James Gunn vs Zack Snyder--what's the difference? In this video we breakdown these two important superhero filmmakers to understand their styles, what informs their films, and what we can expect next from the DCU.

Go here → http://screencrush.com/
TikTok →   / screencrushnews  
Like us →   / screencrush  
Follow us →   / screencrushnews  
Get our newsletter → http://screencrush.com/newsletter/

Written by Dodson Seitz   / banewruse  
Hosted by Ryan Arey (  / ryanarey  )
Edited by Harriet Lengel-Enright, Randolf Nombrado, Sofien Dami, and Brianna McLarty

#JamesGunn #zackSnyder #dcu

Welcome to ScreenCrush, I’m Ryan Arey. James Gunn is about to reboot the DCU, and end the Snyderverse for good. But what does that really mean? In this video, we’re going to dive very deep into these filmmakers, examine what makes them tick, and find out what actually separates these two very different approaches to DC’s cinematic universe.

Gunn’s characters embrace the lighthearted nature of comics - while still maintaining some sense of realism. This creates relatable characters who are easy to fall in love with - no matter how flawed - which fit perfectly with the MCU.

Snyder, however, made a point of differentiating himself from the MCU. While the MCU’s stories centered (mostly) around humans becoming gods - Snyder’s films were about Gods becoming human.

From the little we know of - and have seen - we can already tell that Gunn’s universe is set to be vastly different than the Snyderverse, which may be precisely what this reboot needs [clip]


And you know, one of Zack Snyder’s best received movies was his 2004 remake of dawn of the dead–whcih was wrotten by James Gunn. [clip] It’s inte∑resting to see that these two filmmakers were once so aligned with substance and style, but over the years their artistry has floated into very different directions.

So let’s talk about these two filmmakers, their careers, and how we got here!

Doug: OH, James Gunn vs Zach Snyder!

Exactly!

Doug: in a caged Deathmatch! Die millionaires, die! You have nothing to lose but your chains.

That’s enough comrade.

Maybe sheath ad here

As we said earlier, Snyder tried to differentiate his films from the MCU by with stories about Gods becoming human vs the other way around. - which isn't a new concept in DC comics. In fact, the idea was actually best summarized in Kill Bill Vol 2 [clip]


While Clark Kent really took a back seat in most of Snyder's stories, Cavil’s version of Superman was more than just an average citizen who stumbled into great power and thus became burdened by responsibilities - [clip]

He’s a messianic figure - who stayed hidden until humanity truly needed him, despite feeling detached from the human race. For the Snyderverse fans, this worked best in Man of Steel.


Doug: I thought you hated that movie?

Well, look, I personally didn't like Snyders's take on the character. It was a well made movie, it just wasn't a Superman film - to me, anyways - but I can conceptually understand why Synderverse fans liked this version of Superman.

Cavil’s Superman was an outsider. Someone burdened by their own strength and even shunned at an early age for helping people. That, plus killing Zod in the end, was a major departure from the “big blue boy scout” Superman has always been.

It was a controversial decision on a beloved character, but it set the foundation for the Snyder universe. [clip]

The Snyderverse dealt with intense emotional themes, and each chapter had consequences that seemingly threatened the entire world. Threats that would have otherwise required the Avengers in the MCU.

Since Snyder’s stories were exclusively told through Superman, the aspect of “gods becoming men” became the Snyderverse’s driving theme - and that's a lot harder for audiences to relate to. [clip]

It's much easier to relate to Spider-Man since he constantly fails in some of the most human ways, but it's kinda hard to relate to Superman. Like no one here watching these videos has ever been a genetic codex for an entire species. It's hard to relate to the guy who literally stares at Earth from space.

This idea of “gods becoming men” is also the most “DC” aspect of his films.

Doug: what do you mean by “the most DC”