Ridley Scott criticizes superhero movies, says they're 'boring'
Nov 16, 2021
Washington [US], November 16 : Oscar-nominated director Ridley Scott recently got candid about why he thinks most modern blockbuster superhero films are subpar.
Scott, who has two movies out this year, 'The Last Duel', out now, and the upcoming 'House of Gucci', told Deadline, "Almost always, the best films are driven by the characters, and we'll come to superheroes after this if you want, because I'll crush it. I'll f------ crush it. They're f------ boring as s---. Their scripts are not any f------ good."
Scott said he thinks he has "done three great scripted superhero movies," listing 1979's 'Alien', 1982's 'Blade Runner', and 2000's 'Gladiator'.
"They're superhero movies," he argued, adding, "so why don't the superhero movies have better stories? Sorry. I got off the rail, but I mean, c'mon. They're mostly saved by special effects, and that's becoming boring for everyone who works with special effects if you've got the money."
Scott isn't the first acclaimed director to slam modern-day superhero flicks.
Martin Scorsese in an October 2019 interview said that superhero movies are "not cinema" and also compared them to theme park rides. Scorsese further explained in an opinion piece for a news outlet a month later that he grew up in a different time when franchises didn't dominate movie theatres and filmmakers took more risks.
Director James Gunn, known for his 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 'The Suicide Squad movies', said on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast earlier this year that "it just seems awful cynical that [Scorsese] would keep coming out against Marvel and then that's the only thing that would get him press for his movie."
"So then he just kept coming out against Marvel so that he could get press for his movie. He's creating his movie in the shadow of the Marvel films, and so he uses that to get attention for something he wasn't getting as much attention as he wanted for it," Gunn argued at the time.
As per People magazine, Lady Gaga recently praised Scott, saying about working with him on Gucci, "I've never had a better experience with a director. He loves artists, and some directors don't. They love themselves." She added that he made her feel "empowered ... as a woman" on set.
