Director John Landis (An American Werewolf in London, National Lampoon’s Animal House) is at it again. Last week he criticized the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while praising the DCEU’s first critical hit Wonder Woman, and this week he is dropping some harsh words on Universal’s Dark Universe that launched last Friday with The Mummy.
Speaking to Entertainment.ie, Landis made the case that the idea for a Universal Monsters cinematic universe is not new and that they aren’t respecting the actual monsters, stating that:
“It’s not a new idea. If you remember with Universal back in the ’40s, once they made all their classics, they started cross-pollinating. House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man – you know what they used to call those? Monster rallies! (laugh) And then of course, one of the great ironies is what was considered… OK – it’s over now!… was Abbot & Costello Meets Frankenstein, which is actually a very funny movie and very respectful of the monsters. I think, y’know, maybe that’s one of the problems with Universal’s Dark Universe is that it isn’t respectful of the monsters.”
For those that haven’t seen The Mummy, it is also worth pointing out that the blockbuster unashamedly steals a plot point from An American Werewolf in London without executing it anywhere near as strongly. That’s not to say that John Landis is bitter, it’s just an interesting observation.
Let us know below in the comments if you agree or disagree with revered director John Landis, and also what you thought of the beginning of Universal’s Dark Universe…
Originally published June 19, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
