-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Mel Gibson Says That Marvel Films Are Violent "Without Conscience"
- Thread starter IconGrist
- Start date
- Status
What did he mean by this?
Member
brb crossreferencing posters in here with posts in the "Mel shits on BvS" thread
*beep boop bop boop*
Triangulating....the signal.....
*bzzzzzzzrrrtttt*
*beep boop bop boop*
Triangulating....the signal.....
*bzzzzzzzrrrtttt*
I know about Nakamura from GAF, but what is the context of this GIF?
maybe next time slay
NurseRedHeart
Member
What Gibson says is more or less true, but then again one shouldn't look so deep into superhero fantasy movies.
I saw Hacksaw Ridge today and it was amazing.
I saw Hacksaw Ridge today and it was amazing.
I remember them all vividly.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
The only Marvel where I sensed somewhat of an actual emotional weight to what happened on the screen was Civil War, but even that was overshadowed by the stupid airport fight and the fact that Captain America was making out with the niece of his past lover... ewwwwwwwwww 
lightskintwin
Banned
The only Marvel where I sensed somewhat of an actual emotional weight to what happened on the screen was Civil War, but even that was overshadowed by the stupid airport fight and the fact that Captain America was making out with the niece of his past lover... ewwwwwwwwww
I could've sworn she's the niece of his past lover, Agent Carter.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
lightskintwin
Banned
I said so, didn't I
Got dammit. LOL
In hindsight I beat Mel read the script and was like "South Africans as the villains? I thought they were the good guys"
flintstryker
Banned
The defensiveness is amazing sometimes
Finaika
Member
The only Marvel where I sensed somewhat of an actual emotional weight to what happened on the screen was Civil War, but even that was overshadowed by the stupid airport fight and the fact that Captain America was making out with the niece of his past lover... ewwwwwwwwww
What's wrong with that?
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
I don't think it is about defending the movies, as passionate as fans are, but all about Mel being terrible. if the Ad hominems are there it is because some people believe the argument doesn't deserve anything else if he's in the picture, and the thread could be about anything.
edit: Okay, maybe a couple are in for the movies as well.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
I guess technically nothing is wrong, aside from maybe like.... I dunno, I suppose it just rubbed me the wrong way, probably because I don't think the kiss was something that deserves to be in the movie at all other than just for cheap Hero gets the Girl scene.
It's kinda weird. Not Killing Joke levels of gross, but pretty close tbh.
LilWayneSuckz
Member
He's a racist..and an anti-semite...he needs to stay as humble as possible and avoid hypocritical nonsense.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
Yeah.
It also felt so totally unnecessary. Kinda felt like the "I love you" scene from Spectre.
Going back to Winter Solider you'll see they were apparently flirting for many months as neighbours. Peggy had a full long life after Steve was assumed dead, and it's been over 5 years at least since he's been thawed. I think it's a perfectly natural development. The kiss also shows why she would risk her job for Steve. She's invested.
Thread off to a good start I see.
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
Holy shit I have watched Winter Soldier and I HONESTLY don't remember that woman also appeared in there :O
Monocle
Member
Pls don't project your inattentive viewing habits on others. Are you one of those champions who gets on their phone or "multitasks" during a movie and then complains that it wasn't good, memorable, or whatever else?
BadAss2961
Member
It's not hypocritical considering the movies he's made. Some consider his violence to be overkill, but that's not what he's really criticizing here. His problem with the MCU seems to be how cartoony and detached the violence is. Just senseless popcorn action with no weight behind any of it.
Unless you're a big Marvel fan, chances are you won't give a shit about what actually happens in the movies. It's all consumed and quickly forgotten until the next ride.
Dude is an excellent director btw.
about as fair of an assessment that he desreves
He says the Marvel movies are more violent than his films, which is only true in a context of scale. However, scale is not the only way we measure violence. Gore, its realism, the length of a violent act, staging and music, etc-- these things matter, and he uses them more egregiously than Marvel does. I'd let my 4-year old nephew watch any Marvel film well before Passion.
He then goes on to say that people at least care about his characters, the implication of which people don't care about Marvel's cast, which...isn't really true either? Like, people actually do like and care about Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Loki, and the rest of these guys to varying degrees. That's half the reason we go see these films. The fact that the relationship may be too facile for his tastes doesn't mean it's non-existent.
If his point is that violence has no consequence in the films... that's also not true? Violence, if nothing else, is the means to the end that nearly every conflict is solved, and the lens that every conflict is filtered through which culminates in Civil War's philosophical underpinnings. Violence in comic books more often than not wins you the day, and it's because of its power at solving crises that makes it ripe for being a point of contention itself. "When should we use it? When should we not use it? Have we been wrong in using it before? Are there other ways to solve this problem?" So it definitely has consequence, but it's not a realistic consequence in that it results in some sort of permanence within the universe outside of minor bad guys dying. But then again, these aren't realistic movies. They're movies based upon a near century's old universe of weird-ass people in weird-ass costumes with weird-ass powers beating the shit out of each other because that's what kids like.
Also, can we please stop acting like everyone forgave Mel and the remarks about the MCU have triggered anything? He can say whatever he wants about the MCU, particularly since his complaints aren't actually novel. I don't give a shit about that; I still do give a shit about him talking about his wife being raped by a "pack of niggers," and no I don't think his directorial talents make that comment perfectly cool. So regardless of his thoughts about the MCU, he can still go fuck himself.
