Ridley Scott is the youngest director to speak his thoughts on superhero movies, believing the genre is “damn boring.”
Scott, who recently released the acclaimed but failed The Last Duel, and whose House of Gucci film hits theaters on November 24, raised the question unsolicited in an interview with Deadline.
When asked to explain his complaints about the genre, the 83-year-old director replied, “Your scripts are not good.” He continued, “Why don’t superhero movies have better stories? Excuse me. I was wrong, but I mean, come on now. They’ve mostly saved by special effects, and you’ll get bored. Everyone who works with effects when they have the money. ”
Before anyone accused Scott of hypocrisy, he admitted that three of his most successful films (Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator) could in a way be considered “superhero movies.” Scott said of these films: “I think I’ve made three amazing superhero films” and used his experience with these high-quality action stories to ask why the quality of the genre is not overall superior.
Later in the interview, he clarifies that he is not interested in making more superhero movies as he believes he has already done so. He colorfully described the Blade Runner story, saying, “Harrison Ford was a superhero, but everyone was confused because he ended up beating the other superhero they thought was the villain, but it turned out to be one. “I think it’s very nice.”
Many directors have expressed disgust at the growing popularity of superhero movies in recent years. Martin Scorsese said the Marvel Cinema Universe functions as “amusement park walks.” Still, it does not fit the definition of “cinema.” It has expressed concern that the genre pushes more personal films out of cinemas.
Denis Villeneuve said superhero movies have become very stereotypical, but they still showed interest in Chloe Zhao’s work at Eternals. On the other hand, Paul Thomas Anderson is a fan of the genre, listing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage among his favorite movies he has seen recently.
Ridley Scott’s Last Duel is now available in theaters. House of Gucci hits theaters on November 24.