Zack Snyder is most decidedly a divisive filmmaker, but a very popular one at that. From his feature directorial debut, a remake of George A. Romero’s zombie classic “Dawn of the Dead,” to the complicated DC epic that was “Justice League,” he’s never been afraid to do the unsafe thing, for better or worse. So, what does a director like that enjoy watching? What are the movies Snyder looks to for inspiration?
Around the time that “Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire” was debuting on Netflix in late 20223, Snyder spoke with Letterboxd and shared his four favorite movies of all time. First and foremost, without hesitation, Snyder listed George Lucas’ seminal sci-fi classic “Star Wars: A New Hope” as his favorite movie. Here’s what he had to say about it:
“I’m going to have to say ‘Star Wars,’ just because I have to. 1977. You don’t include that and you’re my age, I take small issue. I’d be like, ‘Really?’ Now, you’re saying [Andrei] Tarkovsky, but what are you really saying? Come on.”
Given that Snyder’s own “Rebel Moon” saga originally began life as a “Star Wars” movie, this perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise. Not to mention that Snyder was old enough to have seen Lucas’ film that started it all in theaters at a young age. To say that “Star Wars” is influential would be a hilarious understatement, but it is worth emphasizing just how groundbreaking it was at the time. It truly did influence an entire generation of filmmakers and film lovers around the world.
Zack Snyder’s favorite movies make an awful lot of sense
Without elaborating nearly as much, Snyder also named Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz,” John Boorman’s “Excalibur,” and David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” as his three other favorites saying, “Right now, for me, that kind of sums it up.” This final statement suggests that Snyder’s favorite movies could change depending on when he’s asked, which is pretty fair. Even so, these four movies offer a snapshot of Snyder’s influences, and they truly make a lot of sense.
“Star Wars” was such a direct influence on “Rebel Moon” that it’s hardly worth analyzing that one too deeply. Looking beyond that, 1981’s “Excalibur” is perhaps the next one that stands out as a pretty obvious choice after Snyder mentions it. The epic fantasy film is a favorite of those who grew up in the ’80s and has maintained a loyal following for more than 40 years. That epic tone and scale have permeated Snyder’s work for years now, obvious in everything from his work in the DC Universe to one of his most underrated films, “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.”
As for “All That Jazz” and “Blue Velvet,” they are both true stone-cold classics and perhaps less obvious in terms of films that would directly influence Snyder’s work. “All That Jazz” is one of the most celebrated musicals ever made and, at least not as of this writing, Snyder hasn’t made a musical. But the fantasy elements present in that film could easily be seen as an influence on something like “Sucker Punch.”
Meanwhile, “Blue Velvet” is generally held up as one of Lynch’s best films, if not his single best. The psychological horror and noir elements certainly seem like something Snyder would appreciate. Not to say that there are too many parallels between Lynch and Snyder as filmmakers, but it’s also not hard to see how a man who very much carved his own path and bucked the conventional such as Lynch could influence the way Snyder has approached his work over the years. If one were to put these four movies in a blender, getting a guy like Snyder on the other side of it all does make some sense.
“Rebel Moon” is streaming now on Netflix.
This post was originally published on here
