Superman director Richard Donner is no fan of dark & cynical superhero films

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Although we're living in the midst of a golden age of superhero movies, that certainly wasn't always the case. Superhero movies that actually took their characters seriously were few and far between, but Richard Donner's Superman was the first big-budget comic-book movie to get it right and was a critical and commercial success upon its release in 1978. Since then, we've seen the release of all types of superhero films, but while speaking with The Telegraph, Richard Donner said that he's not a fan of those that turn the heroes into dark and cynical versions of themselves.

There are so many people that make superheroes so cynical it's depressing. When they're dark and bleak and angry with themselves and the world, I don't find it entertaining. I think there's enough reality going on for that. We just got over four years of that. I think we crave the opposite.

However, before you start thinking that Richard Donner is down on all superhero films, he added that, "When you see it done right, by my standards, it's so fulfilling. I'm very happy and proud when I see them. When it's done wrong, it's such a disappointment." Donner also commented on Martin Scorsese's comments last year comparing superhero films to theme park rides. "Well, I'd like to be able to make one of those theme park rides!" Donner said. "The problem is, a lot of times, we see in our industry that when the technical lens becomes readily available, it's totally misused. But at the same time, every once in a while you really see quite a wonderful story with one of those films."

Although Richard Donner doesn't have any superhero projects in the works, he will be returning to one of his old franchises with the fifth installment of the Lethal Weapon series, which he says will be the last film. "This is the final one," Donner said. "It's both my privilege and duty to put it to bed. It's exciting, actually…Hahaha! It's the last one, I'll promise you that." Mel Gibson and Danny Glover will be reprising their roles for the film, with Donner slated to direct.