It looks as though Kick-Ass writer and director Matthew Vaughn isn’t fond of Nolan’s Dark Knight… and thinks audiences have had enough of darker, grittier heroes.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 43-year-old filmmaker explained why he thinks people have had enough of darker, grittier superheroes.
“People want fun and escapism at the moment,” he said. “Look at the success of Guardians of the Galaxy. I think Nolan kick-started a very dark, bleak style of superhero escapism, and I think people have had enough of it.”
Of course, his new film Kingsman: The Secret Service seems to be based on the exact same idea, but applied to the genre of spy fiction. Stepping away from the more hard-boiled, gritty realism of the current Bond franchise, Vaughn has instead opted for a more classic, over-the-top action movie. And it’s no co-incidence.
“I was born in 1971, so they were very formative years for me growing up,” he explained. “I was inspired by all of it. The Avengers, Harry Palmer, The Prisoner, The Man from UNCLE, In Like Flint… Of course, there’s a huge shadow of Bond – Bond is the monolith of spy movies – but it’s not just about Bond. There were a lot of other things that influenced me.”
Based on the comic book by Mark Millar – who also wrote Kick-Ass – Kingsman: The Secret Service seems to take a more light-hearted and ‘fun’ look at the spy fiction genre. And I can’t help thinking it’s going to give us a much-needed break from the harsh realism that we get with Bond and Bourne.
“The studio was like ‘What is this – Austin Powers?’ It was a balancing act but I think we pulled it off,” Vaughn said. “It’s not a comedy, but it’s full of laughs. It’s got everything. It’s what we did with Kick-Ass – it’s a proper movie but were allowed to have a bit of more fun with it. Its aim was to be entertaining but not silly.”
Either way, it looks as though Kingsman will continue in the tradition of Kick-Ass – delivering a fun and entertaining movie while not stopping short on the violence and action.
But which approach is better? Light-hearted or gritty? I can’t help feeling that there’s plenty of room for both… but I guess it’s the box office that will ultimately decide.
What do you think of Vaughn’s comments? Do you prefer light-hearted or grittier comic book movies? Let us know what you think in the comments below…
