The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a large achievement to be sure, but it’s also formulaic. Though it dabbles in different genres, the various films of the franchise are pumped out with an often similar look, sound and feel.
That’s the downside of an interconnected universe, the characters have to believably interact and share the same locales across various films – so you can’t stray too far from a certain consistency and so creative flourishes can be slightly curtailed.
French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, ready to hit the world with “Dune” starting from this weekend in select markets, recently was asked by French outlet Premiere about Marvel films overall and he responded:
“The problem today… Well, if we’re talking about Marvel, the thing is, all these films are made from the same mold. Some filmmakers can add a little color to it, but they’re all cast in the same factory. It doesn’t take anything away from the movies, but they are formatted.”
Marvel’s biggest opportunities to expand its creative approach have been their ‘outside the MCU’ works at 20th Century Fox (pre-Disney) or Sony such as “Deadpool,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and potentially the upcoming “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” which director Andy Serkis tells IGN will push the limits of the standard PG-13 rating that Marvel films have generally stuck to:
“I think we have pushed to the very limits [with] the danger and darkness and the threat and the menace of Carnage. Just because you don’t see so much gore… you can still suggest that. I think that’s just what we managed to do. It’s certainly not shying away from the darkness.”
Back to Villeneuve and in a separate interview with Harper’s Bazaar, he praised filmmaker Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland,” “The Rider”) who was interviewing him and spoke excitedly about her Marvel Studios’ “Eternals” film because he thinks she can bring something very different:
“I think it’s genius that Marvel approached you because you’re the radical opposite of it aesthetically. When I saw ‘The Rider’ for the first time, I was blown away. I wrote a note to you—an artistic love letter. What touched me was your insane skill to be able to approach life. Life is so afraid of the camera. When I saw ‘The Rider,’ I cried because I was like, ‘She did it. She was able to go in that zone that I thought was not possible.’ I wonder how you can invite life in a Marvel movie.”
Both Villeneuve’s “Dune” and Serkis’ “Venom” sequel arrive in U.S. cinemas next month.
