Christopher Nolan has made the definite superhero trilogy in the form of The Dark Knight films which have combined elements of a proper commercial fare and thought-provoking themes. The superhero films have since evolved into the MCU and the DCU. While some of the films are great, veteran directors like Martin Scorsese blame the genre for creating a negative impact on cinema.
Other directors and filmmakers have voiced their opinions for and against Scorsese’s views on the genre. Now, Nolan has given his stance on the matter and his reply may arguably be the most mature and well-thought-out one, as he does not look down on any genre as inferior or damaging to the art form.
Christopher Nolan’s Stance on Superhero Films Wins People’s Hearts
Christopher Nolan made The Dark Knight trilogy back when the superhero genre wasn’t as big as it is now. With these films, he ensured that the genre could provide entertainment as well as thought-provoking narratives. Now, with the MCU and DCU, the genre has become the most popular in the zeitgeist, and directors like Martin Scorsese have found this problematic.
Scorsese has time and again pointed out that the over-dominance of superhero films is creating a negative impact on the industry and cinema in general. Nolan, like many other directors, has given his stance on the matter.
For him, instead of looking down on the genre, he says that there can be a healthy balance of blockbusters and smaller innovative films. He told the Associated Press,
“There’s always a balance in Hollywood between established titles that can assure a return in audience and give people more of what they want, that’s always been a big part of the economics of Hollywood. And it pays for lots of other types of films to be made and distributed.
But there also always needs to be respect for the audience’s desire for something new…that’s one of the big thrills of going to the movies is, frankly, seeing a trailer for a movie you’ve never heard of…a type of movie you haven’t seen. A healthy ecosystem in Hollywood is about a balance between the two things and always has been.”
Nolan’s mature and befitting reply won people’s hearts and fans championed the director on X. Here are what some of them have to say about Nolan’s statements,
Scorsese is an amazing director, but he has to respect the audience and Superhero movies, you can’t always have the same genres, people love Superhero movies
— Anuraj Kumar (@BeAnuraj) November 22, 2023
Spitting nth but straight facts 🤷🏾
pic.twitter.com/PbkfOQfTWG— Chombe (@Chombe1080) November 23, 2023
I like this take. Theres enough space for both. People complaining just need to stay in their lane more and stop being prudes…. Like Martin Scorsese
— JRSY (@jrsyenterprise1) November 23, 2023
There’s room for everything man. Respect the audiences choice. Superhero films weren’t dangerous to the culture before they started breaking a billion dollars lol I didn’t see Marty and others crying before that
— N.Johnson (@_NikoJohnson) November 23, 2023
Nolan taking Ws as usual. He’s exactly correct
— x – kraken releaser (@OGKrakenfan) November 23, 2023
Nolan’s views are more well thought out and reasonable as there’s always room for every genre to flourish. While superhero films may be good or bad, they are one of the major factors in bringing audiences to theaters.
The huge commercial returns of these films are what allow studios to attempt smaller innovative dramas and take risks. Hence, one should hope for every type of film to succeed and bring glory to the industry.
Christopher Nolan Says ‘Streaming Only Content’ is Dangerous
Netflix and other streamers have released movie titles that are only available to stream and are never released in theatres. There are no physical copies of these movies available and the streamer can decide to put or remove these whenever they want. This scenario is a problematic one for many filmmakers and Christopher Nolan also gave his support to this discourse.
Talking to The Washington Post, he talked about the dangers of these type of release as the filmmakers and audiences have no control over the films and if they are taken down by the streamer, it gets lost in oblivion. He said,
“There is a danger these days that if things only exist in the streaming version, they do get taken down. They come and go — as do broadcast versions of films, so my films will play on HBO or whatever, they’ll come and go. “it’s something worth pointing out because it will need to be fixed, but I’m very confident that it will be.”
Films like Mike Flanagan’s Hush which was available on Netflix have now been taken down and are now not available anywhere to watch legally. Nolan has called for audiences to own physical copies of Oppenheimer and not let streamers steal the movie from them. Thus, effective measures are being taken to ensure ownership of one’s material.
