And the war on comic book movies continues. Not long after James Cameron called out Marvel and DC by name for being one dimensional, filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet is calling out not just superhero movies, but Joss Whedon personally.
The feud apparently stems from the fourth Alien movie, 1997’s Alien Resurrection, which Joss Whedon wrote and Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed. Joss Whedon previously criticized Jeunet’s movie, saying, “They said the lines…mostly…but they said them all wrong. And they cast it wrong. And they designed it wrong. And they scored it wrong. They did everything wrong that they could possibly do. It wasn’t so much that they’d changed the script–it’s that they just executed it in such a ghastly fashion as to render it almost unwatchable.” In other words, it sucked. Even still, its 53% on Rotten Tomatoes means it’s not even close to being the worst-reviewed movie in the Alien franchise.
Now, Jean-Pierre Jeunet (also the Oscar-nominated Amélie)–who is well aware of Joss Whedon’s not-so-hot take on Alien Resurrection–is blasting Marvel and Whedon’s career. “He’s very good at making films for American geeks–something for morons. Because he’s very good at making Marvel films. I hate this kind of movie. It’s so silly, so stupid.” This coming from a guy who has made movies called Micmacs and Bigbug. Whedon, of course, directed both The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron and co-created Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
It seems to be a trend right now for directors to put superhero fare on full blast. Cameron and Jeunet join Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Roland Emmerich, and more as major directors who dislike the genre.
What are your thoughts on Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s comments on Joss Whedon and superhero movies? Does he make a valid point or are they the result of a long-held feud? Let us know below!
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