Do you like shared universes? Well, you’d better. Because in today’s day and age it’s almost impossible to escape them. Sure, we still have more indie flicks and original ideas than ever before, but there’s no denying that the theater is packed to the brim with shared universes. We have the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe, the MonsterVerse, the Dark Universe, and even the Cloverfield universe.
In all honesty, it’s a pretty cool idea, but it can still feel a bit overwhelming to those who are looking for blockbusters that don’t necessarily feel the pressure to lead up to or connect with something else. I know what you’re thinking. “What does John Landis think of shared universes?” Oh, you weren’t? Well, regardless, speaking to the Irish Times, when asked about his thoughts on shared universes, he was quick to point out one thing.
“First of all, 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.”
We can see that. While The Mummy had to capacity to work on some level, it didn’t really work to recapture a similar feeling as the original films.
But of course, when people think of cinematic universes these days, chances are their minds go to the most successful of the bunch — the Marvel movies. Well, Landis isn’t a fan.
“I’m just… truthfully, I’m bored sh*tless with the Marvel Universe now. All the superhero movies tend to be interchangeable, you always have these mass destruction of cities and huge computer-generated extravaganzas to the point where you could take a reel from any of the Marvel superhero movies and put it any of the others and nobody would notice. They’re very well-made, it’s just they’re the same thing over and over again. But, I don’t know, people are showing up. One of the reasons Wonder Woman has been received so well by the critics is that it doesn’t destroy cities! (laughs) Even the superhero stuff is on a very human scale, it’s the gods! We’re not seeing skyscrapers tumbling! (laughs)”
Well, he certainly has pretty strong opinions, but what do you expect? The dude’s a filmmaker behind such classics as The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, Animal House, and An American Werewolf in London, so he’s bound to have some real opinions. He kind of has a point, though. While I do love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a lot of the films have started to feel very same-y. However, perhaps with Thor: Ragnarok and next year’s Black Panther, we’ll start to see a very conscious change.
What do you think? Are you bored of Marvel movies? Let us know your thoughts down below!
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SOURCE: The Irish Times
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Could it be Solo: A Star Wars Story? https://t.co/eiCANtvUVR
