The poisonous movies Alejandro G Iñárritu called cinema’s “cultural genocide”
These days, it feels as though most cinephiles are fretting and lamenting about the future of cinema.
We tend to look back on the past and view it as this glittering era in which none of the most pressing problems facing us today existed, despite the fact that many of them lay hidden just beneath the surface. But in the world of cinema, it often can really same as though our better days are far behind us, a sentiment that was reiterated by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu while discussing the takeover of one genre in particular.
While some call them popcorn pictures, other people call them cinematic parasites, with the rise of superhero movies and Marvel spinoffs becoming a dominant presence in the industry that is slowly sapping cinema of its creativity and individuality. With constant spinoffs, remakes and sequels, it can often feel disheartening that creativity and original ideas seem to be a priority of the past, with most projects being extensions of old IP.
This is not something that sits easily with famously creative and out-of-the-box thinkers, with Iñárritu discussing his frustration with modern cinema and the projects that sap all the life out of the industry.
When asked if he would ever take a crack at directing a superhero movie, Iñárritu said, “I would be terrible. I think there’s nothing wrong with being fixated on superheroes when you are 7 years old, but I think there’s a disease in not growing up. The corporation and the hedge funds have a hold on Hollywood and they all want to make money on anything that signifies cinema.
“When you put $100 million and you get $800 million or $1 billion, it is very hard to convince people. You tell them, you will put in $20 million and you will get $80 million. Now, that is a fucking amazing business, but they say, ;$80 million? I want $800 million.’ Basically, the room to exhibit good nice films is over. These are taking the place of all those things.”.
While some people might be able to find some redeemable qualities in these types of films, Iñárritu struggled to see any positives, saying, “I sometimes enjoy them because they are basic and simple and go well with popcorn. The problem is that sometimes they purport to be profound, based on some Greek mythological kind of thing. And they are honestly very right wing. I always see them as killing people because they do not believe in what you believe, or they are not being who you want them to be. I hate that, and don’t respond to those characters. They have been poison, this cultural genocide, because the audience is so overexposed to plot and explosions and shit that doesn’t mean nothing about the experience of being human”.
It’s a sad and very pressing truth in this current day and age, and one that affects all of us as we struggle to make sense of this new creative equilibrium and a future that rarely feels bright.
