When it comes to Zack Snyder, you either worship at the altar of his cinematic genius or you gleefully sharpen your knives, ready to tear his work to shreds. There’s no middle ground.
When Snyder set out to create a shared cinematic universe around DC’s iconic characters, he was nothing if not ambitious. And for a while, it seemed like he might just pull it off. Man of Steel gave us a brooding, introspective Superman for the modern age, while Batman v Superman promised an epic showdown between two of the most recognizable heroes in all of pop culture.
But somewhere along the way, things started to unravel. Snyder’s gritty, deconstructionist approach to the source material began to grate on fans who were hoping for a more faithful adaptation of their beloved characters. The complaints ranged from the superficial (why is Superman so mopey all the time?) to the fundamental (why is Batman suddenly okay with killing people?). Snyder’s vision, while undeniably stylish, felt increasingly at odds with the spirit of the comics that inspired it.
Still, there’s no denying that Snyder has his share of die-hard fans, many of whom would follow him to the ends of the Earth (or at least to the next comic book convention). So when he recently revealed his favorite comic book adaptation in an interview with Comicbook, it’s safe to say that more than a few eyebrows were raised.
The answer? Watchmen.
That’s right, the 2009 adaptation of Alan Moore’s groundbreaking graphic novel about a group of deeply flawed, morally ambiguous “heroes” holds a special place in Snyder’s heart. It’s a choice that might seem puzzling at first glance. Given Snyder’s extensive work with the DC Extended Universe, one might naturally expect one of these high-profile, blockbuster films to be his favorite adaptation. After all, Man of Steel grossed over $600 million worldwide, while Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice raked in a whopping $873 million. In contrast, Watchmen, released in 2009, grossed just $185 million on a then-sizeable $120 million budget.
There’s also a delicious irony in Snyder anointing Watchmen as his favorite adaptation, considering it’s a far more faithful translation of its source material than his other works. Snyder explains that he sees his DCEU films as adaptations of “ideas” based on famous comic book characters, whereas Watchmen feels like a more direct adaptation of the comic book medium. For Snyder, Watchmen is “the cleanest, and kind of most satisfying” comic book adaptation he has made.
“I would have to say Watchmen, probably for me, just like the process of adaptation from comic book to movie design, all the things as we went from comic books to movie. I think Watchmen is like the cleanest, and kind of most satisfying, transition to adapted material.”
Watchmen takes place in an alternate history where costumed vigilantes have been outlawed and the United States is on the brink of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. The story follows a group of former superheroes as they investigate the murder of one of their own, uncovering a sinister conspiracy that threatens to destroy the world. But what sets it apart is its unflinching exploration of the darker aspects of superhero mythology. These “heroes” are flawed, psychologically complex individuals who struggle with issues of morality and the corrupting influence of power. In many ways, Watchmen feels like the purest distillation of Snyder’s thematic preoccupations as a filmmaker.
So, it’s not hard to see why Snyder might have a special affinity for the movie. His latest project, Twilight of the Gods (Netflix), an adult-oriented animated series, is poised to continue exploring those same dark themes.