Martin Scorsese has expressed his distaste for Marvel movies in the past, claiming he does not perceive them as cinema. Other veteran directors also shared the same sentiment, such as Ridley Scott, Francis Ford Coppola, and Quentin Tarantino.
For the past decade, Marvel Studios has been producing some of the biggest blockbusters of all time, shattering box offices with their top-grossing films. Despite Scorsese’s aversion to the franchise, his daughter curiously watched all MCU movies.
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Martin Scorsese’s Daughter Watched And Enjoyed Marvel Films
In her interview with GQ, Francesca Scorsese revealed she watched all Marvel films during the pandemic despite knowing her father’s hatred for the genre. She firmly asserted that she still stood by him, but she found some of these movies enjoyable to watch. She stated:
“I don’t want to offend anybody or anything. I do very much stand with my dad, but I did educate myself. Originally, when I was agreeing with him, I’d never seen a single Marvel film. And then during COVID, I finished all of them, but I still stand by it. I will say some of them are fun.”
The 23-year-old budding filmmaker admitted trolling her father once after wrapping all of his Christmas presents in Marvel-inspired gift wrappers. The prank blew up on social media, and she noted:
“People keep telling me to get him a Marvel cake. I’m like, ‘He might kill me.’”
After Martin Scorsese slammed Marvel films in an interview, he penned a more in-depth explanation in an op-ed essay via The New York Times. He wrote:
“I was asked a question about Marvel movies. I answered it. I said that I’ve tried to watch a few of them and that they’re not for me, that they seem to me to be closer to theme parks than they are to movies as I’ve known and loved them throughout my life, and that in the end, I don’t think they’re cinema.”
He pointed out what Marvel movies lack in particular, though he also noted how many of these important elements are still present in some of them.
“Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery, or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands, and they are designed as variations on a finite number of themes.”
Scorsese’s criticism of Marvel-produced projects is, of course, his own right. His lengthy experience in the film industry is definitely one of the factors that influenced his opinion about the franchise.
Martin Scorsese Labelled Marvel Films As “Theme Parks”
In another interview with Empire magazine, Martin Scorsese reiterated that Marvel movies are not the kind of projects that deliver real emotions to their viewers. He also described them as “theme parks” (via Variety):
“I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s 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. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Some of Scorsese’s recent projects include Killers of the Flower Moon and The Irishman.
