Superhero movies frequently deliver epic, awe-inspiring action scenes. However, when something like John Wick comes along, it still somehow feels like a breath of fresh air (as did the grounded, bloody fights we saw in Daredevil: Born Again).
During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, John Wick franchise director Chad Stahelski was asked to share his thoughts on the mistakes he sees other action franchises making.
While he wasn't taking a shot at the comic book genre—this isn't a Martin Scorsese situation—Stahelski did share some insightful thoughts on where the likes of Marvel and DC might be going wrong. Overall, he makes some compelling arguments:
"Please make sure you print this: This is only my opinion and my opinion is no better or worse than anybody else’s. Some things I think don’t work might work for some people. It’s the execution. Like with Die Hard. There’s not a lot of action, the whole thing takes place on three floors of a building, but John McClane is a great character. When he runs through the glass barefoot, I’m [frick]ing in — that’s what you have to do. I could do the exact same choreography that’s in John Wick, but if you didn’t love Keanu Reeves as John Wick, we wouldn’t be talking right now."
"For the longest time, [the industry consensus] was, 'It’s not about the action, it’s about the story.' That’s not true. And then there was, 'It’s not about stories, it’s about the action.' That’s not true! You have to conceive the whole thing together."
"So biggest problem with action movies is people think they’re making two separate movies. The story doesn’t stop just because there’s punching and kicking. In some of the superhero stuff, when a second unit guy is doing half the movie, everything looks different during the action. Even the coloring and editing is different. [The film] never feels aligned. So if you don’t want to shoot your own action, then don’t do the movie. Whether it’s Steven Spielberg or Christopher Nolan or Guy Ritchie or the Wachowskis, they all shoot their own action."
It's no secret that Marvel Studios has been known to tell directors to get on with the story, leaving them to worry about the special effects and action scenes.
Perhaps the best example of what Stahelski is referring to is 2018's Black Panther. The movie is widely considered a masterpiece by many fans (and rightfully so), but the final act battle between T'Challa and Erik Killmonger felt largely out of place. It was heavy on VFX and didn't fit into the tone established before they clashed.
The Russo Brothers have always been pretty hands-on with action, as has Destin Daniel Cretton, so Avengers: Doomsday and Spider-Man: Brand New Day hopefully won't suffer from the issues detailed by the John Wick helmer above.
What are your thoughts on Stahelski's assessment?