to do any of its aspects true justice. Most of its faults don't have to do with Zack Snyder, as it was really Warner Bros Execs that forced all of these extra Justice League ideas into the movie so the DCEU could keep pace with the MCU. I think what Zach Snyder wanted in the movie was what made the movie good. Overall, while this film does have some pretty high highs, its lows are quite low. I wouldn't call this a bad movie, but it definitely has some missed potential. 

Grade: 7/10 Grade: B

5. Man of Steel

Man of Steel is the first film of the DCEU and the introduction of the darker tone that started this franchise. The movie itself is very exciting. It was so cool to see all of this Superman action that just couldn't be delivered back in the 1970s. Henry Cavil is a great choice for Superman and really handles the role well. I also liked how the movie really dives deep into Superman's early life and his interactions with both of his Dads. Finally, I like how the story is fairly simple and can focus more on Superman as a character. The only thing that keeps this film lower on this list is that there was just way too much destruction in the 2nd half of the film. The battles and destruction were to the point that they felt excessive and took away from the overall story. Aside from that, this is a solid Superman film. 

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

4. Watchmen

Watchmen is another Zack Snyder superhero film that was probably made about 10 years too early. 

The movie does a pretty good job of adapting the classic comic. It does a great job of capturing the essence of all the characters from the book. I quite enjoyed the ideas this movie addresses and its handling of superheroes in a Cold War world. The movie does a great job of showing all of these different characters' viewpoints of the world as well as their interactions with each other. I also like that there was a bit of a mystery aspect to the movie as these characters try to uncover the villain behind what is happening. I also liked how this movie managed to be more of a dark and gritty take on the superhero genre something that didn't really become mainstream until the late 2010's. The only thing keeping this movie out of the top 3 is that there were a few moments that didn't quite translate to the screen well. There was a fair amount of political commentary in the book that makes the movie come across as rather slow as well as other aspects of the book that just don't look as good in a film. Overall, this is a solid superhero film and probably one of the reasons Snyder was picked to start the DCEU. 

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

3. Dawn of the Dead

Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead is one of three zombie movies on this list and definitely the most serious of the three. Dawn of the Dead delivers all the carnage you would expect from a zombie movie and in typical Zack Snyder fashion. While this is a zombie movie, the core of this movie is about the relationships between the human characters. A majority of the movie is set inside a shopping mall and allows the focus to be on the various human characters from completely different life points. I enjoy how self-contained this movie yet still manages to bring in what is happening outside of the mall. This movie also has a few funny moments in it, specifically when the characters create a game where they shoot zombie celebrity lookalikes. The movie also has some solid action where we see people destroying a lot of zombies. One of the main issues with the film is that it gets a little too dark at times specifically with the zombie baby moment I felt it crossed a line. Aside from that, this is a solid zombie film that has action, humor, and character moments and makes for a very entertaining film. 

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

2. 300

300 is one of the OG Zack Snyder films and probably the one he is best known for. This is a pretty iconic movie with some well-known scenes and lines. I really like the style that Zack Snyder when with for this film. It is very unique and has this comic book/video game feel to it. While this movie is mostly CGI, it looks very good and somehow just kind of works. This movie goes all out with the violence and action with so many cool action sequences throughout the movie. I also thought the story itself was very interesting in that it is based on a true story about a group of Spartans that faced the Persian army. I thought the movie did a great job of staying exciting throughout its runtime. Typically, movies like this are pretty slow in the first two thirds building to the battle in the final act but this movie maintains the action and has the big battle take up a majority of the movie. Overall, this is a very exciting movie that establishes Zack Snyder's signature style. 

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

1. Zack Snyder's Justice League

Without a doubt, Zach Snyder's Justice League is the best of all the DCEU films. It is better than 2017's Justice League in every single way. This film is so good and is the reason that made the original Justice League drop so much as I was able to see how much they ruined the film. Each character can get their moment to shine with both Cyborg and The Flash having some really great moments that were stupidly omitted from the original film. The 4-hour run allows for the film to breathe, making each character able to get an adequate introduction as well as giving them time to grow. The film also has some phenomenal action sequences with the final sequence with the Flash being amazing. Even with its long runtime, the film is never dull. It always has a direction it is going in and a point to all of its seasons. This is Zach Snyder's magnum opus and it is just amazing that this version of the film was actually able to happen. Not only is this a great DCEU film, but it is also a great superhero film and one of my favorite movies. 

Grade: 9.5/10 Grade: A