It's almost become par for the course to ask established directors for their opinion on the superhero movie boom, and the latest filmmaker to weigh in is "Master of Disaster," Roland Emmerich.
While speaking to Den of Geek about his new sci-fi disaster flick Moonfall, Emmerich shared his thoughts on the surge in major IP-driven blockbusters over the past few years, and it's safe to say he's not a huge fan!
“Oh yes,” Emmerich replied when asked if the disaster genre has changed in recent years. “Because naturally Marvel and DC Comics, and Star Wars, have pretty much taken over. It’s ruining our industry a little bit, because nobody does anything original anymore.”
“You should make bold new movies, you know?” the director of 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, and White House Down continued. “And I think, actually, Christopher Nolan is the master of that. He is someone who can make movies about whatever he wants. I have it a little bit harder, but I still have a big enough name—especially when it’s a disaster [movie] or has some sort of disaster theme.”
Emmerich's views are not really surprising, as he's been very critical of superhero cinema in the past, even claiming that he likes to watch Marvel movies "on planes in order to fall asleep" in a previous interview. The filmmaker is entitled to his opinion, of course, but when it comes to bemoaning the state of the film industry for its lack of original content, let's just say some might find his comments a tad hypocritical!
What do you guys make of Emmerich's thoughts on superhero movies? Does he have a point? Be sure to let us know in the usual spot.
In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Academy Award® winner Halle Berry) is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson, “Midway”) and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley, “Game of Thrones”) believes her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is.
Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by Roland Emmerich & Harald Kloser & Spenser Cohen, the film also stars Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Eme Ikwuakor, Carolina Bartczak, and Donald Sutherland.