One director who has a very creative style that would fit perfectly in the superhero genre is Terry Gilliam (‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’,’Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’) but you shouldn’t expect ever to see him actually make one. Gilliam isn’t just down on the idea of superhero movies but fully embraces that he hates them and feels that fans need to “grow up” with what they think to be entertainment.
From humor in ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’ to a fun science fiction romp in ‘Twelve Monkeys,’ there are layers to Gilliam’s work which would blend in perfectly with what has been put on the big screen in recent years.
The actor was asked about how his upcoming film ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ fits into the superhero-heavy box office:
“I hate superheroes. It’s bullshit. Come on, grow up! We’re not going to be teenagers for the rest of our lives. It’s great to dream of great powers. Superheroes are all about power. That’s what I don’t like about superheroes. They’ve gotta beat the other powerful superheroes. Come on, a bit of peace, love, and understanding is what we need.”
I could entirely get this idea if the films were just what he described or if he were talking about the superhero movies which were released in the 80s and 90s, but so many of the films these days aren’t just about power. Just look into the impressive Marvel Cinematic Universe for examples as well as the Nolan Batman Trilogy. While you could argue that the ‘Iron Man’ movies would fall into that category, Captain America has had a war thriller in ‘The First Avengers,’ a political thriller in ‘Winter Soldier.’ And you can’t forget Marvel delivering a science fiction comedy in both ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ films. If anything, ‘Doctor Strange‘ seems to be something that would have been right up Gilliam’s alley with the mix of comedy, science fiction, and messing with expectations and a character’s mind. ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ could easily be described as a comedy on top of that. As to Nolan’s trilogy, the director has stated that: ‘Batman Begins’ is “a heroes journey,” The Dark Knight is a “crime film,” and The Dark Knight Rises is “a war film.” It is hard to argue that any of these films aren’t multi-genre and not the simple men or women in tights with a lot of power behind them.
I am a huge fan of Terry Gilliam’s work and have watched the majority of his films so hate to have to disagree with him here. Yes, early superhero movies could easily be described precisely as he stated but depth and genre crossovers have been imbued into the newer generation of films which is hard to overlook.
Do you agree with Terry Gilliam as to the nature of superhero movies? Is the director getting a little out of line on a genre that it almost feels as if he hasn’t watched? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Slash Film
