Filmmaker Richard Donner shared his perspective regarding Martin Scorsese’s comment on superhero films.
Donner is a producer, director, and occasional writer of comic books. He has directed many films, including the 1976 horror movie The Omen and the 1978’s modern superhero film, Superman. He later directed successful commercial movies like the Scrooged, The Goonies, The X-Men movie series, and the Lethal Weapon movie series. The film director also received the President’s Award from the Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy and Horror Films.
Richard Donner’s Superman was a huge success at the box office. It stars Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, and Margot Kidder. The movie collected a gross of $300 million against a budget of $55 million. It was the most expensive film of that time and the second-highest-grossing release of the year. The 1978 Superman was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Music (Original Score), Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. It was also selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.
However, the controversy started with Scorsese’s comment on the superhero genre during the promotion of his 2019’s movie The Irishman. Martin Charles Scorsese is a film producer, director, actor, and screenplay writer. His works are majorly known for the concept of redemption, guilt, violence, profanity, and rock music. Scorsese has established his career in filmmaking with the psychological thriller Taxi Driver, the satirical black comedy The King of Comedy, the biographical sports drama Raging Bull, the psychological thriller Cape Fear, the musical drama New York, New York, the crime films Mean Streets, the Wall Street black comedy The Wolf of Wall Street, and the psychological thriller Shutter Island.
The Academy Award winner said that superhero films are deeply flawed and overloaded by CGI. However, the fans of superhero movies, DC and Marvel, would argue with the comment, but the critique has merits. Donner understood Scorsese’s concern; still, he added that apart from many such poorly constructed projects, there are a few comic book adaptations that connect with the audience on a deeper level. He is aware that successful superhero films should consider healthy skepticism and recognize their worth.
The superhero genre is not Scorsese’s kind of movie. Still, his careful assessment of the genre has been helpful for the existing and new franchises.
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