He then goes on to say that people at least care about his characters, the implication of which people don't care about Marvel's cast, which...isn't really true either? Like, people actually do like and care about Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Loki, and the rest of these guys to varying degrees. That's half the reason we go see these films. The fact that the relationship may be too facile for his tastes doesn't mean it's non-existent.
If his point is that violence has no consequence in the films... that's also not true? Violence, if nothing else, is the means to the end that nearly every conflict is solved, and the lens that every conflict is filtered through which culminates in Civil War's philosophical underpinnings. Violence in comic books more often than not wins you the day, and it's because of its power at solving crises that makes it ripe for being a point of contention itself. "When should we use it? When should we not use it? Have we been wrong in using it before? Are there other ways to solve this problem?" So it definitely has consequence, but it's not a realistic consequence in that it results in some sort of permanence within the universe outside of minor bad guys dying. But then again, these aren't realistic movies. They're movies based upon a near century's old universe of weird-ass people in weird-ass costumes with weird-ass powers beating the shit out of each other because that's what kids like.
Also, can we please stop acting like everyone forgave Mel and the remarks about the MCU have triggered anything? He can say whatever he wants about the MCU, particularly since his complaints aren't actually novel. I don't give a shit about that; I still do give a shit about him talking about his wife being raped by a "pack of niggers," and no I don't think his directorial talents make that comment perfectly cool. So regardless of his thoughts about the MCU, he can still go fuck himself.
LiveFromKyoto
Member
I literally just watched him play a violent psycho war criminal in Expendables 3, a series which is like a celebration of killing. Compared to Marvel heroes who don't kill? Okay then bro.
He is only one that can protect us from the ((((globalists))))
It's a pretty innocuous quote. It's not like he's saying they shouldn't be made or whatever. He's just not impressed by them. Which like... fair.
Marvel heroes kill. Doctor Strange just iced a dude in his debut. I was kind of surprised by how that movie lingered on it. No chance the guy was just "knocked out" or whatever.
Also not a lot of people know this but Mel Gibson definitely directed Expendables 3.
Marvel heroes kill. Doctor Strange just iced a dude in his debut. I was kind of surprised by how that movie lingered on it. No chance the guy was just "knocked out" or whatever.
Also not a lot of people know this but Mel Gibson definitely directed Expendables 3.
I mean, the guy didn't say he directed it, just was in it.
Also, watch it with the spoilers for a movie that just came out. I feel like that was an important scenario for the film.
Sad Affleck
Member
If he means the fights heroes have against hordes of nameless mooks like in Avengers and Age of Ultron, he's right. Those enemies get killed in pretty disturbing ways but we don't feel anything because they are robots or ugly aliens or whatever.
I don't get the defensive nature of comics fans here, Mel is on point. There's no actual substance to the violence in Marvel film, it's entertaining but that's about it for me. They got boring after the third film to be honest, the only reason I see them anymore is my friend dragging me along, because that's the only reason he'll go to the movies.
Medieval men swinging swords at each other in a battlefield.... Were you expected anything but gore? In braveheart the gore and violence have context, in Passion of the Christ the gore and violence serve purpose, to underline the suffering of Christ (it worked too, when you see people crying in the theaters).
Medieval men swinging swords at each other in a battlefield.... Were you expected anything but gore? In braveheart the gore and violence have context, in Passion of the Christ the gore and violence serve purpose, to underline the suffering of Christ (it worked too, when you see people crying in the theaters).
Exactly my thoughts!
But the fact that he was in Expendables 3 is why the hypocrisy charge isn't interesting here. Gibson isn't taking some hardline Jim Carey kinda stance. And he's being interviewed in the piece in his capacity as a director.
It gets acknowledged with one beat and then is not really returned to or considered. All these Marvel heroes kill people, that was just a rare example where they specifically confirmed the kill. It was still pretty throwaway.
Iron Man has shot so many people through the heart with tiny missiles, he's just never stopped to check their pulse.
"Entertaining but that's about it" is even a line Gibson uses in the interview:
As big a fan of edgy art as he professes to be, Gibson says entertainment alone also is a worthy goal.
Thats valid, too, he says. I forget who said it, but I love this formulation: The goal of filmmaking is the three Es: First, you entertain. Second, you educate. And the third thing, if youre lucky, is you elevate.
Thats valid, too, he says. I forget who said it, but I love this formulation: The goal of filmmaking is the three Es: First, you entertain. Second, you educate. And the third thing, if youre lucky, is you elevate.
He was asked a question about marvel films in relation to his film and he answered it. They are super heroes, the movies are full of violence without consequence. Stop getting so defensive over your billion dollar franchises, they can protect themselves quite effectively.
Even if he had a point, and I don't think he does because the most recent films in both the MCU and DCU franchises have fairly large narratives about the consequences and fall-out of the violence that has occured - this is Mel fucking Gibson in full hypocrisy mode.
Where exactly was the conscience in Lethal Weapon? Mad Max? Payback? The dude directed the most unconscionably violent and brutal theatrical release in the modern era with The Passion.
Don't want to hear about it from you, Mel. Don't want to hear anything from you, actually.
Where exactly was the conscience in Lethal Weapon? Mad Max? Payback? The dude directed the most unconscionably violent and brutal theatrical release in the modern era with The Passion.
Don't want to hear about it from you, Mel. Don't want to hear anything from you, actually.
- Status