Quentin Tarantino is a director whose movies are highly anticipated among his fans. He has released one blockbuster after another, including movies like Django Unchained and Kill Bill. His fans love his violence-ridden movies and are quite excited to see what the filmmaker does next. Especially given the fact that he plans on retiring after the tenth movie, the excitement is understandable as he would definitely be going out with a bang!
Talking about movies that make fans giddy with excitement, one simply cannot leave out the ones made by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With some of the highest-grossing movies belonging to Marvel, the movies are surely loved. However, Quentin Tarantino had something to say about Marvel’s growing popularity, and it wasn’t all positive.
Quentin Tarantino’s Not A Fan of Marvel-ization of Hollywood
During his appearance on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, Quentin Tarantino was quite vocal about his views on the current state of Hollywood, most of it directed towards Marvel. Tarantino stated that Marvel actors aren’t real movie stars. He stated while Chris Evans played Captain America and Chris Hemsworth Thor, it was actually their superhero characters that were the actual stars.
“Part of the Marvel-ization of Hollywood is…you have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters. But they’re not movie stars. Right? Captain America is the star. Or Thor is the star. I mean, I’m not the first person to say that. I think that’s been said a zillion times…but it’s like, you know, it’s these franchise characters that become a star.”
What he means by his statement is that actors like Clint Eastwood and Tom Cruise have made themselves into movie stars by playing and being known for a multitude of characters. People go to watch their movies in the theatre, looking forward to seeing how the actors have nailed yet another role. Eastwood and Cruise are also considered to be among the last few “real” stars. However, when it comes to Marvel, people are much more excited about the character, than the actor, which might be true to some extent!
Further, Tarantino made it quite clear that in no way was he bashing the Marvel Studios. Instead, he stated that it was just what he believes is going on in the industry. The True Romance writer stated that his “axe to grind” comes from the fact that it seems like Superhero movies and shows have taken over the media platforms, leaving very little to no room for other things.
“My only axe to grind against them is they’re the only things that seem to be made. And they’re the only things that seem to generate any kind of excitement amongst a fan base or even for the studio making them. That’s what they’re excited about. And so it’s just the fact that they are the entire representation of this era of movies right now. There’s not really much room for anything else. That’s my problem.”
In a previous interview with Deadline, Tarantino also mentioned how during the first couple of months of Avengers: Endgame’s release, people couldn’t talk about anything but the superhero-laden film. His words do hold some weight as the excitement amongst fans of MCU is rarely seen in any other fandom. Superhero movies are just what seems to be in these days!
Simu Liu Disagrees with Quentin Tarantino’s Words
Apart from Tarantino, Martin Scorsese has also been critical of Marvel stating that they aren’t movies, they are “theme parks.” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige took a stand and stated that the Taxi Driver director’s remarks were untrue and “unfortunate.”
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings actor, Simu Liu completely disregarded these views and stood in solidarity with Marvel. He stated that if Tarantino and Scorsese were the only ones responsible for movie stardom, he wouldn’t have been a part of the $400 million plus movie.
“If the only gatekeepers to movie stardom came from Tarantino and Scorsese, I would never have had the opportunity to lead a $400 million plus movie. I am in awe of their filmmaking genius. They are transcendent auteurs. But they don’t get to point their nose at me or anyone.”
Liu continued that while he knows no studio is perfect, he will continue to work for and be proud of Marvel which has made diversity a reality on the big screens, adding that even though he loved the Golden Age, it was “white as hell.” The Marvel Studios have certainly got the support of their actors!
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