Best and Worst: Superhero Movie Director

[Vakanai]

He did not direct the sequel.

That probably explains why it's not a quarter as good then.

Kick Ass 2 was not as good as the first but where I give Vaughn credit as a good superhero overall director is that he brought his Kick Out sense of style to X-MEN First Class. Bryan Singer may have mapped out the story with Vaughn, but Vaughn directed that movie from mostly A to Z, even opting for the so-called superhero costumes compared the hated black leather of Singer's movies and a more optimistic kind of cinematography compared to the darkness and gritters of X1 or X2 that Singer directed, while maybe doing a better job with the themes of the series that Singer was alpha male at.

That is how you know not just a good superhero director but a good director in general. no matter the film, they keep their own unique style, you should be able to spot anywhere.

Eh, I know it's kind of sacrilege around here, but I'm not as big a fan of First Class as most others here. It's alright, but just doesn't wow me any. Couldn't tell you why, but it just didn't really impress me much personally.

[Castle]

That probably explains why it's not a quarter as good then.


Eh, I know it's kind of sacrilege around here, but I'm not as big a fan of First Class as most others here. It's alright, but just doesn't wow me any. Couldn't tell you why, but it just didn't really impress me much personally.

First Class is not my best personal preference either, however as this thread is about best and worst superhero directors so I did take into account ( First Class, Kick Ass, Kingsman secret services film series and I wish I could have rounded it up with a Superman film from Vaughn) because for a while WB wanted him to make a Superman film.

https://www.slashfilm.com/matthew-va...erman-trilogy/

However putting my preference aside, and just look at things more objectively. Vaughn did things with First Class that did improve a lot in the series that people felt were needed after X-MEN 1, X-MEN 2, X-MEN 3. So let's take a look at some things that I will say he did for real make better, backed up by the actual accounts of the film.

1. Ugly black Leather suit in X1, X2, X3 became more semi yellow colourful costumes in first class. (A disclaimer, I don't personally care about costumes but some do and this was big good welcome change that I can agree with)

2. X-Men cannot make a movie without Wolverine. First Class had no Wolverine. Apart from a tiny cameo. Honestly I think many comic fans that felt Wolverine was overexposed. they will give first class the best film in the series just for this reason alone

3. Magneto was tiring after the original trilogy. First Class was the actual first film that Made Magneto more sympathetic as a character and less cynical

4.Mystique does not talk much in the original trilogy. First Class, not only made her talk a lot but actually gave her one of the best female story arcs and female development in all comic films, since Vaughn also co- wrote DOFP. This was even before the idea that a female character can be the main central character of a comic film where there is no deep romantic angle

5. First Class is also the film that best told the Xavier and Magneto relationship, when they had a common vision. Which was no small feat since this was a younger cast of actors , trying to fill the shoes of Ian Mckellen and Patrick Stewart.

So I give credit to Mathew Vaughn as one of the best superhero directors, he had the goods to back it up as I have listed. he did in true honest sense improve many things from the original films and that is what a great director should be able to do

[LifeIsILL]

Not comic book movies director. Superhero.

Russo brothers have to be up there, but my boss has to go to Kenneth Branaugh. He understood the source material at a time when the source material wasn't really understood by Hollywood. He knew where to break with source material (no Donald Blake). He understood the relative importance of romantic plots. He understood the correct ratio of drama to comedy and where to inject it.

Worst is Zack Snyder. No sense of color balance, or editing, or characterization, completely disregards - and even contemptuous of - the source material in many cases. Really just a bad filmmaker in general.

I would love to see Russo brothers direct a DC movie, even they themselves said they probably couldn't do it because they would not know how to make a character like Superman interesting to the general audience.

[Username taken]

Russos are up there. Donner, Nolan and Raimi are definitely up there. I would have included Bryan Singer but he's a complete piece of crap, the franchise should have been handed over to Mathew Vaughn...he made the best X-men movie since X2 IMHO.

James Gunn and Kenneth Branaugh have done pretty good stuff too.

Snyder (BvS- an historical failure IMHO), Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil, Ghost Rider), Pitof (Catwoman) are at the bottom for me.

[Castle]

I would love to see Russo brothers direct a DC movie, even they themselves said they probably couldn't do it because they would not know how to make a character like Superman interesting to the general audience.

I feel it will be nice to see any mcu director direct a DC film and WB just takes a step back. the one reason I am looking forward to James Gunn's Suicide Squad 2 is to learn more about Gunn as a director.

See Gunn himself has already talked about how much how SS2 is the most creative free he has had on a comic film even getting the R. Also DC told him, he was allowed to kill any character he wants. that is bold.

https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the...that-r-rating/
The Suicide Squad: James Gunn Talks the Creative Freedom of That R-Rating

Also I dont know if maybe his time of SS2 is now influencing him because he is now saying GOTG 3 will be a heavier movie.

https://screenrant.com/guardians-gal...pared-details/
Guardians Of The Galaxy 3 Is A Heavier Story, Says James Gunn

It seems unprecedent, because GOTG films are the most light hearted and to me the most Disney formula controlled of all the mcu films. so who knows, it may be that Gunn has just changed so much as director on his time in SS2. And that wont be a bad thing, because we are supposed to be judging this directors best and worst selves by their own creative freedom work, not by a formula.

[Cyke]

Agreed about the likes of Vaughn and Donner. I've also enjoyed Taika Waititi, and James Gunn is the main reason for me to watch the next Suicide Squad. James Mangold probably showed the best improvement between films.

I think the Russos are great, but they have their limits. Their Winter Soldier and Civil War were pretty good. But I also think Infinity War and (moreso) Endgame were both too big for one director (so it's good that there's two of them), and also those movies were ungainly anyway. I still enjoyed them but points of enjoyment likely go to the other cast and crew, but coordinating all of that is daunting anyway. It's also not unheard of for a film to have two directors, or officially a main director and then a producer who essentially functions as a co-director (essentially the Indiana Jones films with Lucas and Spielberg).

Give those two movies to a single director -- even the best of them -- and it would be easy to be overwhelmed just from the scale. But to that end, I'd also say that while the Russos succeeded, those films weren't their best; if anything I feel like the movies exposed some of their shortcomings.

I still like them, though, and of course I'll rewatch their films often.

[batnbreakfast]

The worst are Zak Snyder and Frank Miller. Even the guys who made Elektra and Catwoman I'd rank above them since those were paycheck movies not movies where they put their creativity on display

[Vakanai]

The worst are Zak Snyder and Frank Miller. Even the guys who made Elektra and Catwoman I'd rank above them since those were paycheck movies not movies where they put their creativity on display

I mean, do you know that for sure on both of those?

[Cyke]

I mean, do you know that for sure on both of those?

Yeah, I'm sure Frank Miller gave the movie his all. The problem is that giving it your all doesn't necessarily mean it's good.

Zack Snyder, I'm convinced, is doing what he loves. But what he loves is to overindulge. So technically he's doing a passion project, but passion projects can be (and often are) bloated and too stylistic. George Lucas has the same problem. Uwe Boll too, though he's in a class all by himself (I would happily take Lucas over Snyder, and both of them well over Boll, any day).