James Gunn Says Modern Superhero Movies Are "Mostly Boring"

His recent comments oppose the stance he took against Martin Scorsese's claims that superhero movies are "not cinema"

BY Allie GregoryPublished Jul 23, 2021

Contrary to his history of defending the MCU catalogue from the criticism of Martin Scorsese, The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has come forward with new opinions about modern superhero movies, calling them "mostly boring."

Speaking with the Irish Times, Gunn explained the cyclical nature of blockbuster trends over the years, suggesting the superhero film craze is just the latest fad to saturate Hollywood.

"We know about the way cowboy films went, and the way war films went," Gunn said. "I think you don't have to be a genius to put two and two together and see that there's a cycle to those sorts of films. The only hope for the future of the comic book and superhero films is to change them up. They're really dumb. And they're mostly boring for me right now."

Previously, Gunn responded to Scorsese's dismissal of the MCU in a series of tweets, saying he was "saddened" that the filmmaker likened his and other superhero films to "theme parks" after calling them "not cinema." At the time, Gunn compared his actions to that of "people [who] picketed The Last Temptation of Christ without having seen the film."

It seems Gunn has now changed his tune, explaining he "loved making [superhero films] at the beginning," but, "if the movies don't change, it's gonna get really, really boring."

As previously reported, The Suicide Squad will premiere on August 4 at Montreal's Fantasia International Film Festival. It will get its wide debut on August 6, when it will also arrive on HBO Max and in theatres.

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