BATMAN BEGINS Star Liam Neeson Believes Superhero Movies "Are All Just The Same Story"

BATMAN BEGINS Star Liam Neeson Believes Superhero Movies "Are All Just The Same Story"

Liam Neeson may have played Ra's al Ghul in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises, but that doesn't mean he has any love for the superhero movie genre!

By MarkCassidy - Feb 22, 2023 08:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Batman Begins

These days, Liam Neeson is pretty firmly established as an action movie star, but he did dabble in other genres earlier in his career.

The Academy Award-nominee played the villainous Ra's al Ghul in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, before reprising the role for a brief scene in The Dark Knight Rises. He also played the titular anti-hero in Sam Raimi's Darkman back in 1990.

Neeson hasn't appeared in any superhero/comic book movies since, and it doesn't sound like he has any desire to!

"I'll be honest: All these superhero movies? I'm not a fan. I'm really not," Neeson admitted to Rolling Stone during a recent interview. "I admire them because it's Hollywood with all their bells and whistles and technology, which is phenomenal, but they all seem to me to be just the same story. You can say, 'OK, you did do Chris Nolan's.'"

When the interviewer mentioned that Nolan's trilogy also infused more noir elements, Neeson responded: "You took the words right out of my mouth. They had a noir feel to them. And Chris Bale and Gary Oldman? Come on! What a cast. And Michael [Caine] and Morgan [Freeman]? My god!"

Neeson is hardly the first person to make this criticism, and, to be fair, he's not wrong! Superhero movies do tend to follow a certain formula, but the same can be said for the majority of big studio blockbusters at the end of the day - along with the seemingly endless array of Taken clones Neeson has appeared in over the years!

Neeson doesn't seem to be as hesitant about potentially appearing in another Darkman movie, however, as he expressed interest in reading the script for the planned reboot/sequel last year.

What do you guys make of Neeson's comments? Be sure to share your thoughts down below.

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bobevanz
bobevanz - 2/22/2023, 8:50 AM
None of them seem original, Spider Verse felt like the most comic booky and it's easier with animation.
LeonNova
LeonNova - 2/22/2023, 8:52 AM
He says this as he’s likely filming another generic crime thriller
thereeljoefish
thereeljoefish - 2/22/2023, 9:30 AM
@LeonNova - lmao he has one set of skills
Emeraldbeast62
Emeraldbeast62 - 2/22/2023, 10:43 AM
@thereeljoefish - To make the same old CIA operative family kidnapping/retrieval movies with his one set of skills. Examples include ALL the Taken movies along with The Marksman | 2021 Non-Stop | 2014 The Commuter | 2018 Honest Thief | 2020 Unknown... we get the point. Not all Marvel/DC are the same. Trying to stay relevant Liam?
TheGrayGhost
TheGrayGhost - 2/22/2023, 12:00 PM
@thereeljoefish - "..a very particular set of skills..."
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 2/22/2023, 8:55 AM
Well, in broad strokes he's definitely not wrong. However, I would argue that a movie like Captain America The Winter Soldier is vastly different from Superman The Movie.

It's kinda the same as saying all crime or fantasy movies are the same. They're part of a genre for a reason, but not because they're all the same. Just similar elements.
Armageddon26
Armageddon26 - 2/22/2023, 10:16 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Broad strokes he definitely has more of a point, albeit still a loose one. Like you said, it is like saying all crime or fantasy are the same. The irony with Liam being the one to say it is that he recently has been known for just starring in the same action thriller over and over again, so the point loses any real message when you look at who it is coming from lol.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 2/22/2023, 10:18 AM
@Armageddon26 - I think his points still stands, since he never really says his movies are any different.
Matador
Matador - 2/22/2023, 9:00 AM
@PlusUltra - We haven't gotten a great trilogy perfect set yet cause Rises was the worst of the 3.
eddyxx
eddyxx - 2/22/2023, 8:59 AM
The last original movie I saw was Everything Everywhere All At Once. There’s only so many stories you can tell. Everything that can be said has already been said.
KWilly
KWilly - 2/22/2023, 9:04 AM
@eddyxx - Thank you. Every movie idea has basically been done already, in one way or another. That doesn't mean it's poor quality.

