The pass this guy gets is astounding.

He gets a lifetime pass for making The Faculty (1998).

I see where you're coming from.

I think a large reason he gets a pass is for resourcefulness, or his ability to do a lot with very little.

Most people probably couldn't have made a film like El Mariachi independently the way he did for so little money. At least not in the early 90's.

As an example, Tarantino originally tried to make True Romance as an independent film on his own and he and never finished making it, he abandoned it. So while Tarantino is clearly the better director overall, by far, Rodriguez can actually make a picture with very little, something most people, including Tarantino, might not be able to do.

I think that's why he gets a pass.

That being said, when it comes to studio backed films with bigger budgets, I agree the best he can do is "pretty good"- something like Alita.

But he's still one of my favorite directors for his early work like Mariachi, Desperado, and Dusk Till Dawn.

He's a decent director. We Can Be Heroes, Spy Kids and The Faculty are underrated.

Did you see Planet Terror? It's a god damn masterpiece!

Beside the great Planet Terror, yes, most his movies are either mediocre or terrible.

NO...HE MAKES AWESOME FILMS FOR HIS FANS...WE ENJOY HIS WORK...ADD TO THAT THE FACT THAT HE WRITES...DIRECTS...SHOOTS...EDITS...SCORES...ETC ALL HIS FILMS AT HIS STUDIO ON HIS OWN PROPERTY...THE DUDE IS AWESOME.

His movies are generally good quality, which probably has a lot to do with budget. But yeah this reflects what I've always thought about his films, which is that they never quite hit the mark they're aiming for, so they're always just above if not dead on average. For example, Alita would've been a better film imo if he'd just used the actresses's real faces - that alone would've boosted the film's watch-ability. But he has this habit with all the films I've seen of just missing the mark in some major way that makes them not interesting to re-watch.

Rodriguez and Coppola are different directors with different scopes. People like Rodriguez because he focuses on whats fun for his Audience. Coppola tends to focus on drama and he's gotten plenty of awards for his work.

My problem with Coppola is that his Dracula is shot well but flows wierd. My problem with Rodriguez is that he's big on fan service which doesn't age well.

Both are good directors regardless

I enjoyed his barebones Guerrilla style filmmaking in the past. Not so much anymore. I hate his Spy kids & Adventure pics.
If Hypnotic was made in 1996 we would still be talking about it, in 2023 it falls very flat.