Bruce Campbell bashes Batman V Superman, and says it never should’ve been made. For horror fans - particularly of the horror/comedy variety - Campbell’s name often conjures up immediate reverence, as do the Evil Dead films in which he starred.
Beginning in 1981, Campbell was part of a team that included writer/director Sam Raimi, who not only created a cult horror classic with the Evil Dead franchise, but also were among the first wave of DIY filmmakers to hit it big with an ultra low budget film. After succeeding with Evil Dead, Raimi built up the Ash J. Williams character (Campbell) into a formidable demon slayer whose quick thinking and sardonic quips found further relevance in Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness, and most recently, the Starz TV series Ash Vs Evil Dead. Throughout his years of demon destroying, fans of Ash and Evil Dead have always wanted more and more.
For those who aren’t fans of either Campbell or the Evil Dead series, however, his latest comments regarding comic book movies will likely touch a nerve. Campbell has never been one to mince his words or hold back with regard to his acting or opinions, and this was once again proven true in a recent interview with Gizmodo. In it, Campbell asserts that the DCEU’s 2016 Batman V Superman was a “stupid concept” and that it “never should’ve been made”. Check out the full quote below:
You know, effects should be used to tell a story. Because—here’s what it is: the Evil Dead movies are about unsuspecting people with no special powers and things happened to them. So it’s survival by normal people. So that’s all you need. To a character Ash from Evil Dead, he can be killed at any time. Car crash. He’s dead.
But these guys who have this special superhero power, to me that’s Snoresville. If you don’t have kryptonite, then - Batman v Superman. Stupid, stupid, stupid concept. Never should’ve been made. Superman who can like, make the world go backwards with centrifugal force. Batman can’t do that. Superman can frickin’ fly. He’s the man of steel. All he has - one hand on Batman’s esophagus, the story is over. So they spent a lot of money kidding themselves. Stop rinsing these superheroes! By the time we get through, they’re all going to have the same color hair, they’re all going to do the same stuff. What’s unusual about them?
Campbell is particularly critical of the manner in which technology has taken over filmmaking, especially in overblown superhero epics. Superhero movies, in the opinion of the Evil Dead star, are dull precisely because those doing battle on screen have all the powers that they require in order to elevate their experiences beyond anything relatable to an actual human being.
Of course, these particular sentiments will not be popular with many, but Campbell has a valid point. The Evil Dead franchise exists because a group of creative minded, independent filmmakers set out to create what they wanted to see in a film. The ongoing cycle of superhero films may bring in billions of dollars, but in terms of sheer creativity and integrity, small films like Evil Dead are still a better source of inspiration for filmmakers with limited resources and unlimited potential.
Source: Gizmodo
