Zack Snyder’s THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH Divides Critics With Reactions Ranging From “Amazing” to “Utter Disgrace”

Zack Snyder could really use a win right now, but the first reactions to The Last Photograph suggest his latest film may be heading straight into another critical firefight.

After critics tore into Rebel Moon and Netflix reportedly scrapped plans to continue expanding that sci-fi universe, Snyder has returned with something very different.

The Last Photograph recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and some of the early responses are absolutely brutal, with one critic calling it the worst movie of Snyder’s career.

Zack Snyder produced, co-wrote, and directed the film, which moves away from the massive sci-fi worlds and superhero spectacle that have defined much of his recent work. This time, he’s tackling a smaller and more grounded story.

Stuart Martin, who previously appeared in Army of Thieves, stars as a former DEA agent searching for his missing niece and nephew in South America. He joins forces with a war photographer played by Fra Fee, who you might recognize as Regent Balisarius from Rebel Moon Part One and Part Two.

I’ve actually been looking forward to seeing what Snyder would do with this movie. It looks unlike anything else he’s made, and I was hoping the change in direction might give him a chance to do some strong, character-driven storytelling.

Unfortunately, the first wave of reviews isn’t doing the movie any favors.

Jason Gorber of @filmfest_ca absolutely destroyed it, saying: "One of the worst [movies] to ever play this festival. APOCALYPSE NO. Just unabashedly shit on every level, an exercise in incompetence and hubris, and an embarrassment to have been screened."

Matt Neglia of @NextBestPicture wasn't any kinder: "By the end, I genuinely wanted this to be the last film I ever have to see from him. Snyder desperately needs to stop shooting his own movies and return to adapting material strong enough to better withstand his worst overindulgences."

Then @DawsBear delivered another vicious reaction: "An utter disgrace from start to finish. It is Snyder at his most unfiltered, with no studio intervention, and is the film's largest problem.”

Those are some savage reviews. When people are walking out of a festival screening calling your movie an embarrassment and wishing it were your final film, things aren't exactly going great.

Still, The Last Photograph isn't getting universally trashed. Other viewers came away loving what Snyder attempted, and their reactions paint an almost completely different picture of the film.

@HeyitsmeUzi wrote: "Zack Snyder's 'THE LAST PHOTOGRAPH' was amazing. The story was awesome, the cinematography was stunning, and the action was badass. That opening scene, though - wow. Dude needs to direct the live-action Call of Duty movie."

@federalia went even further, calling it Snyder's best movie: "The Last Photograph gives a new meaning to what an action thriller should be. Zack Snyder's carefully crafted work dazzles with his own jaw-dropping cinematography. It's his most grounded and best film yet."

So, depending on who you ask, The Last Photograph is either Snyder's worst movie or his best. That feels strangely appropriate for a Zack Snyder film.

Snyder has spent years inspiring wildly different reactions from audiences and critics, and The Last Photograph appears to be continuing that tradition.

The interesting part here is that this movie is a chance to see what Snyder does with a more grounded dramatic thriller, which is exactly why I've been curious about it.

I'll eventually watch The Last Photograph and make up my own mind. I've liked some Snyder movies that critics hated, so a handful of savage festival reactions aren't enough to completely kill my interest. Still, I can't pretend these reviews have me feeling particularly confident.

The Last Photograph currently doesn't have a release date or a streaming distributor attached, so it may be a while before the rest of us get to see which side of this increasingly familiar Zack Snyder debate we land on.