Current Events > Original Blade actor Stephen Dorff trashes Marvel movies

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Stephen Dorff is no stranger to railing against Marvel. The actor went viral in 2021 after telling The Independent that Black Widow looks like garbage and that he was embarrassed for its leading star, Scarlett Johansson. Now Dorff is back with a fresh Marvel tirade courtesy of The Daily Beast. The actor, who flexed his comic book movie chops opposite Wesley Snipes in 1998s Blade, said hed only want to star in contemporary comic book films if they were more like when I started when we made Blade, or the few that have been decent over the years, like when Nolan did The Dark Knight and reinvented Batman from Tim Burton.
All this other garbage is just embarrassing, you know what I mean? Dorff continued. I mean, God bless them, theyre making a bunch of money, but their movies suck [laughs]. And nobodys going to remember them. Nobodys remembering Black Adam at the end of the day. I didnt even see that movie, it looked so bad.

According to Dorff, the future of cinema rests in upcoming new talents like director Eddie Alcazar (who helmed the Sundance entry Divinity, which stars Dorff) and not in making Black Adam and worthless garbage over and over again.
Marvel is currently developing a new take on Blade for its Marvel Cinematic Universe, but not all has gone according to plan. Mahershala Ali is attached to the role, but original director Bassam Tariq exited the film two months before the intended production start date. Yann Demange is currently set to direct the MCUs Blade movie. Dorff said theres no chance the MCU bests the 1999 original, which was directed by Steve Norrington.
Marvel is used to me trashing them anyway, Dorff said. Hows that PG Blade movie going for you, that cant get a director? [laughs] Because anybody who goes there is going to be laughed at by everyone, because we already did it and made it the best. Theres no Steve Norrington out there.
Earlier in the interview, Dorff said hed do mainstream movies all the time if they were good. The actor added, If the one or two a year that happen dont, for whatever reason, cast me in a role, Im not going to lose sleep over it because I wasnt one of 50 people in Oppenheimer. I mean, it looks cool, but to me, unless youre playing Oppenheimer, I dont want to be in that movie [laughs]. Unless its my friends movie, and then Ill do a scene or pop up.

Stephen Dorff, known for his hit roles as Ranger Hal Hartman from 2017's Leatherface, and as Robbie Cole 2022's straight to DVD release 'Paradise City' is trashing Marvel and superhero movies. Thinks Blade is on the same level as The Dark Knight.

What do you think, CE?

Blade is better than TDK

Slayer_22 posted...

And nobodys going to remember them.

I've seen several of those movies, back when I watched movies way more often than I do now, and I barely remember them. It's like trying to remember any random episode of a Saturday morning cartoon show.

I'm pretty sure the only reason anyone knows Stephen dorff is his role in the original blade. Because he really never was in anything else worth noting

Well if Stephen Dorff says so

I kind of agree. They're single use plastic movies.

Steven Dorff was good in his role in True Detective season 3, and I liked him in Blade, but besides those two, I'm not too familiar with his work.

He's not entirely wrong. Especially now.

But everyone's going to ignore his argument and just throw out ad hominems because he's saying mean things about MUH NOSTALGIA!

He's not wrong. I can see the appeal of Marvel movies if you're a child or just want to watch a fun action movie in the theaters but they're all so sloppy these days. The effects look like ass and everything is greenlit and made with a sequel and other crossover media in mind.

Marvel movies are just blending into each other at this point and they're not a big deal when Disney shits out what seems like one every few months.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

He's not entirely wrong. Especially now.

But everyone's going to ignore his argument and just throw out ad hominems because he's saying mean things about MUH NOSTALGIA!

Well my issue is more that he's saying Blade is on the level of TDK and that he doesn't star in mainstream movies because they're bad(but is in direct to DVD cashgrabs despite that).

Why is he talking up Steve Norrington like he's Francis Ford Coppola? He hasn't directed a movie in 20 years, the last being The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, a movie so poorly received that a planned franchise (also based off a comic) was axed.

Not sure what his goal is here, since Marvel/Disney, DC/WB, and The Rock are some powerful Hollywood influencers who can definitely keep you in the Redbox/VOD status like he's been in most of his career.

Black Adam isn't marvel

Slayer_22 posted...

Stephen Dorff, known for his hit roles as Ranger Hal Hartman from 2017's Leatherface, and as Robbie Cole 2022's straight to DVD release 'Paradise City' is trashing Marvel and superhero movies. Thinks Blade is on the same level as The Dark Knight.

