Action Movie Director John Woo Is Not a Fan of Superhero Films; Says He Prefers Martin Scorsese Movies
Iconic action movie director John Woo recently shared his thoughts on superhero movies during an interview with The New York Times ahead of the release of his new movie Silent Night. In case you’re wondering if he enjoys watching comic book movies, the answer is no. He is not a fan of those films and he much prefers “real cinema” like the kinds of films that Martin Scorsese makes. Woo explained:
“I’ve never liked watching movies with big special effects, or anything based on comic books. I prefer Martin Scorsese’s movies, that kind of cinema. I can’t wait to watch ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’ I like old-fashioned movies, you know? Real cinema. There aren’t many movies like that lately.”
A lot of old-school filmmakers feel this way, and it’s understandable. A lot of these superhero and comic book films lack substance. The comic books that they are based on are definitely a lot better than the films that are based on them. I think comic book films have had a good run but these studios and creative teams really need to up their game and the quality of the films they make if they want people to keep coming back to watch them.
Scorsese has shared his own criticisms of superhero movies over the years, saying: “I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Woo went on to talk about his return to Hollywood with his Silent Night action movie explaining why its been so long:
“There were a lot of good scripts that I wanted to shoot, but they never came to me. Like a drama about a young kid from a bad neighborhood. Hollywood producers wouldn’t suggest me for that because they felt I wasn’t American, so I wouldn’t understand their lifestyle. Scripts for historical dramas never came to me, either, because I’m Chinese. I’m a foreigner, so they couldn’t believe that I could make an American historical film. All I could do, in those people’s minds, was make action movies. I can make a lot of kinds of movies, but it’s hard to make people believe that.”
“I was so excited when I got the script for ‘Silent Night.’ There’s no dialogue in the entire movie! I thought this would be very good for me because it lets me use my gifts for telling a story visually. I’m always on the lookout for good stories. It just so happened that this is a Hollywood production. I also never felt like I was coming back to Hollywood, since, to me, I never left Hollywood. I simply made a few movies in China over the past two decades. Coming back to Hollywood actually feels like coming home.”
Damn! These studio executives have got to give Woo the opportunity to tell the stories he wants to tell! Let him make the American dramas and historical movies! Let this guy be a great filmmaker and he wants to tell a variety of stories! Let him do it!