Oliver Stonehas earned his place among the greatest filmmakers of all-time as the director of movies likeBorn on the Fourth of July, Platoon, andScarface. For that reason, he has more right than most to discuss the current state of cinema, and it seems, as a veteran of the industry, he is very much singing from the same sheet as fellow industry icon, Martin Scorsese. In a recent interview withYahoo, Stone delivered a scathing wave of criticism in the direction of many popular blockbusters, such asBarbie, John Wick, and, of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Although Stone is currently promoting his new documentaryNuclear Now, which investigates the subject of nuclear energy, the director was not as topic-focused as his movies, and he ended up being sidetracked onto the ever-popular topic of the state of mainstream movies. WhileScorsese has always had a bone to pick with the MCU, but did have praise forBarbie,Stone has taken issue with pretty much every big movie of the last decade, regardless of the genre.
Following the success ofBarbielast year, Mattel bosses joked that they may look to enlist Stone to direct a sequel. While there was never a chance that would happen, Stone has made sure the subject is never broached again by revealing his feelings onBarbiewith comments about Ryan Gosling “wasting his time” on the movie. Stone said:
Ryan Gosling is wasting his time if he’s doing that sh-t for money. He should be doing more serious films. He shouldn’t be a part of this infantilization of Hollywood.
Although Stone may not be willing to celebrateBarbiein the same way as Scorsese, when it comes to the output of Marvel, the pair could have compared notes beforehand. Dismissing the industry’s pivot to being more “fantasy” focused, whether in Marvel movies, war pictures or action blockbusters, Stone said:
“Now it’s all fantasy, fantasy, fantasy, including all the war pictures: fantasy, fantasy. Even the Fast and Furious movies, which I used to enjoy, have become like Marvel movies. I mean, how many crashes can you see? On the plane I watched John Wick, which is three hours and some, and I fell asleep about 778 times during it. I kept waking up and having to face him killing more people. It’s like the world has degenerated into non-logic.”
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These strong opinions from Stone come at a time when the film industry is grappling with significant challenges, highlighted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023. The strikes brought to the forefront issues unique to modern Hollywood, including the rise of A.I. and the dominance of streaming services, which have seemingly contributed to the decline in theater footfall. While the strikes ended with amicable agreements for most people, the resulting production delays have had a substantial impact, leading to many postponed and canceled projects.
Stone’s critique is clearly one he is not alone in, and the failure of many “guaranteed” blockbusters last years is proof of that there could be plenty of truth in his opinions. However, it cannot be denied that cinemas continue to rely on these popcorn-fests to pull in audiences who are perhaps not entirely sold on the idea of sitting through three hours to watch everyone die in a very real-life situation of war. Although the biggest issue facing blockbuster movies are their escalating production costs, which make it harder for films to break into profit, even recent ventures like Scorsese’sKillers of the Flower Moonhave tipped into the $200 budget bracket, without any hope of making waves at the box office thanks to its limited release.
