Mel Gibson was once king of Hollywood’s A-List Mel action stars. Off-screen behaviour felled that reputation, but his latest work behind the camera is being praised – though he remains controversial…
This week Gibson expressed his wariness towards comic-book superhero movies in no uncertain terms. Comparing the protagonists of Batman v Superman to the hero of his own movie, Hacksaw Ridge, Gibson said: “The difference between a real superhero and a comic-book superhero, is that real superheroes didn’t wear any Spandex.”
Gibson made the comment at the Venice Film Festival last weekend while being interviewed about his new inspiring war film.
Hacksaw Ridge received a ten-minute standing ovation when screened at the festival last week – audiences were touched by the emotional story of the first conscientious objector in US history to be awarded the Medal of Honor after saving 75 of his comrades. Standing ovations are none too frequent at the festival and the cast were encouraged to go into the audience to shake hands with the delighted spectators.
The Hollywood Reporter called Gibson “a muscular storyteller who knows exactly how to raise a pulse, heighten emotion and build intensity to explosive peaks,” and the film has received high praise from critics so far. In an interview with industry site Deadline on Tuesday, Gibson reconfirmed his views on superhero blockbusters, saying: “Spandex must cost a lot.”
The director targeted the much criticised Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, calling it “a piece of shit.”
Gibson was quick to attack the large budget of the film compared to his own spend, saying it made him “…scratch my head. I’m really baffled by it. I think there’s a lot of waste, but maybe if I did one of those things with the green screens I’d find out different.It seems to me that you could do it for less … You’re spending outrageous amounts of money, $180m or more, I don’t know how you make it back after the taxman gets you, and after you give half to the exhibitors.”
Gibson’s previous films include the Lethal Weapon series and, more recently, The Expendables 3.
