“It would have been fascinating to see it released post-Avengers”: Christopher Nolan is Right – Zack Snyder’s Greatest Magnum Opus is a Dark Superhero Parody That Puts ‘The Boys’ to Shame

Christopher Nolan believes that Zack Snyder was ahead of the curve with one of his superhero movies. The Man of Steel director’s 2009 movie has a special place in the heart of one of the greatest directors of the modern era. 

American film director, producer, and screenwriter Zack Snyder is best known for being the mastermind behind movies like Justice League, Man of Steel, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. His involvement in the DCEU has been absolutely phenomenal and most superhero fans and critics will agree.

However, the Interstellar director believes that one of Snyder’s average commercial hits, Watchmen, which was released even before The Avengers, was indeed a masterpiece. In fact, it has the kind of brilliance that can put the popular superhero parody show The Boys to shame.

Christopher Nolan Highly Praised Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, Which Stands Superior to The Boys

Zack Snyder’s 2009 dark superhero parody, Watchmen has impressed the Oppenheimer director to a great extent. Nolan believes that it was a visionary movie that was ahead of its time. In an email to The Hollywood Reporter, the Tenet director wrote:

The idea of a superhero team, which it so brilliantly subverts, wasn’t yet a thing in movies. It would have been fascinating to see it released post-Avengers.

Being a cinematic ace, Nolan saw the potential in Watchmen even though the movie didn’t stir the box office much. The movie, however, still puts The Boys to shame. Although both Watchmen and The Boys belong to the same genre, the former beats the latter in terms of cinematography, loyalty towards the source material, and thematic depth. 

Watchmen stayed loyal to the graphic novel by Alan Moore from which Snyder adapted the movie. However, The Boys deviated from its comic from time to time by changing the characters and plotlines wherever necessary. While the movie has meticulous framing and a highly stylized color palette, The Boys has a more grounded visual style in comparison. 

Christopher Nolan Is Not the Only Admirer of Watchmen 

Patrick Wilson, known for his work in movies like Aquaman, The Conjuring, and Insidious, was also a part of the cast of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. Regarding the 2009 movie, he also agrees with Nolan’s point of view. 

He mentioned that although the audience wasn’t completely ready to grasp the concept of Watchmen, the movie was still necessary. In an interview with the Reelblend podcast, Wilson said:

It’s weird to say that audiences weren’t ready for it, but you need a movie like that. You need movies [like Watchmen] to go so dark that then Avengers can go so light. I do believe in that.

Wilson definitely agrees with the fact that with Watchmen, Snyder was ahead of the curve. It was praised and panned for its grit and complexity, as well as loyalty to the original comic. 

Watchmen is available for streaming on Netflix.