Martin Scorsese Discusses The Dangers of Comic Book Movies Saying Filmmakers Need to "Fight Back" and "Save Cinema"
Martin Scorsese has some strong opinions and feelings when it comes to comic book movies and franchise culture. The filmmaker has criticized Marvel movies in the past, comparing them to theme parks and saying, “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” He believes these movies are not cinema.
Now, during a recent interview with GQ, Scorsese was asked about comic book movies and these big blockbuster franchises and he explained that there’s a danger that comes with these films with the negative impact they will have on audiences who aren’t well-versed in other types of film. He said:
“The danger there is what it’s doing to our culture. Because there are going to be generations now that think movies are only those — that’s what movies are.”
He’s not wrong. Some of the superhero movies being made these days aren’t really that good, but I see so many younger audiences praising them. It’s discouraging that some audiences just don’t know how great movies can be with proper storytelling. Scorsese went on to say that filmmakers need to “fight back” and “Save Cinema”:
“They already think that, which means that we have to then fight back stronger. And it’s got to come from the grassroots level. It’s gotta come from the filmmakers themselves. And you’ll have, you know, the Safdie brothers, and you’ll have Chris Nolan, you know what I mean? And hit ’em from all sides. Hit ’em from all sides, and don’t give up. Let’s see what you got. Go out there and do it. Go reinvent. Don’t complain about it. But it’s true, because we’ve got to save cinema.”
Scorsese went on to talk about the content being pumped out by streaming services as opposed to actual cinema, saying:
“I do think that the manufactured content isn’t really cinema. It’s almost like AI making a film. And that doesn’t mean that you don’t have incredible directors and special effects people doing beautiful artwork. But what does it mean? What do these films, what will it give you? Aside from a kind of consummation of something and then eliminating it from your mind, your whole body, you know? So what is it giving you?”
Scorsese has worked with streaming services, and his next film is Killers of the Flower Moon, which was produced by Apple Studios, but it will be getting a theatrical release on October 20th.
What do you think about Scorsese’s recent comments on comic book movies and franchises?