There are quite a lot of superhero movies out there and the genre shows no signs of slowing down, so it'd be understandable if you've grown a little tired of them over the years, and VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS director Luc Besson certainly isn't shy about expressing just how over them he is. Although it's a genre which he was once quite excited about, Luc Besson told CinePop his thoughts on the current crop of superhero movies.
Totally tired of it. Totally. I mean, it was great ten years ago when we seen the first Spider-Man, Iron Man, and now it’s like number five, six, seven. There’s superheroes working with another superhero, but it’s not the same family. I’m lost… I can’t relate to superheroes. I don’t have superpowers. I don’t have tights.
I really don't think you need to be identical to the protagonist in order to relate to them, but there you go. In addition to feeling totally tired of superheroes, Luc Besson also directed his irritation towards what he views as American nationalism in Hollywood blockbusters, taking aim at Captain America in particular. "Big Hollywood films where the alien is always the villain, and the hero, which is always American, wants to show the power of America and how they can defend us," Besson said. "Brazilians and French, poor guys who say, 'oh my god, thank you so much, you’re here.' But what bothers me most is that it’s always here to show the supremacy of America and how they are great. I mean, which country in the world would have the guts to call a film ‘Captain Brazil?’ or ‘Captain France?’ I mean no one. We would be like so ashamed and say ‘no, no, we can’t do that.’ They can. They call it ‘Captain America’. And everybody thinks it’s normal. So, I’m not here for propaganda, I’m here to tell a story." I'm guessing that we won't be seeing Luc Besson direct any Marvel movies in the future.
I'm not American and I've seen plenty of movies which deliver a hearty "America, f**k yeah!" attitude, but I wouldn't count CAPTAIN AMERICA among them, despite all the stars and stripes. Sure, his costume and title naturally associate him with the United States, but he's so much more than a symbol of the nation. To me, Steve Rogers simply stands for freedom and protecting those who can't protect themselves, and those are ideals which are universal.
Captain America will next be seen in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR on May 4, 2018.