James Gunn Continues To Talk About Boring and Dumb Superhero Films and How To Keep That From Happening
I remember the days when Hollywood was afraid to make superhero movies for fear that no one would go watch them. Boy, how times have changed. These are the kinds of films that are currently ruling Hollywood as everyone needs to be making superhero hero films to be relevant. Some of them, especially those from Marvel and DC make a ton of money!
As we’ve all seen since superhero movies have exploded in Hollywood, not all of them are good. The Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn has noticed this and previously shared his thoughts on how they are mostly boring right now. Well, he hasn’t changed his mind about that, and while speaking with The Irish Times (via THR), he said:
“We know about the way cowboy films went, and the way war films went. I don’t know, I think you don’t have to be a genius to put two and two together and see that there’s a cycle to those sorts of films, you know and that the only hope for the future of the comic book and superhero films is to change them up. They’re really dumb. And they’re mostly boring for me right now.”
Using western and war films is a perfect example of what Gunn is trying to get across. I can definitely see and understand what he’s talking about. As for how filmmakers can keep these superhero films from being boring, Gunn suggests a more gritty and rugged approach. He used the Watchmen graphic novel as an example of how he’d like to see filmmakers bring in other unique elements to their films:
“I loved them at the beginning. I was really excited when they first started making those movies. It was about the visual effects when I saw Superman as a kid. I still love that movie. Okay, I know, that’s a guy on wires and bluescreen with this sort of crappy visual effects. And then when Iron Man came out, I was in. You’re able to make a guy fly around who looks like a guy flying around. And that was a beautiful thing to be able to do. But if the movies don’t change, it’s gonna get really, really boring.
I was always influenced by Dave Gibbons art and Alan Moore’s Watchmen where the costumes didn’t fit the superheroes perfectly, and they had a little bit of a paunch. They weren’t all perfect bodies; they weren’t all beautiful. When they fought, they were kind of getting in the stupid Bartleby thing of getting into bar fights. There are people trying to do some different things with superheroes. So it’s not it’s not 100 per cent a rule that everybody isn’t, but a lot of superhero films are boring. And so for me, I think it’s just about bringing in other elements.”
He makes some good points there about how things are getting a little too polished for his taste. In the end, though, it all comes down to the story that is told. The story and script are the most important elements of any film. As long as these superhero films tell good stories, audiences will flock to them and enjoy them.
What do you think about what Gunn had to say here?