Despite their massive popularity, you might find it hard to believe that not everyone is swept in the latest happenings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While many fans and moviegoers love nothing more than experiencing the latest adventures of the Avengers on the big screen, there are others who are just fine catching up with them whenever, even if it’s at home nursing the ramifications following a night of drinking. Certainly, that’s the only way you’re going to get Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki to watch a Marvel flick.
The director, whose latest “The Other Side Of Hope” is now playing in the U.K., chatted with The Guardian and revealed he’s not a fan of on-screen violence, even when it’s played lightly. However, Marvel does have an alcohol soaked exception.
“I never like showing it. And I don’t want to see it in films, especially when it is comic. On the other hand, if it is Sunday and I have a hangover, I can watch those senseless Marvel things. I’m too afraid to watch anything else in that condition. Even [British medical drama series] ‘Holby City‘ is too scary,” he said.
So, it’s not particularly a diss on Marvel, but rather, Kaurismaki revealing he needs to be made immovable by drinking to handle superhero violence. Presumably he’s watching with the volume down, because I can’t imagine watching a blockbuster while dealing with a vicious headache.
These Marvel movies are designed to be mindless nonsense, and they hit their mark as intended. They are just being faithful to the source material. You read a comic book for an action packed story about good and evil, with some dumbed down themes about morality, and the simplest of characters. If you insist on consuming something deeper, you can just read a novel, or watch a Bergman movie! I can enjoy both.