In defense of Martin Scorsese’s recent Marvel comments

Legendary director Martin Scorsese displeased a lot of fans with his comments on Marvel movies, but there is a lot more to his words to dive into.

Martin Scorsese has directed great movies for many decades. From Raging Bull to The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese is nearly guaranteed to direct a good movie. And if he has something to say about Hollywood, a lot of people will listen.

It’s his reputation in Hollywood that got many Marvel fans enraged over his comments, which claimed Marvel movies are not cinema. He even doubled down on his comments at the BFI London Film Festival by using his label of “theme park films” to identify Marvel movies.

Almost everyone has had some sort of take on Scorsese’s comments, including those who have directed or appeared in MCU movies like James Gunn, Robert Downey Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson.

The reactions to Scorsese’s comments are over reactionary and miss the full picture of both what he said and what he really thinks about Marvel movies and movies in general.

Collider has the full quote of Scorsese’s original stance on Marvel movies:

"“I don’t see them,” revealed Scorsese. “I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”"

Fans have argued that the emotions they felt during Avengers: Endgame prove Scorsese wrong. Downey Jr. gave an amazing performance, and the Russo Brothers provided a satisfying end to a story Marvel has been telling for over 10 years.

We don;t know which MCU movies Scorsese has seen, but it doesn’t really matter since Marvel markets all of its properties and encourages moviegoers to watch everything they put out. People didn’t have to watch every movie, but there’s a sense that something is missing if you don;t.

Fans can blame the naysayers for not doing their homework, but not everyone has the time to do so. Also, the MCU has become a key cultural cornerstone in Hollywood that people just want to jump in cold to get into the things that other people are.

Scorsese admits to trying to get into the MCU. It is important to note that not everyone is a fan of the Marvel movies. Movies are subjective, and not everyone needs to like the same movies. This writer is certainly not a fan of every MCU movie.

The Hollywood Reporter has the full quote of Scorsese doubling down on his comments:

"“Theaters have become amusement parks. That is all fine and good but don’t invade everything else in that sense,” he said. “That is fine and good for those who enjoy that type of film and, by the way, knowing what goes into them now, I admire what they do. It’s not my kind of thing, it simply is not. It’s creating another kind of audience that thinks cinema is that.”"

Scorsese reiterates his points: he respects what Marvel does, but they are not his thing, and he does not consider Marvel movies cinema.

It’s important to consider Scorsese’s definition of cinema. For him, “cinema” is not just merely any movie that screens in a theater. “Cinema” is referring to the art-house and auteur films that we do not see much of nowadays.

Scorsese’s comments may portray him as out of touch, but he does acknowledge the power of streaming, especially with his latest movie, The Irishman, set to premiere on Netflix next month.

Creators are heading towards streaming to get their projects made. The Irishman might not have done well in the box office if released in theaters, at least it wouldn’t have scored big numbers like superhero movies earn.

What everyone seems to be missing is the fact that Marvel has changed how people view movies. Studios are investing a lot of money to create their own cinematic universes.

Fox’s X-Men universe is no longer and ended in a complete disaster. DC has not found a perfect formula just yet, Universal had their Dark Universe, which has seemingly been scrapped and Godzilla and King Kong are set to do battle in the near future.

Joker is clearly outside of the main DCEU, having no relation to The Batman, but fans still speculate whether Joaquin Phoenix and Robert Pattinson will share the screen together. Even the Fast & Furious series has spawned a spin-off in Hobbs and Shaw.

Franchise movies are the movies afforded big budgets and large marketing campaigns. When people go to the movies, they rarely go and see an original movie. If an actor or actress wants to break out, they need to be in some sort of franchise movie, preferably one that exists in a large universe.

No one wants to watch Chris Hemsworth in any movie unless he’s Thor. Uncharted will be an interesting experiment. Do people want to see Tom Holland, or do they only want to see Holland as Spider-Man?

Marvel movies aren’t Scorsese’s favorite movies, and that’s ok. Superhero movies like Black Panther and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hold a lot more merit than “theme park films.” Superhero movies are not ruining movies, but they have changed our expectations of big-budget movies and the kinds of movies that get greenlit in Hollywood for better and for worse.

What do you think of Scorsese’s comments? Let us know in the comments below!