Renowned filmmaker Matthew Vaughn, celebrated for his work on movies like “Kick-Ass” and “X-Men: First Class,” recently shared his candid thoughts on the state of superhero films. In an interview with Screen Rant, Vaughn expressed his concerns about what he sees as an overreliance on CGI in the genre, likening some superhero movies to video games.
Vaughn also gave credit to DC, particularly the efforts of James Gunn and Peter Safran, suggesting that they have the potential for success. He expressed hope that Kevin Feige, the mastermind behind Marvel’s success, would adopt a “less is more” approach, focusing on fewer films of exceptional quality.
He didn’t shy away from praising certain characters, such as Groot and Rocket from Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which he called “pieces of genius.” However, Vaughn was surprised by the disappointing box office performance of “The Flash” and speculated that superhero fatigue might be a contributing factor. He also highlighted the complex and special filmmaking in the movie, which he believed wasn’t adequately recognized.
Vaughn emphasized the need for a break from the superhero genre, suggesting that a hiatus might reignite excitement in the future. He pointed out the importance of grounding superhero films in relatable human problems and expressed concerns about the prevalence of subpar superhero movies that could lead to genre fatigue.
Although Vaughn desires a slowdown in comic book movies, he was taken aback by Warner Bros.’ actions.
“I think there’s been so many bad superhero movies as well that it’s like the Western. You make so many then you get bored of the genre, not because the genre is bad but because the films are bad,” he added. “I was old enough, sadly, when ‘Batman and Robin’ came out, and it was terrible. I was a big Batman fan, and we were like, ‘Ah!’ And then superheroes stopped, and then they came back. Now, I’ll be intrigued to see how ‘The Marvels’ does.”
Matthew Vaughn’s insights shed light on the current state of superhero films, the impact of CGI, and the potential for both Marvel and DC to navigate the changing landscape of the genre. He also underlined the need for quality over quantity in superhero filmmaking and the challenges of keeping audiences engaged in a saturated market.
