After Jodie Foster declared the superhero genre is “ruining” cinema, “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2” director James Gunn is taking to Twitter to respond to the actress-director.
“I think Foster looks at film in an old-fashioned way where spectacle film can’t be thought-provoking. It’s often true but not always. Her belief system is pretty common and isn’t totally without basis,” he tweeted on Monday.
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In a recent interview with Radio Times, Foster compared going to the movies to visiting a theme park, adding that the CGI and big budget spectacles are not why she chooses to make movies. “It’s ruining the viewing habits of the American population and then ultimately the rest of the world. I don’t want to make $200 million movies about superheroes,” she said. “I feel like I make movies because there are things I have to say in order to figure out who I am or my place in the world, or for me to evolve as a person.”
While Gunn doesn’t dismiss her claims out-right, he does think her opinion is outdated.
“I think Foster looks at film in an old-fashioned way where spectacle film can’t be thought-provoking. It’s often true but not always,” he posted to Twitter, conceding that “most studio franchise films are somewhat soulless” but creating those “spectacle films that are innovative, humane and thoughtful is what excites me about this job.”
“For cinema to survive I believe spectacle films need to have a vision and heart they traditionally haven’t. And some of us are doing our best to move in that direction,” Gunn wrote.
And while he may not see eye-to-eye with Foster when it comes to superhero films, he respects her contribution to cinema as an actress and director.
“I respect Foster and her talent and what she’s done for films and I appreciate her different way of looking at Hollywood’s landscape,” he concluded.
Foster recently directed the “Black Mirror” episode “Arkangel” which dropped on Netflix last week.
