Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese courted controversy in 2019 when he likened movies under Marvel Studios to a “theme park” experience. Now, veteran actress Meryl Streep, who is currently on a promotional run for The Devil Wears Prada 2, has offered her perspective on “Marvelized” films. In a recent interview, she criticized the superhero genre for its generalized and repetitive good vs. evil trope.
Meryl Streep wants “messier” character arcs in modern movies
In a recent appearance on the Hits Radio Breakfast Show, Streep threw shade on movies that have simplified character arcs and offered less moral ambiguity. She believes it indicates that cinema nowadays relies too heavily on binary character dynamics rather than dealing with nuance. The three-time Academy Award winner used the word “Marvelized” to describe these kinds of films.
She suggested that such type of storytelling is becoming increasingly formulaic. “I think we tend to Marvel-ize the movies now. We got the villains and we got the good guys, and it’s so boring,” she said. Furthermore, Streep said that what really interests her are themes in which the heroes have flawed traits, and villains show glimmers of humanness.
“What’s really interesting about life is that some of the heroes are flawed and some of the villains are human and interesting and have their own strengths,” she further said, adding, “So that’s what I like about this [film]. It’s messier.”
As for the highly-anticipated sequel of the The Devil Wears (2006), Streep will be revisiting her role as Miranda Priestly. The icon has indicated that characters in the sequel exist in gray areas, and the story is expected to reflect the modern workplace and evolving power dynamics within the fashion industry. She will be joined by Anne Hathaway, who will reprise the role of Andrea “Andy” Sachs.
In this installment, Hathaway’s character is navigating a more advanced stage in her journalism career compared to the first film. Meanwhile, Emily Blunt will reprise Emily Charlton, Priestly’s sharp-tongued senior assistant, with Stanley Tucci returning as Nigel Kipling. He’s the witty and trusted art director at Runway.
Streep’s comments have already sparked debates on social media. Some argued that modern films are becoming formulaic and simplistic. On the contrary, others contested that Streep is not up to date with Marvel lore, as its characters have already explore complex arcs and moral ambiguity. Do you agree with Streep’s concern about modern movies? We’d like to read your views in the comment section below.
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