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Marvel fans are surely rejoicing as the long-delayed Black Widow is finally heading to screens in the coming week. While many fans can’t wait to feast their eyes on Natasha Romanoff’s solo adventure, critics have already seen it, and many are quite high on the spy thriller. However, not everyone is as impressed. Blade alum Stephen Dorff recently aired some thoughts on the Scarlett Johansson-led movie, and they’re extremely blunt.
Stephen Dorff’s Marvel role predates what Marvel Studios has done with its interconnected cinematic universe. Many actually see what he, Wesley Snipes and the Blade team did as a turning point of sorts for comic book movies. At this stage in his career though, Dorff is very far removed from the world of superheroes but, like anyone else, he’s clearly seeing how they continue to permeate pop culture. While discussing his career with The Independent, Dorff discussed his career choices and bluntly explained why he would avoid a movie like Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow:
I still hunt out the good shit because I don’t want to be in Black Widow. It looks like garbage to me. It looks like a bad video game. I’m embarrassed for those people. I’m embarrassed for Scarlett! I’m sure she got paid five, seven million bucks, but I’m embarrassed for her. I don’t want to be in those movies. I really don’t. I’ll find that kid director that’s gonna be the next Kubrick and I’ll act for him instead.
Tell us how you really feel, Stephen Dorff. His comments would seem to indicate that he has no interest in returning to the superhero genre. While the statements are pointed at Marvel Studios in this case, it may be fair to say that this extends to most comic book movie-producing entities. The Stanley Kubrick portion of his answer also seems to imply that he’d rather look to an up-and-coming director to make fresh content with.
Stephen Dorff’s comments mirror some of the sentiments the public has heard from others within the film industry regarding big-budget films, particularly superhero films. Legendary director Martin Scorsese notably made headlines after likening superhero movies to an “amusement park” experience, while advocating for a variety of films to get the spotlight. Even comic book veterans like Alan Moore have been brutally honest about the state of superhero movies.
Ethan Hawke shared sentiments that were somewhat similar to Martin Scorsese’s. All in all, he seems to hope that audiences will flock to different kinds of movies as the years go on. He still considers himself a fan of certain movies within the genre, though, and, as a matter of fact, he’s currently set to star in Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight series. That show is set to stream on Disney+, which you can sign up for using this link.
At the very least, I think we can all agree that everyone is entitled to their opinion, no matter how blunt it might be. Fans might also want to remember that even if someone doesn’t care for something they’re passionate about, it should in no way detract from the fandom itself.
We’ll see how many fans head to their local theaters and living rooms when Black Widow hits the big screen and Disney+ (via Premier Access) on July 9th.
