The director has embellished earlier Venice film festival comments against big-budget superhero movies, with one particular blockbuster in mind

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Over the weekend at the Venice film festival, Mel Gibson launched an attack on comic-book movies, comparing their protagonists unfavourably with the real-life hero in his new movie, Hacksaw Ridge.

“The difference between a real superhero and a comic-book superhero,” said Gibson, “is that real superheroes didn’t wear any Spandex.”



And on Tuesday, Gibson renewed his campaign against the stretchy stuff in an interview with Deadline, repeating his quote and adding: “Spandex must cost a lot.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mel Gibson at Venice film festival. Photograph: Jacopo Raule/FilmMagic

Gibson had one particular film in his cross hairs: the critically unloved Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which he called “a piece of shit”.

Hacksaw Ridge review – Mel Gibson finds a conscience in gruesome war story Read more

The film arose in conversation when Gibson compared its budget with the more modest spend on Hacksaw Ridge. The director said that he looked at $200m movies “and scratch my head. I’m really baffled by it. I think there’s a lot of waste, but maybe if I did one of those things with the green screens I’d find out different.

“It seems to me that you could do it for less … You’re spending outrageous amounts of money, $180m or more, I don’t know how you make it back after the taxman gets you, and after you give half to the exhibitors.”