Denis Villeneuve: "There are too many Marvel movies that are nothing more than a cut and paste of others"

[Deleted member 2317]

Yeah, that's the point of serialization- no expectations comfort food guaranteed to make cash back from the kids. Franchise movie making has been around since they made movies lmao.

At least he's being kind and not calling them dull, infantile, forgettable trash.

 

[Josh5890]

I enjoy Marvel movies as much as anyone but he isn't wrong.

 

[BriGuy]

why is every opinion nowadays considered a "hot take"?

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Prolonged exposure to the Internet rots your brain. I used to be somewhat articulate myself, but now no good words. Just trash and hot takes about bangers and yikes.

 

[Fj0823]

Was there this much resistance and need to belittle from directors to other phenomenon like Star Wars or Harry Potter back in the day?

 

[Rendering...]

The MCU invented storytelling formulas, you heard it here first.

Next you'll tell me that all of my favorite movies include "tropes."

 

[Chrome Hyena]

Imagine doing an interview with Scorsese or Villeneuve and asking them about fucking Marvel movies.

"Mr Kubrick, thanks so much for coming back to life and sitting down with me. I thought I'd start off by asking for your thoughts on the upcoming Boss Baby sequel..."

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Lol no one tells then to answer. Take a cue from NFL coaches, don't take the bait.

Also Marvel has a lot of issues but again they seem to be one of the few studios pushing for diversity. So they get all the slack.

 

[Huey]

Does he know he's literally remaking a pre existing movie?

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You wake up to a bunch of Era notifications. What is your initial reaction?

 

[IDreamOfHime]

Could copy and pasted actors Simu Liu or Chadwick Boseman be the main character in a Denis Villeneuve movie?
His track record says no.

 

[TheAggroCraig]

If the movies continually make a ton of money every single time I'd copy and paste too.

 

[Chrome Hyena]

Could copy and pasted actors Simu Liu or Chadwick Boseman be the main character in a Denis Villeneuve movie?
His track record says no.

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Exactly.

 

[DrROBschiz]

Could copy and pasted actors Simu Liu or Chadwick Boseman be the main character in a Denis Villeneuve movie?
His track record says no.

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There it is

 

[excelsiorlef]

The MCU invented storytelling formulas, you heard it here first.

Next you'll tell me that all of my favorite movies include "tropes."

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Trope in place of criticism is such a dire shift in amateur media analysis

 

[Unaha-Closp]

It's like asking a Michelin Star Chef Motherfucker about the fast-food industry that people flock to. Both can exist but the one who makes the shit at the top always looks down. So no news it is.

 

[Johnny956]

Definitely not disagreeing with him on this and I'm a fan of the marvel movies in general. I struggled to get through Black Widow and eventually will watch Shang-Chi on Disney+ but they are formulaic as could be. Spider-Man at least has my interest but no desire at all to watch Eternals.

 

[Grouch Douglass]

Duh, Marvel movies are mainstream and far from the pinnacle of movie making.

Still think Villenueve is overrated and a greedy a-hole for trying to convince people to see his movie in theater during a raging pandemic. I will be happily streaming it from HBO Max if I find the time.

 

[Tya]

A mix of jealousy and gate-keeping.

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These takes are hilarious.

 

[Jiffy Smooth]

Was there this much resistance and need to belittle from directors to other phenomenon like Star Wars or Harry Potter back in the day?

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I think the MCU is interesting for having a hegemony those franchises never did -- there was a solid decade or so of two or three of the biggest movies of each year coming not just from the same studio, but from the same franchise. It'd be more surprising if filmmakers didn't have an opinion on the phenomenon, and of course some of them are going to bristle at the factory-line nature of it all.

 

[JLP101]

As a casual marvel viewer, he is right and I thought the exact same thing after watching many marvel movies.

 

[kyle mechlachlan]

lotta creators work very hard to make those films for some dude to look down his nose and call them nothing more than cut and paste or whatever. it's actually even more annoying because he's indirectly talking shit about comics as well because lots of these stories tend to draw inspiration from the source material.

another thing, most *movies* tend to follow similar beats and have similar structure. singling out marvel flicks seems pretty petty imo.

 

[Deleted member 2317]

man, making fun of shitty cape stuff brings out the OT.

