Wally Pfister, Cinematographer Of 'The Dark Knight' Trilogy, Calls 'The Avengers' Appalling; Drops Hints About Directorial Debut

Oh boy, it's a Marvel vs. DC throw down. Christopher Nolan's long-time cinematographer, Wally Pfister, who shot not only this summer's The Dark Knight Rises, but the other two Dark Knight films as well, had some choice words for Marvel's big 2012 superhero film: The Avengers:

I thought 'The Avengers' was an appalling film. They'd shoot from some odd angle and I'd think, why is the camera there? Oh, I see, because they spent half a million on the set and they have to show it off. It took me completely out of the movie. I was driven bonkers by that illogical form of storytelling.

He also revealed that his directorial debut, which Nolan will produce, will be a "modern day sci-fi film," that's much smaller than Batman. Read more and discuss the Batman vs. Avengers throw down ater the jump.

NOTE: The second part of the below quote, referencing The Avengers, has now been removed from the source site. The article was posted on October 16 with the quote and it clearly says at the bottom that the article was modified on October 17.

The original quote from Pfister came from The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and what's interesting is that the reporter didn't specifically ask about The Avengers. The question that prompted that answer was "What's most important in shooting a film?" To which he responded:

What's really important is storytelling. None of it matters if it doesn't support the story. I thought 'The Avengers' was an appalling film. They'd shoot from some odd angle and I'd think, why is the camera there? Oh, I see, because they spent half a million on the set and they have to show it off. It took me completely out of the movie. I was driven bonkers by that illogical form of storytelling.

The Dark Knight Rises cost more than The Avengers did, so I'm not sure why he mentions the cost of a set. It seems like a totally unnecessary shot, no matter which film looks better.

I'm sure if someone one asked Joss Whedon and his Avengers DP Seamus McGarvey about this, they'd have very specific reasons why shots were chosen. They'd probably also acknowledge that Nolan and Pfister are extremely talented and have been working together for so long, they have a very specific short hand and way of working. Whedon is obviously not as prolific as Nolan at this point but McGarvey has been making major films for just as long as Pfister.

As for Pfister's directorial debut, in the same interview he said the following:

I can't talk too much about it. It's a present-day science fiction film, a fairly big concept. It's bigger budget — not as big as "Batman," but not independent.

Maybe he should just pick McGarvey as his DP and bury the hatchet.

Do you agree with Pfister? Why do you think he said this?