Dakota Johnson Is Right About Superhero Movie Fatigue (And How To Fix It)
Summary
Dakota Johnson's comments on Madame Web touch on a subject that has been discussed before with superhero movies - namely, the meddling of outside forces and how they affect the final product. Johnson's commentary about how these issues can affect superhero movies' ability to connect with an audience hold weight based on several previous superhero movie releases, and touch upon an issue that the genre needs to contend with going forward to ensure its continued success.
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Related Madame Web vs Morbius: Which Is Actually Worse? Sony's last two Spider-Man spinoff movies, Madame Web and Morbius, have been critically panned, but one is clearly worse than the other. Superhero Movies Being Too Formulaic Is Hurting The Genre Dakota Johnson Explained How Committee Decisions Hurt Madame Web![]()
> Madame Web
Director S.J. Clarkson Distributor(s) Sony Pictures Releasing Writers Burk Sharpless , Matt Sazama , Kerem Sanga Cast Dakota Johnson , Emma Roberts , Adam Scott , Isabela Merced , Sydney Sweeney In a recent interview with Bustle, Dakota Johnson mentioned the types of decisions movie studios make that have nothing to do with their films' artistic value and more to do with fitting a formula, lamenting that this can take away from the plans of a movie's creative team. Johnson's comments can be read below:
Johnson went on to say that she thinks part of the problem also comes down to certain parties attempting to control a film's production, stating:
Risk Taking Doesn't Always Mean Good Superhero Movies, But It's Necessary Successful Superhero Movies Like Guardians Of The Galaxy Were Big Risks![]()
While Dakota Johnson has a point about studios taking a chance on creative teams, risks like this don't always pay off. For example, the director of Eternals, Chloe Zhao, made it clear that she retained creative control over the movie - but the movie failed to find an audience and was less than the huge success Marvel was likely hoping for.
In contrast, some projects that may have appeared more risky, like Guardians of the Galaxy, have been huge successes. Had Marvel not trusted that a movie about obscure characters like Rocket Raccoon - made by a director who was creating his first MCU movie - could work, superhero movies might look very different. Things like the movie's curated soundtrack and flashy style have since been emulated to varying degrees of success in other superhero projects.
Even though it was critically panned, the risks Madame Web took did show some promise. The film's premise of a psychological thriller using a Marvel character as a horror villain is a genuinely interesting one. In the few scenes where the film actually commits to trying this, like the tense scene on the train, Madame Web shows how this idea could have worked. However, the movie is bogged down by constant Spider-Man references, which have led to theories that these references were part of the later alterations made to the script.
Will Marvel And DC's Upcoming Movies Avoid Design By Committee? The MCU And DCU Both Have Opportunities For Creator-Driven Projects Close Recent comments by Disney CEO Bob Iger have raised some concerns that the MCU might be moving away from riskier projects, at least in theaters. However, Marvel's upcoming TV shows could still be a place for more creative risks. For example, Eyes of Wakanda has Black Panther director Ryan Coogler attached as an executive producer. Coogler has made two very successful movies for Marvel and will hopefully be afforded some creative freedom when it comes to the show.
Over on the DCU side, things look even more hopeful. James Gunn's Superman will likely stick pretty close to his creative vision, now that he is one of DC's CEOs. DC is also allowing for creator-driven Elseworlds projects, like JJ Abrams and Ta-Nehisi Coates' upcoming Superman project. DC will also be adapting some of their stranger characters, like Swamp Thing, who will appear in a project directed by Logan's James Mangold. Hopefully Johnson's comments help encourage a promising prospective future for both franchises, and studios take steps to avoid the type of meddling that caused Madame Web to struggle creatively.
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- Dakota Johnson highlighted how committee decisions can hurt superhero movies by diminishing creative input from artists.
- Risk-taking is important for superhero films, as seen with successful projects like Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Johnson's comments on creative control in movie production emphasize the need for studios to trust audiences and creators.