What do you think, CE?

I mean he knocked it out of the fucking park with his role in season 3 of True Detective, going toe-to-toe with eventual Emmy nominee Mahershala Ali, so hes not exactly the talentless hack youre trying to paint him as.

MarcoRubio posted...

Black Adam isn't marvel

Stephen Dorff isn't a good actor but that doesn't stop him from pretending like he is. Maybe Black Adam should try doing the same! Works out well for Dorff!

MrToothHasYou posted...

I mean he knocked it out of the fucking park with his role in season 3 of True Detective, going toe-to-toe with eventual Emmy nominee Mahershala Ali, so hes not exactly the talentless hack youre trying to paint him as.

None of that has anything to do with what I said, nor did I ever say he was such.

no lies detected tbh.

no special agendas back then when movies were made and no need to make movies in order to sell kids toys... it's not like wesley snipes or the director were constantly bombarded with questions about the first black superhero on screen and the cultural significance it would have in hollywood.

He just sounds bitter that all these movies are bigger and more successful than his

You're fooling no one if you think Blade will be more remembered than The Avengers

ah, someone had to go on about "agendas".

like it's supposed to detract from the fact that some movies, casting decisions, etc. weren't meaningful for some viewers.

Slayer_22 posted...

The joke here is that he is trashing Marvel Movies but appearing in straight to DVD movies starring has-beens like John Travolta and Bruce Willis.

Not a joke when he's right.

Jagr_68 posted...

Not a joke when he's right.

He's correct in that he only would star in mainstream movies if they were good?

Slayer_22 posted...

He's correct in that he only would star in mainstream movies if they were good?

Not just that, all the parts you specifically bolded.

UnfairRepresent posted...

He just sounds bitter that all these movies are bigger and more successful than his

You're fooling no one if you think Blade will be more remembered than The Avengers

Why are MCU fans so defensive and immediately jump to say "Well ____ makes more money than ___!".

Jagr_68 posted...

Not just that, all the parts you specifically bolded.

Then why did you quote the spoiler tagged post?

Why do journalists and internet people obsessively celebrate every time someone says they don't like Marvel movies? It's weird.

I don't care if he doesn't like Marvel, but he comes out as a jealous asshole in that interview

Slayer_22 posted...

Well my issue is more that he's saying Blade is on the level of TDK

The first Blade was huge in its time, though. It was pretty much the first movie Marvel ever made that wasn't a total joke, and kind of showed they could actually make movies worth watching.

People always credit X-Men and Spider-Man as being the big films that saved Marvel from bankruptcy and opened the door to their eventual pivot to focusing way more on films than comics (and make no mistake, they totally are), but Blade played a huge role in opening the door for those movies in the first place. It's hard to emphasize for people who weren't there at the time or who just don't remember how the original Blade was originally perceived.

And that's before you even get into discussions about Blade being a major black hero or the impact of a successful R-rated superhero movie at a time when most people only saw comics as being "for kids" (see also one of the reasons Tim Burton eventually got kicked off Batman).

It wasn't as financially successful as TDK (very few movies are), but critically and creatively it had a much stronger impact than mere money really indicates.



CRON posted...

Why are MCU fans so defensive

Because of the psychological phenomenon where people internalize their brand choices and entertainment media to define their own sense of self-identity, which in turn makes any and all criticism of that thing feel like a personal attack. Which in turn makes them feel insecure and spurs them to attack back.

It's why you have console fanboys, tribal wrestling fans, and the sort of fans of TV shows who go ballistic when you dare say anything critical about the thing they love. You are with them or against them - because anything less than blind enthusiasm is seen as questioning their own devotion (and thus, their entire sense of self).

It's similar to the "people define themselves by their job" mentality that used to be more prevalent. Though in this case, it's more "people define themselves by pop culture".

Hmmm I typed in Stephen Dorff memes in Google and nothing came up. Is he really this unknown now? Lol

I suppose it's unlikely the MCU Blade movie will end up being better.

Background_Guy posted...

Why do journalists and internet people obsessively celebrate every time someone says they don't like Marvel movies? It's weird.

Because it's an easy way to get clicks and comments.

OudeGeuze posted...

Blade is better than TDK

Amen

Original Blade is one of the best CBMs and also a top tier vampire movie.

