Blockbuster filmmaking is certainly dividing much of Hollywood, with some, like actor/director Jodie Foster, saying big blockbusters, namely superhero movies, are ruining the industry. Foster made headlines over the weekend for recent comments she made about big-budget movies, and now GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY director James Gunn has come out to defend the genre.
After Foster’s stance made the rounds online, Gunn took to social media to make a counter-argument, saying that though Foster has a point on some fronts, a director can take a big budget and still do something personal and unique with it. For Gunn, taking $200 million and making a movie is a chance to open up a communication with a wider audience:
https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/948022788937342976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Foster’s comments came courtesy of Radio Times (via The Telegraph) on Friday, just before the holiday weekend. In her full comment, she says making big movies to appeal to masses is like fracking, later calling out superhero movies in particular.
Going to the movies has become like a theme park. Studios making bad content in order to appeal to the masses and shareholders is like fracking - you get the best return right now but you wreck the earth. It’s ruining the viewing habits of the American population and then ultimately the rest of the world. I don’t want to make $200m movies about superheroes.
As for Gunn’s response, his comments are certainly empathetic, saying how he agrees with Foster that sometimes these big films can have no heart or soul. However, he makes a measured argument that in order for movies to move into the future, blockbuster filmmaking has to become more personal and innovative, giving them, and the audience, proper respect.
The debate between pro-blockbuster filmmaking and anti-blockbuster filmmaking will be a never-ending battle. Traditionalists will always say big movies are turning the industry into something terrible, while directors like Gunn and, say, the likes of Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, believe you can use the format to do amazing things. I for one side with Gunn, and think he makes a poignant, thoughtful argument for using a bigger budget to tell a deep story that can appeal to the masses.