That being said, if we keep getting more Ant Man 3's, then guys like Neeson will just have more validity to their point.
TheVandalore
TheVandalore - 2/22/2023, 9:57 AM
@eddyxx - yes and no. That is only true for self contained story arcs. But a series has dynamic elements to explore new things over vast spans of time which inherently can't be similar unless intentionally done so. You can have a first book or film be very formulaic, even purposefully, then in the subsequent entries delve into exciting and unexpected directions which have not been explore in the same way.

When the story is shorter, you have to use tried and true story telling mechanics, but the longer it goes, the more potential you have to explore something different, limited then only by one's own imagination.
GhostDog
GhostDog - 2/22/2023, 8:59 AM
It’s genre so of course this is the case, in broad terms. Just like all of his derivative, generic straight to dvd/streaming action thrillers are the same story.
Matador
Matador - 2/22/2023, 8:59 AM
His not wrong but so were Taken.
FilmGuy7878
FilmGuy7878 - 2/22/2023, 9:04 AM
He's out of line but he's right.
supermanrex
supermanrex - 2/22/2023, 9:21 AM
@FilmGuy7878 - no no hes not. don't give him any credit for that edgy bullshit he spouts. all stories i dont give a [frick] how acclaim the director or actors are all retelling of some story that's already been told. its called a [frick]ing genre. love stories tell the same love story over and over, sci fi is the same core story, crime, etc. mofos just want to bash comic book movies and its getting old. you don't like them then these actors and directors should avoid them and stop insulting those who are into them.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 2/22/2023, 9:04 AM
If you go back and watch The Dark Knight trilogy, you instantly realise how generic most of these comic book movies are. It’s incredible how after all these years and countless superhero movies, TDK trilogy is still the gold standard of the genre.
mountainman
mountainman - 2/22/2023, 9:08 AM
@PlusUltra - I love the movies, but Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises do follow some standard movie templates.

Batman Begins is a pretty standard heroes journey and super hero origin.

The Dark Knight is a stand out and pretty original because it places so much focus on the villain who had different motivations from many super hero villains.

Rises was the standard come out of retirement story where the aging hero struggles with his place, declining abilities, and whether he should move on or keep fighting.

They are amazing movies but let’s not kid ourselves and say they were a complete original story.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 2/22/2023, 9:11 AM
@mountainman - I never said they’re completely original, none of these movies are. But no other superhero series/franchise has quite captured the heroes journey as well, with that level of quality, as TDK trilogy. And considering we’ve had like what, 40+ comic book movies since it ended, that says a lot.
Humperdoo
Humperdoo - 2/22/2023, 9:21 AM
@PlusUltra - Dark Knight Rises is complete garbage. Just because two movies are good out of a trilogy, it doesn’t make the whole trilogy good. DKR gets a free pass because of the previous two movies.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 2/22/2023, 9:23 AM
@Humperdoo - Nobody with even the slightest critical eye for film making can say “dArK kNigHt rIsEs iS gArBaGe” and be taken seriously.
mountainman
mountainman - 2/22/2023, 9:29 AM
@PlusUltra - I will agree that TDK trilogy is the gold standard. Captain America trilogy is a fairly close second. Spider-man trilogy (the original) could have been up there if the third had been better. I was just speaking to Neeson’s formulaic comment. To your point, you can take a basic formula and still do something special with it. Most of the best movies of all time follow a version of the hero’s journey template.
Humperdoo
Humperdoo - 2/22/2023, 9:32 AM
@PlusUltra - DKR is garbage. Batman is barely in the movie. The plot is paper thin. Randomly appears back in Gotham to light a bat symbol on fire. Wtf. Never mentions the Joker existed or why Batman was in hiding. A bunch of armed criminals fist fight a bunch of cops during the day. Lmao. I could go on…
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 2/22/2023, 10:03 AM
@mountainman - I feel like when talking about Cap, we’ve gotta include the Avengers movies because is much of his arc is tied to those movies. But taking his entire journey into account, MCU Cap is definitely up there with Nolan’s Batman. And funnily enough, they both ended their runs in a very similar, almost identical, way.
mountainman
mountainman - 2/22/2023, 10:06 AM
@PlusUltra - Hadn’t thought about that. Save the day and retire to be happy with a woman. Good call.

