Originally published October 11, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
This week, Neil Calloway agrees with Steven Spielberg about Comic Book Movies…
A month or so after it began, and some might say right in time for his new film, the Tom Hanks starring Cold War espionage thriller Bridge of Spies, the debate over Steven Spielberg’s comments regarding comic book movies rumbles on.
To be fair, it’s not much of a debate; film feuds are hardly like the 1990s West Coast Vs East Coast Hip Hop Rivalry; it’s not even Taylor Swift sniping at Katy Perry. Spielberg just mentioned that films come in cycles; once the Western was dominant, now it’s the Comic Book Movie. The early 1990s psychological thriller now only exists as bad TV movies, and the occasional gem such as Gone Girl. The action buddy movie hardly gets made now. Marvel Studios Head Honcho Kevin Feige responded by saying people had been predicting the death of the Comic Book Movie since the MCU began; he’s right, of course, but will people still be interested when Marvel announce Phase 27? I doubt it.
On the face of it, it doesn’t seem like much, but following James Gunn’s reactions to Jack Black’s Oscar jokes and Dan Gilroy’s criticisms of the Comic Book genre, it does seem like those responsible for comic book films are very defensive and not confident enough in their movies. They should take the criticisms and move on; Comic Books are no longer for children, so the people who make Comic Book Movies should act like adults when they get criticised.
Really though, when Steven Spielberg compares your films to Westerns, you should be very very happy. Ask anyone – literally anyone – to name three film genres and I’d bet you good money that they include Westerns in their response. The reaction anyone involved in comic book movies to Steven Spielberg comparing them to Westerns should be as follows “the most successful living film-maker has just compared the films we make to one of the most recognisable genres ever. Good work everyone. Take the afternoon off. Cigars all round.”
Sure, Westerns aren’t made that much anymore, but they’re still hugely influential. What do you think Mad Max: Fury Road is, if not a post-apocalyptic Australian Western, with Max as the archetypal Western hero? What do you think the Star Wars films are – the original trilogy, at least – if they are not Westerns? Mos Eisley is a lawless town on the edge of society. The Sand People are Native Americans; this is even carried through to the prequels when Anakin attacks them after the kidnap of his mother, strongly echoing a scene in The Searchers, the John Ford directed classic starring John Wayne. If in fifty years films are still echoing the MCU, then Kevin Feige and everyone else should be very proud.
If you had to make a list of films that weren’t Westerns, you’d probably include Taxi Driver on it, but that film, with its damaged anti-hero rescuing a young girl, is certainly inspired by The Searchers (Scorsese’s Who’s That Knocking On My Door also features a discussion of the film). The genre has influenced the most successful and acclaimed directors. If Comic Book Movies do that, then Kevin Feige, James Gunn and Co. should be very happy. The Western all but disappeared, but it gave us Clint Eastwood, and some cool revisionist Westerns years later. Who doesn’t want to see, in twenty years, a dark, messed up film featuring flawed superheroes? I’d watch.
The film industry does work in cycles, but those cycles are based on box office, and at the moment the Comic Book is king. Spielberg was right, but things aren’t going to change anytime soon.
Neil Calloway is a pub quiz extraordinaire and Top Gun obsessive. Check back here every Sunday for future instalments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=C_zu6XuI_g4
