“I don’t see them [Marvel movies]. I tried, you know? But that is 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,” said the Oscar winning and fourteen time nominated director, Martin Scorsese. While his relatively reserved comment was blown out of proportions already by the media and generated heated debates, some filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, who directed The Godfather Trilogy, even went as far as calling Marvel films “despicable,” further enraging superhero fans. Though the latter criticism might seem too extreme, concerns voiced by such well-respected directors as Scorsese and Coppola are certainly worth reflecting upon seriously.
From left to right, Coppola, Lucas, Scorsese, and Spielberg, after Scorsese won the Oscar for Best Directing for his movie, The Departed (2006)
Cinema, the art of film and filmmaking, is defined by Scorsese as an art form for human beings “to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being,” and it’s about “revelation — aesthetic, emotional and spiritual revelation.” At a quick glance, Marvel movies seem to somewhat qualify for that definition: good versus evil, the power of teamwork, family, and friendship. These themes recur throughout the saga, and the films portray well-loved characters that audiences laugh and cry with. However, one cannot deny that the priority of Marvel is to entertain. The heroes never forget to crack a joke, no matter the circumstances. Every film is filled with ample action sequences to keep the audience satisfied, and they never fail to deliver an epic CGI battle for the third act. Audiences expect to be entertained by the actions, effects, jokes, and unexpected surprises. Isn’t that the exact same mindset of visiting an amusement park? People go for the laughers, thrills, and snacks. Marvel is turning the theaters into theme parks, and is that still cinema? People do not visit art exhibits or attend concerts for mere entertainment; they seek a deeper conversation with the artists in their works. By no means should films not entertain audiences, but the personal experience and revelation from filmmakers communicating their feelings and thoughts through cinematic language is gone.
On the other hand, one can defend Marvel as simply pioneering a new genre of movies. James Gunn, the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, replied to Scorsese’s comment by explaining:
Many of our grandfathers thought all gangster movies were the same, often calling them ‘despicable.’ Some of our great grandfathers thought the same of westerns… Superheroes are simply today’s gangsters/cowboys… Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And that’s okay.
Perhaps Marvel films indeed are just another wave of pop culture that the older generations don’t know how to appreciate.
Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name in the classic Spaghetti Western, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
However, despite the personal taste, Scorsese is pointing to a more urgent problem, a dangerous side effect of MCU’s unprecedented cinematic achievement. In a New York Times article in response to the controversy, he wrote, “The reason is simple. In many places around this country and around the world, franchise films are now your primary choice if you want to see something on the big screen. It’s a perilous time in film exhibition, and there are fewer independent theaters than ever.” For studios and theaters, the main purpose of a film is to make money. Thus, why should studios invest on risky, independent, original projects when they can finance a sequel of a well-established franchise that guarantees profit. The theaters, of course, would show more of these franchise films to boost ticket sales. Consequently, the result is that no one is funding nor showing films that are beyond the mere purpose of entertainment, or in Scorsese’s words, true cinema. Meanwhile, Marvel developed a systematic profit machine in the form of “cinema,” which is proven effective again and again with its twenty-five movies.
As a result, no matter if it’s cinema or theme park, Marvel is changing the landscape of the film industry. For Scorsese, “the situation, sadly, is that we now have two separate fields: There’s worldwide audiovisual entertainment, and there’s cinema… And I fear that the financial dominance of one is being used to marginalize and even belittle the existence of the other.” And for those who care about films, we must be aware of the dire reality of this art form we love.
Monthly Movie Vote!
Last month, I asked you what your favorite Steven Spielberg movies are, here’s the result!
Jurassic Park, without surprise, is the most popular, but an unexpected number of people also voted for his comedy-drama, The Terminal. Furthermore, I must apologize to the one reader who thinks The Adventures of Tintin was snubbed. I am sorry I failed to mention your favorite movie.
Thank you everyone for participating, and for this month, you will vote for the answer of the question: Are Marvel movies cinema? Your definition of cinema does not have to be the same as Scorsese’s or mine, and there is no right or wrong. After you voted, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. I look forward to seeing the results!
Cast your vote here: https://forms.gle/bpnm6eACvALeyMVY9
Works Cited
Abad-Santos, Alex. “Martin Scorsese’s Fight against Marvel Isn’t Really about Marvel Movies.” Vox, Vox, 8 Nov. 2019, www.vox.com/2019/11/8/20950451/martin-scorsese-marvel-movies-cinema-feige.
De Semlyen, Nick. “The Irishman Week: Empire’s Martin Scorsese Interview.” Empire, Empire, 7 Nov. 2019, www.empireonline.com/movies/features/irishman-week-martin-scorsese-interview/.
Gunn, James. Instagram, 21 Oct. 2019, www.instagram.com/p/B32ck7XA5FP/.
Industrias Del Cine, lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/BJrfe0VZt09Lx-MuTBlvzDJ0FqdwP2_XVaP4RcLC4Pr5TFGcjj3Q-L4azTYnF-fP1376OpASRr8v4AKP7e3X57ofyZxub9xeIwXJ6BT1Kx6eiOMPC0_e8UXGeZ4.
Lattanzio, Ryan. “James Gunn Takes on Coppola and Scorsese: You’re Geniuses, But You Don’t Get Marvel.” IndieWire, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2019, www.indiewire.com/2019/10/james-gunn-marvel-coppola-scorsese-instagram-1202183299/.
“Martin Scorsese on comic book heroes, “amusement park films” and The Irishman | *Strong Language*” YouTube, uploaded by BBC Radio 1, 6 November 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OQ7HebQBIM
“Martin Scorsese on ‘Theme Park’ Marvel Movies, Netflix, & Streaming.” YouTube, uploaded by HeyUGuys, 13 October 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZcEZsFXkk.
Mental Floss, images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,h_360,w_640,x_0,y_0/f_auto,q_auto,w_1100/v1554991927/shape/mentalfloss/goodbadhed.jpg.
Scorsese, Martin. “Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 5 Nov. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/opinion/martin-scorsese-marvel.html.
sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2021/03/18/47f49590-70ea-41f9-9ae7-e9c0036eb653/marvel-studios-logo-black-and-red-banner-1251206.jpg.