It's become more than a little tedious hearing from the likes of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola about their hatred of superhero movies. While the filmmakers are entitled to their opinions, their dislike of the genre appears to be rooted in jealousy, and many fans were shocked this weekend to see even Jamie Lee Curtis start taking shots at Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
It's hard to put this borderline irrational hatred of comic book adaptations down to anything other than the fact that they're so much more successful at the box office. However, you only need to look at someone like Benedict Cumberbatch, an actor who has jumped from the MCU to Oscar-nominated fare like The Power of the Dog, for proof that there's ultimately room for all types of movies in theaters.
Talking to The Independent recently, WandaVision star Elizabeth Olsen was quick to speak out in defence of the superhero genre. Saying that it frustrates her when people "make them seem like a lesser type of art," she added, "I’m not saying we’re making indie art films, but I just think it takes away from our crew, which bugs me. These are some of the most amazing set designers, costume designers, camera operators – I feel diminishing them with that kind of criticism takes away from all the people who do award-winning films, that also work on these projects."
"From an actor’s point of view, whatever, I get it; I totally understand that there’s a different kind of performance that’s happening," Olsen continued. "But I do think throwing Marvel under the bus takes away from the hundreds of very talented crew people. That’s where I get a little feisty."
The actor has summed the issue up perfectly here. While you can quite rightly point out that the influx of superhero movies somewhat overshadows smaller budgeted projects and leaves less room for them in theaters, dismissing the genre entirely does a disservice to everyone involved from the catering team right up to the director and cast. It's a disappointing, narrow-minded viewpoint.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now playing. It recently passed $200 million domestic.
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