James Gunn Doubles Down on Marvel Defense After Coppola Comments

You've likely heard by now Francis Ford Coppola isn't the biggest fan of Marvel movies. In fact, [...]

By Adam Barnhardt

You've likely heard by now Francis Ford Coppola isn't the biggest fan of Marvel movies. In fact, he finds them despicable. The latest comments from one of Hollywood's most acclaimed filmmakers has led Marvel stalwart James Gunn to take to social media to defend the movies. The fan-favorite director first posted a lengthy take on the genre after Martin Scorsese's initial comments and now, Gunn says not everyone is bound to enjoy every movie.

"Many of our grandfathers thought all gangster movies were the same, often calling them 'despicable,'" Gunn shared in a lengthy Instagram post featuring a touching moment between Rocket Raccoon and Groot. "Some of our great grandfathers thought the same of westerns, and believed the films of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone were all exactly the same."

View this post on Instagram

Many of our grandfathers thought all gangster movies were the same, often calling them “despicable”. Some of our great grandfathers thought the same of westerns, and believed the films of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone were all exactly the same. I remember a great uncle to whom I was raving about Star Wars. He responded by saying, “I saw that when it was called 2001, and, boy, was it boring!” Superheroes are simply today’s gangsters/cowboys/outer space adventurers. Some superhero films are awful, some are beautiful. Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And that’s okay. ❤️

A post shared by James Gunn (@jamesgunn) on

Gunn then recounted a moment where he was raving about Star Wars to an uncle. As it turns out, the uncle wasn't a fan. "He responded by saying, 'I saw that when it was called 2001, and, boy, was it boring!' Superheroes are simply today's gangsters/cowboys/outer space adventurers," the filmmaker continued. "Some superhero films are awful, some are beautiful. Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And that's okay. ❤️"

If you have yet to read Coppola's comments, you can find them in their entirety below.

"When Martin Scorsese says that the Marvel pictures are not cinema, he's right because we expect to learn something from cinema, we expect to gain something, some enlightenment, some knowledge, some inspiration," Coppola said in a recent interview. "I don't know that anyone gets anything out of seeing the same movie over and over again. Martin was kind when he said it's not cinema. He didn't say it's despicable, which I just say it is."

Gunn's next superhero work is on Warner Brothers' The Suicide Squad, due out August 6, 2021. Another Gunn superhero project — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 — has yet to set a release date.

What's been your favorite superhero movie to date? Share your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt!

Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

0comments
Start the Conversation

of