Are Marvel Movies Cinema?
Martin Scorsese recently came out and stated that he doesn’t think Marvel movies are cinema. On the one hand, I understand what he means, he wants movies that take risk, movies that people haven’t seen before, something new, but on the other hand I disagree with him. These movies are putting people in seats and keeping the silver screen alive. I think at the core of what he is talking about, is that he just wants good original movies to come out. although, I don’t think he should have the final say on what is considered cinema.
What is Cinema
Scorsese is one of the godfathers of modern cinema and his opinion should always be considered, but he’s not the final say on what is and isn’t cinema. What I think Scorsese wants is more incredible movies. Not too long ago we had movies like The Godfather, Taxi Driver, and Jaws coming out regularly. Now we have huge budget movies coming out in a series of 8 or 9 with more sequels and spin offs to come. He wants originality, and I agree.
One of the many problems with Marvel movies is that they all feel like copies, whether they’re copies of each other or other movies entirely. They just follow the same formula. We need more creative movies with real original stories. Marvel movies haven’t had the guts to do anything dangerous because they can’t. People need to stay alive in their movies so that they can make it to the next big meet up movie. So every time you watch a stand alone film you know what’s going to happen. The hero wins and the villain loses. Every time.
Marvel Legacy
Marvel movies have dominated the film industry for the past few years. Ever since Iron Man came out back in 2008, people have been lining up to see their movies. In fact, some people only come out to the movies to see Marvel movies. They couldn’t care less about whatever else is out. While that may seem like a bad thing to everyone trying to create original content, I see it as a way to keep the movies alive. Streaming services are taking over, that’s just a fact.
They are the future of movies and shows. Who doesn’t want to sit at home and watch movies, why go out to the theater if you can see the same things at home? If Marvel is making movies that are selling out theaters then let them. They are nearly single handedly keeping theaters in business. So, if a handful of people see a trailer while they’re out seeing a Marvel movie and it convinces them to go see that movie in theaters, then Marvel movies are also helping out other movies. It’s a win win.
Truth or Dare
In the end, this argument won’t solve much. Scorsese can feel however he wants to feel and Marvel will keep making their huge blockbusters, but the catch is neither of them are wrong. I recently saw an interview with Elon Musk where the interviewer asks Elon how he feels about NASA astronauts like Buzz Aldrin bashing his vision of commercialized space travel. He’s clearly upset about it and is holding back tears in the video. He says essentially that it’s disheartening to see people he considers to be his idols bash his ideas, but he’s going to continue anyway and hope he can prove them wrong. I feel like it’s the same way with Marvel.
Scorsese started making movies in a completely different time period, and although he doesn’t like the new trend that modern movies are following, he’s not going to change it. Everything changes eventually and film has moved on from original content to the copy and paste method to keep the industry alive. Let’s just hope we can find a happy medium.
