Marvel fans will bitterly remember Martin Scorsese's 2019 op-ed railing against superhero movies, stating that they do not constitute real cinema. Revered director Ridley Scott has added his voice to the debate, calling superhero movies "boring as s***".
Film legends Scorsese and Scott are not the only ones to criticize the genre, with even The Suicide Squad director James Gunn dismissing most superhero movies as dull, too. Scott's comments came while on the campaign trail for his new feature, House of Gucci, and he had some decidedly off-topic things to say regarding the modern superhero genre.
Scott did not mince his words when talking about the importance of characters in film during an interview with Deadline. "The best films are driven by the characters, and we’ll come to superheroes after this if you want, because I’ll crush it. I’ll f**king crush it. They’re f**king boring as s***," Scott said. When asked to elaborate, Scott criticized the scripts, in particular, saying simply that "they are not any f**king good," and that the movies are "mostly saved by special effects." Scott went on to say that he himself directed "three great scripted superhero movies," alluding to Alien, Gladiator, and the first Blade Runner.
The remarks drew the ire of Marvel fans on social media, with many echoing Gunn's criticisms of Scorsese's Marvel hate as just an attempt to generate publicity for his latest film. Scott himself did not specify which particular films he was referring to, suggesting a lack of real knowledge of recent releases, but criticism against the genre is nothing new. Dune director Denis Villeneuve called many movies in the genre "cut-and-paste" versions of the same story, and Francis Ford Coppola even labeled the MCU “despicable” in defense of Scorsese's comments. Yet superhero movies continue to dominate the blockbuster genre, not only generating huge profits for studios but also creating huge fandoms that unite and connect a diverse range of people together.
However, the complete dismissal of potentially valid critiques from great auteurs could be seen as a knee-jerk reaction, not delving into the concern behind them. Indeed, some fans are agreeing with Scott, citing the lackluster MCU entry Eternals this year as validation of his statements. The movie was denounced as having a script devoid of rich, colorful characters and which was plagued by an overemphasis on exposition rather than story. The potent lack of risk-taking seen before from Marvel in Eternals could be seen as unfortunately substantiating Scott's dismissal of many films in the genre as being "boring." Some see the film as a nagging reminder that perhaps the best is behind Marvel Studios after Avengers: Endgame dropped in 2019.
Yet cynics could see the attention surrounding Scott's latest comments as just another addition to a manufactured storm of pitting one genre against another, a false dichotomy that ignores the fact that different genres exist and different people have different opinions on them. However film fans choose to see it, superhero blockbusters provide a valuable enticement back to theaters after a tough run of closures due to COVID-19, and they will not be disappearing any time soon. Nor, it seems, will criticisms of them.
Source: Deadline