Consider the gauntlet thrown. Matthew Vaughn has spent a good portion of his press run for "Kingsman: The Secret Service" declaring that his spy movie action/comedy/parody is a brazen return to fun at the movies that has been missing. He’s already described the first billion-dollar-earning Bond movie "Skyfall" as "pretty exhausting," and now he’s taking aim at fanboy fave Christopher Nolan.
"People want fun and escapism at the moment," Vaughn told SFX (via THR). "Look at the success of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ I think Nolan kick-started a very dark, bleak style of superhero escapism, and I think people have had enough of it."
This isn’t the first Vaughn has declared his love for the Marvel movie, previously calling it "a fucking genius piece of filmmaking." But about his jab at Nolan? Well, we’d argue that audiences don’t care if a movie is a bit more gritty or freewheeling and loose, they just want something that’s entertaining, which doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be "fun." As long as the approach is right for the character and provides the thrills audiences expect when they buy a ticket, escapism can take on any form it likes.
But what do you think? Has Vaughn gone too far, or is he right that Nolan’s serious comic book style is already out of fashion? Let us know below.
Nolan\’s gotten tired of dark and gritty lately as well, having gone for much more optimistic stories in his last three films.
Vaughn doesn\’t seem to be critizising Nolan per se but more what followed, and that it has been rehashed perhaps rather blindly. Nolan certainly re-envigorated the Batman universe with a pshycological awareness and realism that was sorely needed, or at least very well received, and for that time being no indications pointed to the audience being fed up with any "very dark, bleak style." Guardians of the Galaxy is a new flavor all (successfully) by itself; can\’t see why one would exclude the other.
lol Vaughan\’s just jealous, Nolan\’s misfires are seen by double the audience of any one of hits hits.
Good to know that he doesn\’t view the extreme view the extreme levels of violence and bad language in the majority of his films as being either dark or bleak. Guardians of the Galaxy was indeed a really fun movie and managed it without being nasty at all. Maybe he could learn from that.
Most filmmakers now are trying to step up to keep up with Christopher Nolan\’s movies. He is elevating the industry in this way.
Holy crap, franchise filmmaking has turned into politics/sports competition. Vaughn basically says that it\’s better to pander to the ADHD generation with colorful cartoon-level comedy than to make an artistically challenging adult action drama. What a moron. All his films are worthless in my opinion.
He\’s wrong. I don\’t go to the cinema just for laughs. I go for the experience. The cinematic experience, and to see stunning films. They\’re the kind of films Nolan makes. Guardians of the Galaxy was a brilliant, fun film. But maybe people have had enough of those kinds of films. I agree with what GRUNTER said. We want films with depth, characters with depth. Not \’happy-go-lucky\’ saddo films.
Since when did Matthew Vaughn become the voice of the people?!
Vaughn would be wrong. We don\’t all want happy-sappy day-glo colored superheroes. The Marvel movies are all THE SAME.
Vaughn seems to be spending an awful lot of time on the Kingsman press tour talking about everything but the film in question. Does he not have confidence that the film can stand on its own merit?