This is why I want neither Bale’s Batman or Evan’s Cap to come back. They had great send offs. Hopefully New World Order can give Steve a send off (via funeral) and that it doesn’t taint how good that series has been. I never really cared about Captain America as a character and his characterization and story are the best thing the MCU has done.
DTor91
DTor91 - 2/22/2023, 10:08 PM
@Humperdoo - TDKR is far from garbage. And if that’s the feeling…..you might need to re-examine majority of the MCU.

There’s few comic movies that are truly garbage. Even the DCEU films at their worst still aren’t on the likes of Steel, Elektra, Catwoman…Howard The Duck.

You may not like TDKR, and fine. But to call it garbage, the constant hyperbole among comic fans is very, VERY exaggerated.
mountainman
mountainman - 2/22/2023, 9:05 AM
The hero’s journey is a story format that is thousands of years old and is not exclusive to the super hero genre. There are countless movies that follow this story format from all genres.

That being said, I get what he is saying. But it doesn’t necessarily apply to ALL super hero stories, just most of them. Some do buck trends or involve non-traditional elements.

Joker had no super powers and was more about a mentally i’ll man descending into madness. Ant-Man was a heist film with a father trying to reconnect with his daughter. Black Panther was about a prince trying to come into his own as a king, deal with civil unrest, and where his nation stands in the world. Guardians of the Galaxy was about a group of outcasts coming together as a family.

But there is somewhat of a formula to these. That part can’t be denied.
keithvw
keithvw - 2/22/2023, 9:09 AM
I'd love for him to narrate some audiobooks. He's a great actor but doesn't have the material to match his acting (those movies just aren't made anymore). Do some audiobooks and remind everyone what a topnotch actor can do with some quality material.

Tim Robbins did a production of Fahrenheit 451 and it was even better than reading the book. The villain's monologue at the end is goosebumps inducing, a reminder of what a seasoned actor can do when presented with terrific, uncondensed writing. I can only imagine how great Liam Neeson would be narrating something classic and pulpy like War of the Worlds.
TheNewYorker
TheNewYorker - 2/22/2023, 9:15 AM
There’s nothing wrong with his comments. But I still felt the immediate urge to be petty, and insults his films 😂 I even agree.
DarkeyeZ
DarkeyeZ - 2/22/2023, 9:18 AM
LOL, I'm guessing he didn't see the latest Star Wars trilogy.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 2/22/2023, 9:21 AM
@DarkeyeZ - He already said the other day all these sequels/spin offs are ruining Star Wars.
cyclopsprime
cyclopsprime - 2/22/2023, 9:35 AM
@PlusUltra - I wonder if he knows about the comic books and books
ymk700
ymk700 - 2/22/2023, 9:21 AM
He's not wrong. They are all stories about good versus evil with super powered antagonists.

But he's the last person who should complain. Dude has literally done the same movie over and over and over.

Examples: Taken, The Marksman, Memory, Blindspot, The Commuter, Non-Stop Honest Thief, etc. They are all basically the same movie.

I'm not complaining though, since they are guilty pleasure movies for me and my family; but just sayin.'
Humperdoo
Humperdoo - 2/22/2023, 9:24 AM
He must be talking about MCU. Soon DCU will be the same. Generic cookie cutter movies that are all connected. Lots of jokes too. Joy!
Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 2/22/2023, 9:26 AM
Considering just how often people complain about the lack of comic accuracy this fanbase is fine with repeatedly seeing what they've already seen.
r1g0r
r1g0r - 2/22/2023, 9:26 AM
ok, but MOST stories with protagonist and antagonist all boil down to:

establish protagonist situation.
establish antagonist situation.
introduce them to the other.
minor victories occur for each.
antagonist has large victory over protagonist.
protagonist suffers and grows.
protagonist wins.

it doesn't matter the genre, STORIES work this way.
this is, of course, generalization.
but that's what neeson did. he generalized the genre.
TheOtherOn
TheOtherOn - 2/22/2023, 9:28 AM




I have been saying this for years, all these superhero movies are no different than 90s action movies staring those big muscular macho guys like Arnold, Sylvester, Van Damn etc.. etc..

The ONLY difference is, now we have shiny CGI affects to make it look flashy and they managed to create a PG-13 ratings for kids in favor of not showing any tits for 20 secs.

When you look at it, these superhero movies have MORE destruction, genocide, lasers, guns, bombs, missiles, violence than 95% of those 80s and 90s action movies and yet those were rating R and superhero movies are conveniently rated PG-13 to boost tickets sales.
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