There's been something of a push in Hollywood of late to finally deliver works in genre circles and existing franchises that feature a prominent level of female representation. While some view this as a fair expansion of the cinematic landscape and welcome a fresh perspective to new and existing properties, some seemingly consider this an affront to the typically male-dominated franchises that they hold dear.
No work so perfectly embodies that than the Paul Feig directed Ghostbusters reboot that seemed to send the internet to new levels of aggression and misogyny, before a trailer had even been released. Now, another female-centered entry in an existing franchise is coming to our screens: Oceans 8.
While speaking to Variety, Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock who is headlining the film was asked about the scorn that befell the Paul Feig directed Ghostbusters.
“That was unfair on a level that I can’t even not be mad about talking about. They literally walked into a firing squad. You had five of the most gifted comedian actresses on the planet — I’m just gonna leave it at that. And it doesn’t just take five people to make a movie. It takes about 300, so, you know what? Let’s back off the meanness. Let’s have a year of kindness. The women are here — we’re not going anywhere. But this isn’t about just women. We like sitting at the table with men. We just want to be invited to their table as well because we like them at our table.”
Oceans 8 has fared significantly better than Ghostbusters, however, with early reviews being extremely positive, praising both the film's flair and the chemistry of the cast. Despite this, the film still came under criticism by those who felt that having the previous four films completely with men was fine but that taking that concept and applying it to an all-woman cast was tokenism, agenda pushing and something to be critiqued.
It remains to be seen whether Oceans 8 will be a hit with audiences when it debuts in US cinemas tomorrow but with early buzz being good and feelings on 2016's Ghostbusters softening since its release, maybe we're reaching a point where the notion of female-centered entries in genre franchises isn't one to inherently bring vitriol.
What do you think? Were you surprised by the hate that Ghostbusters received? Are you looking forward to Oceans 8? Leave your thoughts below.