Jane Campion is not a fan of superhero films: ‘I actually hate them’

Acclaimed director said she will ‘never’ make a movie in the genre

The Power of the Dog director Jane Campion has criticised superhero films, calling them “noisy” and “ridiculous”.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker talked about her thoughts on the genre at a recent screening of her new Netflix movie The Power of the Dog.

“I hate them,” she told Variety. “I actually hate them.”

When asked whether she would ever make a superhero movie, she said: “I think it’s safe to say that I will never do that. They’re so noisy and, like, ridiculous. Sometimes you get a good giggle, but I don’t know what the thing is with the capes, a grown man in tights. I feel like it must come from pantomime.”

In September, Campion had said she wasn’t keen on exploring the genre for herself as she feels it is “hard to go back to personal stories” and “smaller budgets” after doing a “great big Marvel movie”.

Campion is the latest high profile director to voice her dislike for superhero films. In 2019, Martin Scorsese famously said they are “not cinema” and compared them to “theme parks”. Earlier this month, Ridley Scott went further, calling them “f***ing boring as s***”.

The Power of the Dog, Campion’s new cowboy thriller, stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst. Both actors have had leading roles in superhero films: Cumberbatch has played Doctor Strange numerous times, while Dunst has portrayed Mary Jane Watson in three Spider-Man movies.

The new film was given four stars in The Independent’s review. Critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “Campion deliberately avoids big dramatic set pieces. She is dealing with violence and sexual longing but in a very subtle and oblique way.

“All the characters’ feelings here are very deeply sublimated. The fascination of The Power of the Dog lies in its ambiguity and its depth of characterisation. Nothing is obvious here, not even the title.”