Back in October, legendary director Martin Scorsese set the internet ablaze when he stated he didn't feel as though Marvel films were cinema. He would later go on to further call the films "theme parks," explaining, "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." And while many have been quick to dub Scorsese's comments as a bit harsh, there is one other director that agrees -- to an extent.
Logan director James Mangold briefly discussed Scorsese's comments in a new interview with Uproxx, however, rather than coming to the defense of Marvel films, he explained why the director is right. For Mangold, while he agrees Scorsese hasn't seen enough comic book films to make a true judgment, he does understand the director's viewpoint. As he explains, it's less about the source material and more about creative freedom. "I think that the point is less about whether the source is a comic book or not and much more salient is just the freedom the filmmaker has in whatever creative arena there is, because I certainly had 100 percent freedom in Logan. I mean exactly what we wanted to make."
Of course, one of Scorsese's biggest criticisms is the lack of stakes. This has been a criticism of many comic book properties as, like their source material, a hero's death isn't always permanent. And it's a criticism that Mangold also agrees with. "But the reality is that what he’s saying, it couldn’t be more true. It just doesn’t have to only be true for that specific stripe of film. It’s true across the boards."
Mangold continues to cite the countless "shitty comedies" and "shitty romantic films" made by the numbers, as well as "gobs of adventure films." The majority undergo reshoots after test screenings, often under the eye of studio executives. "That’s the province of mainstream corporate filmmaking all around, and it’s up to folks like him — or me to the degree I can do it — and others to push back against it in any genre," he explained.
More importantly, though, for Mangold, it's a discussion that shouldn't just be surrounding Marvel properties -- which is essentially being used to ignite a frenzy -- but Hollywood as a whole. Something surely everyone can agree on.