The Hollywood landscape has changed considerably in the ten years since Mel Gibson last released a film. Although he's making a triumphant return with the upcoming debut of Hacksaw Ridge, that doesn't change the fact that the film industry looks very different than it did in 2006 when Gibson last got behind a camera. Cohesive comic book universes have fundamentally changed how we watch movies, and Gibson doesn't think that's a good thing. As it turns out: he isn't a fan of some of these big budget summer blockbusters, and he REALLY doesn't like Batman V Superman. Gibson elaborated:
I look at them and scratch my head. I'm really baffled by it. I think there's a lot of waste but maybe if I did one of those things with the green screens I'd find out different. I don't know. Maybe they do cost that much. I don't know. It seems to me that you could do it for less. If you're spending outrageous amounts of money, $180 million or more, I don't know how you make it back after the taxman gets you, and after you give half to the exhibitors. ... What did they spend on 'Batman V Superman' that they're admitting to? And it's a piece of shit.
Mel Gibson recently spoke to Deadline about the overwhelmingly positive response to his new WWII film, Hacksaw Ridge, and the topic inevitably turned to the current state of big budget blockbusters. In a quintessentially Mel Gibson response, the Lethal Weapon star admitted that superhero movies baffle him. In particular, he noted that Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was a "piece of shit" film. Tell us how you really feel, Mel.
It all seems to come down to money for Gibson. The immense price tags that these major superhero movies carry don't really make sense to him, and he's certain they shouldn't cost as much as they do to produce. In his eyes, Warner Bros. shouldn't be proud to admit that it cost $250 million to make Dawn of Justice.
We cannot say that we're surprised. What else would you expect from the guy who played Mad Max? Gibson isn't known for his subtlety, and that's one of the reasons we love him.
Of course, it's actually worth noting that Mel Gibson's sort of correct in his assumption; you CAN make a superhero movie for far less than most studios invest. Just this year Deadpool proved that it doesn't take a nine-figure budget to craft a solid comic book adaptation. Not only has Deadpool become one of the highest rated comic book movies of 2016 on Rotten Tomatoes, it also has become one of the most profitable by earning $760 million against a $58 million production budget. Thrifty still works in Hollywood. Then again, maybe Mel Gibson doesn't want to acknowledge the success of Deadpool. After all, The Passion of the Christ held the title of highest grossing R-rated movie ever until Deadpool came along earlier this year and snatched away the honor.
Regardless of his statements, Mel Gibson's going to have to contend with the fact that those big budget blockbusters, including superhero movies, are here to stay, whether he likes them or not. That being said, variety is always good, so make sure to take a break from your comic book movies and check out Hacksaw Ridge when Gibson's comeback film hits theaters on November 4.
