Jodie Foster is uninterested in making big budget movies, especially of the superhero variety. We know this because the other day she stated the genre is "ruining the habits" of a generation of moviegoers and she doesn't like it. Still there are a lot of competent directors out there who have helmed big budget superhero movies, and one of them, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 director James Gunn, spoke out to respond to Foster's recent criticisms. He said,
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.
James Gunn is a man who has taken on several tentpole Marvel films and has done well with them. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 is absolutely a quirky superhero movie that ends in a dance off and a tree character being reborn as a more youthful version. It's also the seventh highest grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in the States that's been made so far. Its sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy. Vol. 2, is the fifth highest grossing MCU movie of all time, beat only by a couple of Avengers-oriented movies, Iron Man 3 and Captain America: Civil War. Not only do people really like Gunn's movies, plots such as Yondu and Quill's relationship have also resonated on an emotional level, and Gunn seems to be arguing that not all big blockbuster movies lack heart, scope and achievement.
However, James Gunn does admit that some spectacle movies don't extend much further than the visuals they achieve. He addressed Jodie Foster's comments further on Twitter, noting,
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. Creating spectacle films that are innovative, humane, and thoughtful is what excites me about this job. But, to be fair, at least from Foster's quotes, she seems to see filmmaking as something that's primarily about her own personal growth. For me, that may be part of why I do this, but spending many millions of dollars on a film has to be about more than that - it's communication - so my experience is merely one spoke on that wheel.
This isn't the first time nor is it likely to be the last time James Gunn has spoken up in favor of superhero movies. Gunn also stated he respects Jodie Foster, ending his social media commentary on a positive note. The news comes a couple of days after Jodie Foster shared her opinions on blockbuster movies, notably of the superhero variety, but also just in general. At the time she spoke of the movies she referred to them as "bad content," which is a pretty blunt way of putting it. Foster is clearly a woman who prefers taking on smaller projects that are closer to her heart, including The Beaver and Money Monster. With bigger budgets, more moving pieces and ultimately more money on the line, tentpole movies are a different sort of beast. That doesn't mean studios should totally avoid making them, however. Go hard or go home, right?
