Director of ‘Independence Day” Says Marvel and Star Wars are “Ruining the Industry
Roland Emmerich is a German film director. This sounds very ominous, but it’s true. The context is that Emmerich is a well-known director of science fiction and disaster movies such as Independence Day and Godzilla (1998) and The Day After Tomorrow.
The director, despite being behind many genre-defining movies, has noted that it’s challenging to create a genuinely unique blockbuster in an age where popular franchises such as Marvel or Star Wars have such a grip.
He was interviewed by Den of Geek and asked whether the disaster genre had changed over time. “Yes,” he answered. “Because Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars have taken over. It’s a bit of a disaster for our industry, as nobody is doing anything new anymore.
Ouch. Emmerich admitted that his mixed feelings about superhero movies are not new. He explained that he grew up in Germany before the genre was correctly introduced. “There were [The Adventures of Tintin] comics, but they were childish, and there weren’t any superheroes. That’s why superheroes did not work in Germany at all. To reach the same level as the rest, they needed to watch movies for 10 to 15 years. That kind of movie is not for me.
It’s not surprising that he chose Star Wars to be an example of a franchise ruining the industry. However, he previously admitted that the 1977 original movie was the one that inspired his decision to become a director.
It’s not hard to believe that he is right. However, massive releases such as Avengers Endgame or Spider-Man No Way Home set an extremely high standard for what moviegoers have come to expect. Moviegoers’ expectations are becoming more difficult to please as the film industry expands. We’re not going to stop ourselves from being excited about them. Sorry, Emmerich.
