Roland Emmerich Has Harsh Words For Marvel, DC, And Star Wars

Superhero movies have dominated the cinematic landscape for a while now, but they do have their detractors. For example, back in 2019, Martin Scorsese divided the pop culture community when he compared Marvel blockbusters to "theme parks" and claimed that they aren't the "cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being." Ouch. However, Scorsese isn't the only renowned director who feels this way. Last year, "Dune" director Denis Villeneuve echoed similar sentiments when he said superhero flicks have turned people into "zombies" (Villaneuve, though, did state that there is one comic book character he'd consider making a movie about if the opportunity presented itself).

Of course, Scorsese and Villeneuve aren't the types of filmmakers whom we associate with popcorn thrills. The same can't be said about Roland Emmerich, the blockbuster auteur behind "Moonfall," "Independence Day" and the 1998 American "Godzilla" remake. Given that he's known for making movies that combine sci-fi concepts with large action set-pieces, one could easily assume that he's a fan of superheroes and galaxies far, far away. That said, he had some harsh things to say about Marvel, DC and "Star Wars" in a recent interview.

Roland Emmerich has no plans to bring his crowd-pleasing directing style to Disney or the DCEU any time soon. In a recent interview with Den of Geek. ahead of the release of his new science fiction actioner "Moonfall," the director claimed that it's difficult for filmmakers to get projects off the ground these days as studios are so focused on the aforementioned franchises.

According to Emmerich, "Marvel and DC Comics, and Star Wars, have pretty much taken over." He then went on to claim that they're "ruining our industry a little bit, because nobody does anything original anymore."

Still, Emmerich is no stranger to bashing superhero movies, so his latest comments are hardly surprising. While speaking to Loaded in 2016, he took aim at these movies for allegedly copying the style he established in the 1990s. "I was actually warned already by Steven Spielberg that this will happen," Emmerich said. "He said 'Independence Day' will be the most imitated film of the next 20 years –- and he was right."