Even with all the backlash for his last outburst against Marvel movies, Martin Scorsese is sticking to his guns, likening the popular franchise to an invasion.
Speaking out at the London Film Festival during the closing-night screening of his latest film, The Irishman, Scorsese is showing no signs of backing down on his unpopular opinion towards the beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The director, who has over half a century of filmmaking experience, disregarded the recent backlash against him and further elaborated that the MCU should not be considered part of cinema.
According to The Hollywood Reporter: “It’s not cinema, it’s something else,” he argued. “We shouldn’t be invaded by it. We need cinemas to step up and show films that are narrative films.”
He went on to say “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.”
This distain for the superhero franchise mirrors other recent criticisms he’s made. He’s recently stated that “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
This is an opinion which caught the attention of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who said he was saddened one of his favourite directors was so negatively judging his films. Recurring Marvel star Samuel L. Jackson also chimed in on the drama pointing out the subjective nature of Scorsese’s statement.
That said, I will always love Scorsese, be grateful for his contribution to cinema, and can’t wait to see The Irishman.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) 4 de outubro de 2019
Throughout his long career, Scorsese has directed films such as Taxi Driver, Gangs of New York, Goodfellas, and Shutter Island. All films with a far grittier and psychological tone than that of any modern MCU film.
Frankly, in 2019, a decade and 23 films into the modern MCU, it feels like we’re just a few Thanos snaps away from the World Health Organisation announcing its recognition of ‘Superhero Movie Fatigue’ as a legitimate diagnosis. Scorsese’s comments echo an underlying issue a lot of modern critics have towards MCU movies, which is that they’re all pretty similar.
The fatigue towards superhero movies has started to bring forth a host of hero movies in which try to add a new spin on the genre such as Joker, which has been welcomed as a breath of nihilistic fresh air in the superhero landscape.
Scorsese’s The Irishman releases on Netflix November 27.