Dakota Johnson's comments on Madame Web touch on a subject that has been discussed before with superhero movies - namely, the meddling of outside forces and how they affect the final product. Johnson's commentary about how these issues can affect superhero movies' ability to connect with an audience hold weight based on several previous superhero movie releases, and touch upon an issue that the genre needs to contend with going forward to ensure its continued success.
Related Madame Web vs Morbius: Which Is Actually Worse? Sony's last two Spider-Man spinoff movies, Madame Web and Morbius, have been critically panned, but one is clearly worse than the other. Superhero Movies Being Too Formulaic Is Hurting The Genre Dakota Johnson Explained How Committee Decisions Hurt Madame Web
> Madame Web Director S.J. Clarkson Distributor(s) Sony Pictures Releasing Writers Burk Sharpless , Matt Sazama , Kerem Sanga Cast Dakota Johnson , Emma Roberts , Adam Scott , Isabela Merced , Sydney Sweeney In a recent interview with Bustle, Dakota Johnson mentioned the types of decisions movie studios make that have nothing to do with their films' artistic value and more to do with fitting a formula, lamenting that this can take away from the plans of a movie's creative team. Johnson's comments can be read below:
"..decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee. Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms. My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullsh*t. "Johnson's comments about executives not trusting audiences seems particularly relevant to Madame Web. One major criticism of the movie is how it tended to talk down to audiences, often having Cassie Webb explain the plot directly, once even to her cat.
Johnson went on to say that she thinks part of the problem also comes down to certain parties attempting to control a film's production, stating:
"[Too many people controlling a movie is] a big f*cking problem. It's also about control and feeling powerful, and that’s not what art is."Dakota Johnson does have some experience with how struggles over creative control can negatively impact a movie, having previously discussed how power disputes over creative decisions in the Fifty Shades series between the movie's team and the original author impacted the movie. Similar to Madame Web, Fifty Shades received low scores from critics.
Risk Taking Doesn't Always Mean Good Superhero Movies, But It's Necessary Successful Superhero Movies Like Guardians Of The Galaxy Were Big Risks
While Dakota Johnson has a point about studios taking a chance on creative teams, risks like this don't always pay off. For example, the director of Eternals, Chloe Zhao, made it clear that she retained creative control over the movie - but the movie failed to find an audience and was less than the huge success Marvel was likely hoping for.In contrast, some projects that may have appeared more risky, like Guardians of the Galaxy, have been huge successes. Had Marvel not trusted that a movie about obscure characters like Rocket Raccoon - made by a director who was creating his first MCU movie - could work, superhero movies might look very different. Things like the movie's curated soundtrack and flashy style have since been emulated to varying degrees of success in other superhero projects.
Even though it was critically panned, the risks Madame Web took did show some promise. The film's premise of a psychological thriller using a Marvel character as a horror villain is a genuinely interesting one. In the few scenes where the film actually commits to trying this, like the tense scene on the train, Madame Web shows how this idea could have worked. However, the movie is bogged down by constant Spider-Man references, which have led to theories that these references were part of the later alterations made to the script.
Will Marvel And DC's Upcoming Movies Avoid Design By Committee? The MCU And DCU Both Have Opportunities For Creator-Driven Projects Close Recent comments by Disney CEO Bob Iger have raised some concerns that the MCU might be moving away from riskier projects, at least in theaters. However, Marvel's upcoming TV shows could still be a place for more creative risks. For example, Eyes of Wakanda has Black Panther director Ryan Coogler attached as an executive producer. Coogler has made two very successful movies for Marvel and will hopefully be afforded some creative freedom when it comes to the show.
Over on the DCU side, things look even more hopeful. James Gunn's Superman will likely stick pretty close to his creative vision, now that he is one of DC's CEOs. DC is also allowing for creator-driven Elseworlds projects, like JJ Abrams and Ta-Nehisi Coates' upcoming Superman project. DC will also be adapting some of their stranger characters, like Swamp Thing, who will appear in a project directed by Logan's James Mangold. Hopefully Johnson's comments help encourage a promising prospective future for both franchises, and studios take steps to avoid the type of meddling that caused Madame Web to struggle creatively.
[圖擷取自網路，如有疑問請私訊]
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