James Gunn isn’t the type of filmmaker that is willing to bite his tongue when it comes to having an opinion on film. Gunn, like so many other directors, is a fan of the medium and has just as much of a take on movies as any of us, even when it comes to the beloved superhero genre that he has been instrumental in growing over the years with his two “Guardians of the Galaxy” features and the upcoming “The Suicide Squad.”
Speaking to SFX Magazine (via ScreenRant), James Gun spoke bluntly about the current state of superhero films. That is to say, he’s not a huge fan of a lot of the superhero features that are getting released recently. In fact, he thinks they’re pretty boring.
“They’re mostly boring to me right now! [Laughs],” Gunn said. “I loved them at the beginning and there are still people trying to do different things [with them], so it’s not a 100% rule, but a lot of them are boring.”
Obviously, even though Gunn has an opinion that is sure to get fandom riled up, the filmmaker didn’t elaborate on which superhero movies he thinks are boring and which he things are “trying to do different things.” And with the sheer number of films that fit the bill, you can’t even begin to assume which ones you think he’s talking about. (Though, to be fair, there are some obvious contenders for both categories.)
Now, there might be some people that think Gunn is out of line for speaking ill of the film genre that made him into an A-list talent, but filmmakers are definitely allowed to have their own opinions. And it’s clear Gunn is a fan of the genre and superheroes, in general, so it’s not like he’s openly shitting on the whole idea of superhero filmmaking. One can assume Gunn, like so many comic book fans, want the genre to rise above mediocrity and isn’t afraid to point out when it has failed.
One thing is for sure, Gunn isn’t a fan of making boring films. No matter what you think about his superhero films, or his indie horror roots, there’s no mistaking that a James Gunn-helmed feature is chock full of interesting things happening at a pretty fast pace. Definitely not boring.
Gunn’s latest feature, “The Suicide Squad,” arrives in theaters and HBO Max on August 6.