Denis Villeneuve had better prepare for quite a bit of fanboy backlash!
It's almost become trendy for acclaimed filmmakers to throw shade at the superhero movie genre these days, with Martin Scorsese (Goodfellas, The Irishman) recently claiming that, in his estimation, superhero films were "not cinema." Now, Villeneuve has followed-suit.
During an interview with Elmundo, the Dune director was asked for his take on the superhero movie boom, and said he believed that “there are too many Marvel movies that are nothing more than a cut and paste of others.”
Villeneuve elaborated in a separate interview with Premiere. "The problem today… well, if we’re talking about Marvel, the thing is, all these films are made from the same mold. Some filmmakers can add a little color to it, but they’re all cast in the same factory. It doesn’t take anything away from the movies, but they are formatted.”
This is a common criticism, and, to some degree, a valid one. Marvel Studios releases a lot of content (now more than ever with the addition of the Disney+ shows), and it's almost inevitable that a shared cinematic universe like the MCU is going to default to a particular formula on occasion. That said, there is still variety to be found when it comes to plot, character, and tone, and it's probably safe to assume that anyone who feels that these movies are "all the same" simply hasn't watched enough of them!
Villeneuve is obviously entitled to his opinion, but it is a shame he feels this way about the genre, if only because we'd love to see him helm a major DC or Marvel movie someday.
What do you guys make of his comments? Dune is now showing in some locations across Europe, and is set to hit US theaters on October 22.