Martin Scorsese: Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema
“I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema.”
Martin Scorsese. Taxi Driver. Goodfellas. The Wolf of Wall Street. Winner of 12 Academy Awards and a Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. A legendary film director with almost 50 years of experience in the world of cinema, Martin Scorsese has openly stated that Marvel movies are not cinema.
Scorsese has a new epic crime film coming up called The Irishman, a gangster drama starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci. The film received considerable praise and is already considered an Oscars contender. But what is receiving as much attention as his new film is his statement on the Marvel movie franchise, dismissing them as true 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” (Sharf, IndieWire): This is what Martin Scorsese told the Empire Magazine in a recent interview. The truth is that he hasn’t watched Avengers: Endgame and isn’t planning to watch it. The reason was that the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe don’t hold the elements that are crucial to make cinema so special.
The director has reasonable arguments on his remark, which he explains thoroughly on The New York Times Opinion section. He began by stating that “[t]he fact that the films themselves don’t interest me is a matter of personal taste and temperament.” He is not belittling or criticizing the films nor the filmmakers on a level of quality. It is his personal opinion. However, coming from a renowned filmmaker representing over 30 years of expertise, it seems to have much more significance that merely someone’s opinion.
“Cinema was about revelation — aesthetic, emotional and spiritual revelation. It was about characters — the complexity of people and their contradictory and sometimes paradoxical natures,” he stated. “It was about confronting the unexpected on the screen and in the life it dramatized and interpreted, and enlarging the sense of what was possible in the art form. And that was the key for us: it was an art form” (Scorsese, The New York Times).
Indeed, cinema is the dramatization of characters in a journey in their lives, encountering the unexpected while the viewers interpret the meaning and look at the world with different senses. The point is that cinema is nonetheless an art, and there is no doubt about that. A work of art contains the artist’s style and sense of the world, and if successful, as the audience, we are truly moved by it. Just like any other artist, Scorsese has done that beautifully. On the other hand, Marvel films are a spectacle. Magnificent set pieces, characters almost straight out from the comics, eye-shocking abilities created by CGI, all-in-all a pack of thrill rides to give the best kind of entertainment possible. However, Scorsese says in The Times that all these stunning set pieces and thrill rides would be “nothing more than a succession of dynamic and elegant compositions and cuts without the painful emotions at the center of the story” or the ups and downs of the character that makes our hearts wrench. And he is right. Movies filled with eye candy but empty of any good story or development of character cannot be called a well-made film with conviction. But do Marvel movies really have none of that? I disagree.
The films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are a part of a singular, epic saga that spans over ten years in the making and finally comes to a close with Avengers: Endgame. Each Every major character received their own story that connected and contributed to the overall cinematic universe. True, not all the films are worthy of absolute praise, but a lot of them are. Each of them revolve around the superhero in a journey that tests his or her abilities, convictions, and worthiness. Through that journey, the character grows as a person. Character development is a valuable part of cinema because films usually revolve around a character. It is crucial that we get to know more about the character to immerse into the film. There is a definite development in Tony Stark’s character, for example, in Iron Man (2008). He is a narcissistic billionaire and CEO of a massive weapons industry that has no care about the lives of others other than himself but ultimately has a good heart deep inside of him. However, after a life-changing incident, he has grown and most certainly learned more about the dark side of the world and has realized that he could be helping it expand. He shuts down his company and begins his mission, dedicating his life to protecting the world. At the end of the film, he confirms his identity as Iron Man. The Avengers series can be seen as a development in Tony’s character as he grows into a person who, after many hardships and conflicts, lives for others. In the end, he ultimately sacrifices his life without hesitation, which he would have never done in the first film. And that is why all of us cried. Many of the characters go through this journey. There is a certain amount of story and character development in the films that overarch the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Of course, this doesn’t automatically make it a good movie, but what Scorsese says the film is void of may not be entirely true.
What are movies, anyway? Are they not entertainment? Cinema is a form of cultural entertainment in our lives, and we go to the movie theater to achieve exactly that. The core purpose of movies is to entertain the audience and give them enjoyment, whether it comes in comedy, horror, drama, or superheroes. It is completely true that films are an inspiration and can be a medium for delivering a profound message, but not always. Some films are meaningful, and others are made purely for entertainment
Scorsese further commented on the issue of large production franchise films that are dominating the film industry. I do agree with this statement. Marvel films certainly stand out in this regard because
“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” (Scorsese, The New York Times).
Marvel films truly do dominate film society. Audiences are almost enchanted, irresistibly drawn to each new release. There are fewer opportunities for independent or arthouse films to stand these days, and it is a matter in need of attention. However, this reasoning does not demean Marvel films of their cinematic value. Cinema is a harmony of films whether they are arthouse or commercial. Superhero movies are no different.
