Guardians of the Galaxy Director Defends Superhero Films Amid Backlash

Guardians of the Galaxydirector James Gunn offered a pointed response to the criticism leveled at superhero movies at the Oscars and Independent Spirit Awards, writing on Facebook, What bothers me slightly is that many people assume because you make big films that you put less love, care, and thought into them then people do who make independent films or who make what are considered more serious Hollywood films.

Specifically, Gunnrespondedto Jack Blacks burn during his cameo in Neil Patrick Harris opening numberat the Academy Awards Opening with lots of zeroes, all we get are superheroes: Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, Jedi Man, Sequel Man, Prequel Man, formulaic scripts, he sang andNightcrawlerdirector Dan Gilroys remarks at the ISAsbemoaning the tsunami of superhero movies in Hollywood.

Gunn had snide words for both, saying thewriting at the Oscars didnt seem to be all that well thought out, and suggesting thatGilroy mightve been speaking off the cuff as many at awards shows, including himself, are wont to do. (He also noted the directors wife,Rene Russo, has appeared inMarvels twoThor films.) But the director primarily focused on defending the superhero genre, not necessarily in the context of high vs. low culture popular fare in any medium has always been snubbed by the self-appointed elite, he wrote but by pointing out the genuine and disingenuous intentions of filmmakers in every genre.

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Throughout his career, Gunn argued, he hasnt noticed a huge disparity in thenumber of people making movies for a buck or to feed their own vanity and those who do it because they love story-telling, they love cinema, and they want to add back to the world some of the same magic theyve taken from the works of others.

If you think people who make superhero movies are dumb, come out and say were dumb, Gunn wrote. But if you, as an independent filmmaker or a serious filmmaker, think you put more love into your characters than the Russo Brothers do Captain America, or Joss Whedon does the Hulk, or I do a talking raccoon, you are simply mistaken.