So Terry Gilliam wants to join the rants against the MCU eh? Okay, at least his idea is something that’s a little bit different from Scorsese and Coppola’s….kind of. His case against Marvel’s Black Panther movie doesn’t mince words at all since he’s full-on hating on the movie and for reasons that might make you laugh. In a way it’s kind of comical to think that grown individuals are railing against a set of fictional movies that are being made to deliver a fantasy along with a message that people are more powerful than they think and can accomplish miracles if they actually work to make them happen. No one is stating that they should go out and be bitten by a radioactive spider, or that there’s a nation in Africa that has an untold wealth of knowledge and technology, or that super-powered individuals are the only way to get things done. Does anyone happen to remember that these stories are fictional and are meant to be enjoyed these days? Or is everyone too wrapped up in their own precious ego to remember WHY we go to the movies? You can see for yourself what Gilliam had to say, as per Jon Fuge of MovieWeb:
“If you are that powerful, you should be dealing with reality a bit more. What I don’t like is that we all have to be superheroes to do anything worthwhile. That’s what makes me crazy. That’s what these movies are saying to young people. And to me it’s not confronting the reality of, you know, the quote-unquote human condition. You know what it is like to be a normal human being in difficult situations and resolving them surviving. I can’t fault them for the sheer spectacle, except it’s repetitive. You still have to blow up another city.”
It’s amusing to hear a director saying that something is repetitive when so many of them fall into their own rhythm and have trademark moments that they enjoy using in various movies. Gilliam does this, Scorsese does this, Coppola does this, and many, many other directors do the same thing. To call it out in this manner and not look in the mirror and admit that you do the same thing is a little practice that a lot of us are guilty of now and again, and it’s called hypocrisy. Gilliam and many others tend to hide that little factoid away until it works to their benefit to spring it out and make themselves look sympathetic to those that follow their views, kind of like a miniature trump card that’s just ready and waiting to be used one time too often. What Gilliam seems to forget is that people LIKE superhero movies, they LIKE the fantasy, and they really enjoy the story line that goes with them. It’s very true that Marvel ramps thing up to 11 most times to get the greatest effect they can on the big screen and even on the small screen now, but the overall goal isn’t to make people forget about reality, it’s to inspire people through use of fantasy to live the best lives they can, not to cut ties with reality and lean so heavily on superheroes. John Ridlehoover of CBR has more to say on this matter. But really, where is Gilliam getting this stuff from?
And just in case you were wondering, Terry did manage to double down on his rant:
“I hated Black Panther. It makes me crazy. It gives young black kids the idea that this is something to believe in. B******t. It’s utter b******t. I think the people who made it have never been to Africa. They went and got some stylist for some African pattern fabrics and things. But I just hated that movie, partly because the media were going on about the importance of b******t.”
Some might argue for caution in this day and since it doesn’t take much to be labeled as a racist based on what’s said and what’s believed. It would be difficult to justify such a thing in this instance but at the very least his words do sound a little problematic. What’s wrong with giving black kids a chance to see a positive, black superhero? Yes, Black Panther was hyped up a bit too much and didn’t deliver on the overwhelming amount of press it received, but it was still a great action movie. It’d be so easy to act with outrage at Gilliam’s words but the best idea at this point isn’t to play offense since as many people know the MCU is headed full steam ahead and this means that whatever Gilliam, Scorsese, Coppola, or anyone else says, people are going to watch their heroes and be inspired towards greatness, y’know, the same thing that’s been happening thanks to entertainment for a long, long time. Andrea Francese of the CheatSheet has more on this. So to Terry Gilliam, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and anyone else that has the idea that people can’t tell reality from the movies, please, eat a Snickers, take a pill, or go have a Coke and a smile.
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