There are few directors with as passionate a fan base as Zack Snyder. The director has made a name for himself with his epic and stylized filmmaking style that gels well with the big budgets of modern blockbuster filmmaking. While Snyder was already a well-known filmmaker prior to his work building the DCEU, his work with DC elevated him to a whole new level of fame. His fans are some of the most committed and die-hard in the entertainment industry, which has resulted in more than a little toxicity and bullying, but credit where credit is due, not every director has the fan support to will a four-hour alternate director’s cut into existence after years of protest.
While Snyder has thoroughly managed to keep his core audience satisfied, one arena in which the director has struggled is with winning over the critics. His films are often incredibly divisive, which has led to the director’s work historically not rating very well on Rotten Tomatoes. With that in mind, and Snyder’s newest film – the sci-fi epic Rebel Moon – set for release later this year, we thought it could be interesting to take a look at how exactly Snyder’s films have fared on Rotten Tomatoes over the years.
The 2017 theatrical cut of Justice League has been excluded from this list, considering Snyder left that project part-way through production, he hasn’t seen the finalized movie and the Snyder cut version exists to take its place. Here’s how every film directed by Zack Snyder ranks based on its Rotten Tomatoes score.
9 Sucker Punch (2011) – 22%
Coming in at the lowest spot on this list is Snyder’s fifth film, 2011’s Sucker Punch. The film is a fantasy action movie that stars Emily Brown as the character “Babydoll” who is sucked into a strange adventure as she attempts to escape the mental institution she is committed to. As is often the case in Snyder’s films, the movie has a pretty solid supporting cast as well, with Abbie Cornish, Oscar Isaac, Jena Malone, Jon Hamm, Vanessa Hudgens, and more all making appearances.
Unfortunately, the cast wasn’t enough to warm critics up to Sucker Punch. The film sits at a mere 22% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 218 reviews. Even the audience score on this one is pretty low at 47% with over 50,000 ratings.
8 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) – 29%
Next up is the first DC movie on the list, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. This film was meant to be the major expansion point of the newly established DC cinematic universe, but the lackluster response from audiences and critics showed that the franchise had stumbled when it was meant to fly. While some people have come around on Batman v Superman, and some others have loved the film since day one, the film’s 29% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes is hard to overlook.
The audience score was much more favorable, but still not great, 63%. The general consensus from critics was that the film was too dark and depressing, and it failed to deliver on the potential of its story and characters.
7 Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (2010) – 52%
Jumping up nearly 25%, next on the list is Snyder’s only animated film, 2010’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. The film is based on a series of children’s fantasy books, which were published between 2003 and 2013. The movie assembled an impressive voice cast with stars like Helen Mirren, Hugo Weaving, Joel Edgerton, Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush and Sam Neill.
The film also features Leigh Whannell in a small role, after he had starred in Saw but before he made the jump to directing great films like 2018’s Upgradeand 2020’s The Invisible Man. Snyder’s Legend of the Guardians, only his fourth feature, received a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes from 132 reviews. Meanwhile, the audience score matches Batman v Superman at 63%.
6 Man of Steel (2013) – 56%
Slightly above that is Snyder’s first venture into the main DCEU, 2013’s Man of Steel. The rebooted Superman movie came less than a decade after Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns failed to excite audiences, and Snyder’s new approach to the character modernized the story in some welcome and some divisive ways.
The kick-start to the DCEU wasn’t as well-received as DC and WB had hoped, as it only earned a 56% critic approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 344 reviews. The audience score, however, was a much kinder 75% and the film’s box office success was strong enough to warrant building upon.
5 300 (2007) – 61%
Moving into the latter half of the list, Snyder’s films have officially exited “rotten” territory. 2007’s epic Greek war film 300 was the movie that really put the director on the map when it comes to general audiences’ awareness of him. The heavily-stylized and bloody action film is based on a comic of the same name from the legendary Frank Miller.
Although the film made quite a splash in the realm of pop culture references in 2007, it only managed to score a 61% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The film’s popularity with general audiences, however, is clearly apparent from the 89% audience score it holds.
4 Watchmen (2009) – 65%
Snyder’s follow-up to 300 was another adaptation of a famous comic. In 2009, the director made his first film based on a DC property, Watchmen. The film carried the same intensely stylized action that Snyder had brought to 300, and it more firmly established Snyder’s personality as a filmmaker. As has been the case with essentially all of Snyder’s DC films, Watchmen was fairly divisive upon its release, and it still remains that way today. It did manage to score a 65% approval score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 310 reviews, and it holds an audience score of 71%.
3 Army of the Dead (2021) – 67%
Snyder’s newest film, and his first post-DC, 2021’s Army of the Dead is also the beginning of the director’s new partnership with Netflix. While the movie did receive a limited and brief run in theaters, it wasn’t widely available until it was released on the streaming service in the late summer of 2021. The zombie heist film starred Dave Bautista, and it was the first original story that Snyder had created and directed in a decade.
It started Snyder off on a pretty good foot after his run with DC, as Army of the Dead received a 67% from 284 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score coming in at 75%. Snyder is hoping to keep this new creative streak going with his new original story, Rebel Moon, which also releases on Netflix later this year.
2 Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) – 71%
2021 was the year that Snyder turned the page on DC, as he wrapped up his tumultuous run with the company with the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, before releasing Army of the Dead later that year. There has been a lot said about Snyder’s Justice League in the last couple of years since it was released. The R-rated four-hour film is a notable improvement on the theatrical Justice League, which was released in 2017, and it was the fulfillment of many fans' wishes to see Snyder’s original vision for the DC superhero team brought to life.
When the movie was released directly to HBO Max (now Max) in 2021, it miraculously managed to be Snyder’s best-received DC film yet, from both critics and audiences. The Snydercut earned a 71% approval rating from critics, based on 310 reviews, and the audience score is an impressive 93%.
1 Dawn of the Dead (2004) – 76%
Finally, the last entry on this list is Snyder’s directorial debut. It also happens to be the only movie he’s produced to receive a “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 2004’s Dawn of the Dead, written by none other than the new DC head James Gunn, is a remake of the classic 1978 horror film directed by George Romero.
The movie features a solid cast that includes the likes of Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Ty Burrell, Michael Kelly, Jake Weber and Makhi Phifer. Based on 196 reviews, the film holds a 76% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while the audience score falls at nearly the same spot with a 77% rating.
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