Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese has slammed Marvel blockbusters, stirring debate that divides Hollywood
- Scorsese’s op-ed argued superhero blockbusters lack the sense of risk, mystery and complex characters vital to the ‘art’ of filmmaking
- Many have painted Scorsese as elitist, with many pointing to box office figures showing nine Marvel films in the 25 top-grossing films of all time
Acclaimed director Martin Scorsese has dismissed Marvel films as “not cinema”, splitting Hollywood and moviegoers while provoking sparking reactions from full-blooded support to accusations of hypocrisy and elitism.
The Oscar-winning director penned a New York Times op-ed this week in which he argued superhero blockbusters lack the sense of risk, mystery and complex characters vital to the “art” of filmmaking.
Marvel films are “market-researched, audience-tested, vetted, modified, revetted and remodified until they’re ready for consumption,” the Goodfellas director wrote.
“They lack something essential to cinema: the unifying vision of an individual artist,” Scorsese added, fuelling a controversy he initiated in a magazine interview last month.
Fellow luminaries such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ken Loach and Fernando Meirelles have backed Scorsese, with Coppola even calling the record-breaking Marvel franchise “despicable”.
Top Hollywood film critics have also endorsed the auteur’s position.