I don't like most marvel movies

And I only remember this guy from one thriller in the mid 2000s that I can't remember the name of. It was not good

The MCU Blade movie is pretty much destined to be awful, so he's kinda right.

He's right

Some motherfuckers are always trying to ice skate uphill...

I just rewatched Blade recently and honestly it still holds up. Fantastic and sexy movie.

"I hate popular thing!"

Punished_Blinx posted...

I suppose it's unlikely the MCU Blade movie will end up being better.

I'm not even sure it's capable of being better than Blade Trinity.

And Blade Trinity was terrible.

I feel like people who criticize the MCU don't really get the purpose of the MCU. It's basically a superhero TV series with a movie budget, the whole point is to make a bunch of 'em.

This is by far the biggest media coverage he has gotten in the last 20 years. Say something about the biggest pop-cultural phenomenon in the world and you'll get attention.

Unlike others that have put down the MCU like Martin Scorsese, Dorff just really isn't in any position to be doing so considering his filmography. He was in Uwe Boll's Alone In The Dark, the Adam Sandler produced movie Bucky Larson, Immortals(crappy 300 knockoff) and American Hero, a straight-to-video superhero flick that couldn't even find an American distributor.

The original Blade was really the only noteworthy thing he's been before True Detective. And it had been at least 20 years by the time the season he was in was airing.

Dorff said hed do mainstream movies all the time if they were good.

This is also the only reason why I'm not currently making millions of dollars starring in Hollywood movies. They're just not good enough for me.

KCJ5062 posted...

Unlike others that have put down the MCU like Martin Scorsese, Dorff just really isn't in any position to be doing so considering his filmography.

But this is the "only a chef should be allowed to criticize food" mentality. The idea that the only way you're allowed to criticize something is if you can personally produce something better is and has always been a logical fallacy.

Even if you can't cook soup without burning it, you can still point it out if someone serves you a dog turd in a bun and calls it a hot dog.

You could be the worst actor in the world and still point out that modern mainstream cinema is mostly dreck (because it absolutely is). There's a reason why there's been a sort of reputation for decades now that indie films are where all the actual interesting and creative stories get told. Mainstream films kind of priced themselves out of that as early as the 80s with the rise of the blockbuster.

It's still more than possible to enjoy large-budget mainstream movies. But that doesn't really negate criticism of them.

I think we agree most of them are forgettable pop corn movies. And while I hate hiw comic book movies have overrun theaters and shifted studio budget towards big and loud things, there are some legit good movies like Ironman 1, Winter soldier, GoG 1. Marvel's S tier is pretty good cinema.

Theres art in creating a good popcorn flick.

MaxEffingBemis posted...

I just rewatched Blade recently and honestly it still holds up. Fantastic and sexy movie.

Re-watched last night and yeah, still holds up.

Gotta love how the MCU is so popular that hating it has become a personality trait.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

He's not entirely wrong. Especially now.

But everyone's going to ignore his argument and just throw out ad hominems because he's saying mean things about MUH NOSTALGIA!

He's wrong in the sense that he's acting like Blade was a cinematic masterpiece and the MCU are dumb movies nobody will remember. I mean, does anybody who didn't grow up with the Blade movies remember them? Are kids these days going out of their way to seek out and watch Blade?

I can pretty much guarentee The Avengers will be remembered a lot longer than Blade.

Background_Guy posted...

Why do journalists and internet people obsessively celebrate every time someone says they don't like Marvel movies? It's weird.

For the clicks. Some saying Marvel movies is great is a who cares no clicks story. You get someone to say Marvel sucks you get the clicks especially if it is a famous director.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

But this is the "only a chef should be allowed to criticize food" mentality. The idea that the only way you're allowed to criticize something is if you can personally produce something better is and has always been a logical fallacy.

Even if you can't cook soup without burning it, you can still point it out if someone serves you a dog turd in a bun and calls it a hot dog.

You could be the worst actor in the world and still point out that modern mainstream cinema is mostly dreck (because it absolutely is). There's a reason why there's been a sort of reputation for decades now that indie films are where all the actual interesting and creative stories get told. Mainstream films kind of priced themselves out of that as early as the 80s with the rise of the blockbuster.

It's still more than possible to enjoy large-budget mainstream movies. But that doesn't really negate criticism of them.

The issue is more that he's saying stuff like 'things I've been in are better' or 'I'd be in more mainstream movies if they were good'. When you're acting like everything you're in is the absolute best just to bring down everything else around you...yeah, people are allowed to call out that shit.