These takes are hilarious.

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It's what internet boards are made for- uninformed opinions based on interaction with toys.

 

[Digital Dinosaur]

He's not wrong, though I think the formulaic aspects that crop up in Marvel films are more of a symptom of a wider trend of formulaic filmmaking. The MCU series is an easier subject to make this point with because it represents a large family of films that invite direct comparison to one another.

 

[Imperial Bishop]

Can't wait to see Denis directing a Marvel movie eventually. lol

 

[MinerArcaniner]

I enjoy Marvel movies as much as anyone but he isn't wrong.

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It's a big part of why they're so successful, if anything.

 

[Lost Lemurian]

At the very least extremely challenging. But being able to divide it to more than one film makes it more manageable. The tv adaptations from a few decades ago did a decent job with the actual themes and story, but it was generally pretty cheap looking, with very uneven acting. I have faith in Villeneuve.

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Visually, I have 100% faith. From the trailers and featurettes, the movie looks stunning and very appropriate for the feeling of Dune and the precedent set by decades of art. Cast is also stellar, I'm sure they're gonna be great.

The book, though, mostly takes place inside people's heads. It's about the "which chalice is the poisoned one" mind games everyone is playing with everyone else. It's about the reading every detail of someone's appearance and speech and subtle movements in order to discern their intentions and predict their actions. Lynch tried to show that with tons and tons of voice-over, and it doesn't really work. I'm interested to see how Villeneuve handles it, but to do it faithfully is - I think - an impossible task.

 

[kpaadet]

Could copy and pasted actors Simu Liu or Chadwick Boseman be the main character in a Denis Villeneuve movie?
His track record says no.

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It took Disney what? 30 films to get to that point and they are still completely spineless when it comes to not angering the CCP.

 

[Parthenios]

Boo

I like this guy's stuff for non-pretentious reasons, so he doesn't need to go dredge up pretentious points to get me to see Dune.

 

[Whistler]

How come every time a director has a (correct!) take on Marvel movies, there's always this pushback? Marvel fans won! Just enjoy your movies! They're number-one, they're gonna make them forever, they dominate the culture. I don't know where this defensiveness stems from.

 

[Akalance]

Ok, lets not disrespect David Lynch like that.

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This is like the The Twin Snakes Argument all over again. Something can be a bad remake or adaptation but still be a good Book or game.

Saying it was a bad adaptation isn't a knock on the overall quality of the product.

 

[Tya]

Again, I reiterate: he's silent on WB's superhero movies because it would harm his career, if he wants to be so noble then slam them all, including Sony, not just Marvel. And how is removing the MCU from the cinematic landscape improving cinema? If anything, it's less profit for cinemas which he relentlessly begs people to visit, to save them from dying out. Comic book readers are finally getting what they've always wanted, but Denis just wants to impale them with his "no fun" sign.

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When has he ever been asked about WB's superhero movies? When did he ever say Marvel movies shouldn't exist?

Are people being sarcastic calling his super mild opinion gatekeeping? i can't tell.

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He's also super jealous!

 

[LifeLine]

Marvel movies are just being watched to be caught up with the story. The actual movie watching experience is so boring, a lot of these wouldn't hold up if they weren't contributing to a larger narrative.

 

[wenis]

I'd rather know how he feels about Titane tbh.

 

[Ryan.]

Maybe we should just stop asking directors their thoughts on specific movies/franchises? Let's be honest here, we know why it's being asked and what it's going to turn into. The director doesn't give a shit what his comments cause, the journalist only cares about the clicks and social media impressions, and we're left with people going up to bat for their favorite kind of cinema enjoyment which ultimately doesn't need you to defend them for the 100th time this year. It's an endless cycle of fanboyism that I'm surprised none of you are tired of by now.

 

[Quinton]

I don't disagree. But also.

Just let people enjoy what they enjoy.

 

[Kill3r7]

He is right but he should know better.

 

[MarvelousIntent]

Aw, damn. What a hot take. Marvel is so burned. I've never heard this one before.

 

[XenodudeX]

Yeah we don't want the pesky opinions of one of the most acclaimed directors of the current era!

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Then maybe Mr. Acclaimed director should direct one and see how well he does! Maybe he can put you in one of them since you like cheerleading him so much.

