The director in a recent interview, in line with the latest statements by Jennifer Aniston, criticized the "Marvelization of Hollywood"
Jennifer Aniston made headlines in early November when she declared, "There are no more movie stars." It's a statement Quentin Tarantino agrees with, as evidenced by the director's recent interview on the "2 Bears, 1 Cave" podcast. The renowned filmmaker attributed the lack of figures in the cinema to the "Marvelization of Hollywood".
"Part of the 'Marvelization of Hollywood' is that you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters," Tarantino said of the Marvel productions. “But they are not movie stars. Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I'm not the first person to say that," said the director in dialogue with Tom Segura.
"I think that's been said a million times, but it's like, you know, it's these franchise characters that become stars," he added.
For the director of "Pulp Fiction" and "Rut Dogs", Captain America is the star and not the actor Chris Evans. “I'm not even downright putting them down, to tell you the truth,” Tarantino said of movie stars who no longer exist a lot. "But that's one of the... the legacy of the 'Marvelization' of Hollywood movies."
Tarantino also clarified in the interview that he doesn't "hate" Marvel movies but that he doesn't like them because they're the only product Hollywood is interested in making these days.
“I used to collect Marvel comics like crazy when I was a kid,” Tarantino said. “There's an aspect to it that if these movies came out when I was twenty, I'd be happy and absolutely love them. But they wouldn't be the only movies that would be made, it would be those movies among other movies. I'm almost 60 years old, so I'm not that excited about them,” he stated.
“They are the complete representation of the industry right now. There really isn't much room for anything else. That's my problem," added the director.
Tarantino has no plans for him to be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The director said earlier this month that he won't be directing a Marvel movie because “you have to be a day laborer to do those things. I am not a laborer. I'm not looking for work."
Tarantino has been making the press rounds this month in support of his book, "Cinema Speculation," which is now available to purchase.
Hollywood Veterans vs. The Superheroes
Superhero cinema is at its peak of popularity thanks to movies based on Marvel and DC comics. With millions of dollars to spend, the movie giants know that their productions will inevitably be box-office hits. Shortly, there will be many more. Not very pleasant news for some important men in the film industry. It seems that little by little, a group of Hollywood veterans is forming against the superhero cinema that is giving the industry so much satisfaction.
Tarantino thus joins the criticism of Aniston as well as Martin Scorsese, who stated that Marvel films "are not cinema", and Coppola, who described these super-grossing productions as "despicable".
The controversy over the superhero genre began in 2019 with Scorsese's statements to Empire magazine, when he explained his reason for not seeing the latest Marvel movies: “I tried, you know? But that is not cinema, ”he stated. “Honestly, the closest I can think of to them, as well done as they are, with the actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks,” added Scorsese. "It is not the cinema of human beings trying to transmit emotions to another human being."
The English film director Ken Loach is also on the list of eminent cinematographers who are criticizing the world of comic book adaptations. “They are made as staples like hamburgers. It is about producing a commodity that generates profit for a large corporation. They are a market exercise and it has nothing to do with the art of cinema," Loach said after learning of Scorsese's statements that generated anger from actors and directors who participate in these films.
“When Scorsese says that Marvel movies are not cinema, he is right because we hope to learn something from cinema. I don't know of anyone who gets anything out of watching the same movie over and over again. Actually, Marty was nice. He didn't say they were despicable like I'm saying,” said Coppola, director of the “Godfather” saga.
Speaking to Deadline in 2015, award-winning Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu claimed that superhero movies are "cultural genocide." The filmmaker warned about the philosophy of this genre and about the values that seem to promote this kind of film. "Sometimes I am amused because they are basic and simple and go well with popcorn," he quipped.
“The problem is that sometimes they pretend to be deep and to be honest they are quite right-wing. I always see superheroes as people who kill other people because they don't believe what they say they believe, or because they aren't what they want them to be. I don't respond to those types of characters. This cultural genocide is like poison, because viewers are overexposed to these kinds of plots and explosions and bullshit that don't speak to what it means to be human at all," the Oscar winner said. "I don't like them philosophically."
Aniston also joined the fashion of criticizing Marvel. The actress confessed that she believes that the superhero movie genre is "reducing" the film industry and that the lack of interesting projects led her to return to television. In addition, the star expressed her refusal to "live on a green screen." "If you look at what's outside of the streaming platforms, there's less and less stuff and it's all great Marvel movies," the "Friends" star said.
After the criticism, some actors and directors who worked for Marvel Studios defended their productions and responded to the director "Taxi Driver and "The King of Comedy" (1982).
“Martin Scorsese is one of my five favorite living filmmakers. I was outraged when people criticized 'The Last Temptation of Christ' without having seen the movie. It saddens me that you are now judging my films in the same way, ”James Gunn wrote on his Twitter account.
Robert Downey Jr., the actor who gives life to Iron Man in the film saga, offered an interview with the radio program The Howard Stern Show and gave his opinion. “I've always had other interests, and according to Scorsese, that's not cinema. So I have to think about it, you know? ”, The actor blurted out very much in the style of his character. "Why did you say that?" the driver inquired. "Because it's his opinion," Downey Jr. said. "But it's cinema, right?" Stern asked. "Well, it is projected in movie theaters," the actor mentioned ironically.
