In the wake of Dan Gilroy’s pointed comments at the Independent Spirit awards, James Gunn has come out in defence of the superhero movie, insisting that just as much love goes into his films as those of any other more celebrated “auteur”.
Gilroy made reference to overcoming a “tsunami of superhero films” during his acceptance speech for Nightcrawler’s Best Feature award, prompting Gunn to respond with gusto in defence of his genre.
“Whatever the case, the truth is, popular fare in any medium has always been snubbed by the self-appointed elite,” said Gunn, via Facebook. “I’ve already won more awards than I ever expected for Guardians.”
“What bothers me slightly is that many people assume because you make big films that you put less love, care, and thought into them then people do who make independent films or who make what are considered more serious Hollywood films.”
“I’ve made B-movies, independent films, children’s movies, horror films, and gigantic spectacles. I find there are plenty of people everywhere making movies for a buck or to feed their own vanity.”
“And then there are people who do what they do because they love story-telling, they love cinema, and they want to add back to the world some of the same magic they’ve taken from the works of others. In all honesty, I do no find a strikingly different percentage of those with integrity and those without working within any of these fields of film.”
“If you think people who make superhero movies are dumb, come out and say we’re dumb. But if you, as an independent filmmaker or a ‘serious’ filmmaker, think you put more love into your characters than the Russo Brothers do Captain America, or Joss Whedon does the Hulk, or I do a talking raccoon, you are simply mistaken.”
Well said, that man. While nobody would suggest that every superhero movie has hit the mark over the last few years, genre-bashing almost always ends up as a reductive argument. Lets hope Gunn keeps giving the MCU his love and attention for a while to come…
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