Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese offered his thoughts on comic book films, including those of the Marvel Cinematic Universe some time ago, and those thoughts continue to rub fans the wrong way. Comic book writer, actor and podcaster Kevin Smith recently offered his views on the matter.
Speaking to Forbes, Smith began by explaining, "Oftentimes those directors, it seems, have been in situations, were doing junkets or an interview situation, and it's a question that gets thrown in there, and it's not like them going, 'Get me the New York Times! I want to tell somebody how I feel about comic book movies.' It's also an adjacent to a zillion other questions that are being asked, but in our culture, in our very tribal culture, somebody like Martin Scorsese referring to comic book movies as amusement parks and theme park rides gets a bunch of people who have made comic book movies their lives for the last 10 years very unhappy."
He continued, "You're asking a guy who made Goodfellas what he thinks about [Spider-Man], what do you think you're going to get? He's a very serious filmmaker, and he's a man who's of a certain age and stuck in his ways. You should not be surprised that's his response." Finally, he went on to add, "For every old filmmaker who's like, 'I don't get it,' there's a bunch of young filmmakers who are like, 'I get it and I want to do it.' We don't have to ostracize the people that maybe don't get or aren't into the same movies we are."
How Hollywood Reacted
Scorsese stated in 2019 that he did not view MCU films as true cinema, but as more akin to theme parks, stating, "It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being." Following that interview, other major filmmakers, including award-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola appeared to agree and go further, with Coppola describing those films as "despicable."
In the aftermath of the internet-wide debate, Scorsese expanded on his comments a bit, reiterating his belief that the MCU's films are theme park films, but stating, "It's a different cinema form or a new art form entirely. We're hoping there are theaters that show the films that are not that." He then expressed his wish that those films do not occupy too much room and allow for more traditional, non-franchise films.
The filmmakers' comments certainly sparked debate, with many of the MCU's stars, directors and writers offering their thoughts, defending comic book films in cinema. Spider-Man: No Way Home star Tom Holland, for example, stated his belief Scorsese's view on MCU films stems from the fact that he has never made one. The actor added, "I've made Marvel movies and I've also made movies that have been in the conversation in the world of the Oscars, and the only difference, really, is one is much more expensive than the other... But the way I break down the character, the way the director etches out the arc of the story and characters -- it's all the same, just done on a different scale. So I do think they're real art."
Source: Forbes