 

[skeptem]

Oh nice didn't know that website was a thing, that you could get through a paywall that way.

This is my translation of the relevant bit:

Do you think it's contradictory that a blockbuster movie wants to take a stand against capitalism? (speaking of Dune)

You just have to think about Hollywood's Golden Age, where you had many commercial/mass-market films that would also contribute artistically, and therefore, politically. I've never thought that having a large budget was an impediment to what I wanted to do. On the contrary. Who's to say that a movie with a big budget can't be artistically relevant at the same time? I think about people like Christopher Nolan or Alfonso Cuarón.

And I think about Martin Scorsese' thoughts about superhero movies, which according to him have no cinematic value whatsoever...

Maybe the problem is that too many Marvel are nothing but a "cut and paste" job of others. Maybe this kind of movies have turned us a bit into zombies... But there are many big and expensive movies that have a lot of value. I don't feel pessimistic at all.

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Sorry to be nitpicky, but I just want to make a slight change,

"Quizá el problema es que estamos delante de demasiadas películas Marvel que no son más que un "corta y pega" de otras. Tal vez este tipo de películas nos han convertido un poco en zombis... Pero película grandes y caras de mucho valor hay muchísimas actualmente. No me siento capaz de ser pesimista en absoluto."

Translates to.

And I think about Martin Scorsese' thoughts about superhero movies, which according to him have no cinematic value whatsoever...

Maybe the problem is that we are in front of too many Marvel movies that are nothing more than a "cut ant paste" of one another. Maybe this type of movie has made us a bit into zombies... But movies that are big and expensive that carry a lot of value, there are actually plenty of. I don't feel capable of being pessimistic in the absolute.

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He is saying that a lot of Marvel movies feel like cut-and-paste jobs, but that there can be big expensive movies that carry value to him.

 

[UraMallas]

Yep. I limped to the end of the Infinity Stones arc and I do not plan to ever go back to that stuff. Comic fatigue is real for me.

 

[That1GoodHunter]

Oh boy, the opening weekend numbers thread for DUNE is going to be quite memorable, regardless of if it's a massive hit, or a total flop.

 

[Deleted member 36708]

Man the marvel hate is strong. My family and I went and saw the latest two marvel movies and enjoyed both. To each their own I guess.

 

[Tya]

Boo

I like this guy's stuff for non-pretentious reasons, so he doesn't need to go dredge up pretentious points to get me to see Dune.

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What is pretentious about what he said?

Maybe we should just stop asking directors their thoughts on specific movies/franchises? Let's be honest here, we know why it's being asked and what it's going to turn into. The director doesn't give a shit what his comments cause, the journalist only cares about the clicks and social media impressions, and we're left with people going up to bat for their favorite kind of cinema enjoyment which ultimately doesn't need you to defend them for the 100th time this year. It's an endless cycle of fanboyism that I'm surprised none of you are tired of by now.

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It is funny to watch play out.

 

[Tace]

What's his Era name?

 

[Zyae]

Marvel doesn't let their directors handle action sequences and instead storyboards and films the action in each movie with its own team. That tells you all you need to know.

 

[Mona]

What's his Era name?

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@Frerbert

 

[LCGeek]

I enjoy Marvel movies as much as anyone but he isn't wrong.

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I would take his point more seriously if his industry wasn't shoveling remakes down my throat time after time.

He might not be wrong but to make his complaint and not deal with other problems that are worse including diversity speaks volumes.

 

[spootime]

Marvel doesn't let their directories handle action sequences and instead storyboards and films the action in each movie with its own team. That tells you all you need to know.

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No shit really?

 

[mikeamizzle]

So what? Lol.

 

[Punchline]

I would take his point more seriously if his industry wasn't shoveling remakes down my throat time after time.

He might not be wrong but to make his complaint and not deal with other problems that are worse including diversity speaks volumes.

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Whataboutism is a bad argument

 

[THEVOID]

He's right, but you can't argue with the results. People still love them.

 

[The Boat]

Yeah, Marvel movies usually follow the same structure, but so do most Hollywood movies, this is nothing new. I think saying they're nothing but cut and paste is disrespectful of the hard work so many people put into those movies.