We know you’re probably just as sick of this as we are. And yes, even though we write multiple stories about the way Martin Scorsese clearly dislikes Marvel films, this isn’t the sort of news that excites us. But hey, this is one of the biggest filmmakers of all time talking about how he thinks the biggest films in the world are detrimental to the art of cinema. So, while we’re not saying he’s right or wrong, the man deserves to have his opinion expressed.
And in a new interview with EW, he finally is given the chance to explain his comments about Marvel films in the most detailed way yet. Unsurprisingly, he’s not nearly as hyperbolic as the short clips that have been presented seem to show, and it’s clear that Scorsese’s issue is less to do with capes and costumes and more to do with the modern studio system and its reliance on spectacle.
“[A traditional studio is] geared toward the most amount of money you can make — understandably,” explained Scorsese. “I think it’s gone askew. There’s very little room for this kind of picture. They say, ‘Oh you can make independent films.’ That’s putting people in the margins. Putting art in the margins.”
He continued, “The tentpole films, the big comic book films, they’re theme park movies — as well done as many of them are, at all levels. It’s a different cinema form or a new art form entirely. We’re hoping there are theaters that show the films that are not that. And that if they’re not going to show it that filmmakers still have an opportunity with streaming — it changes the experience, but otherwise, in two to three years now, it’s not being done. A good filmmaker comes in from Italy or France comes in, the film has to be a [franchise] or they won’t do it anymore.”
Scorsese goes on to talk about how he hopes that his latest crime epic, which has an extended runtime of over three-and-a-half-hours is the type of film that will force audiences to experience cinema in a way that they’re not asked to nowadays. He said that people are so accustomed to “want a quick fix” with “fast” films and news delivered in soundbites that they don’t take the time to sit and enjoy a more deliberately-paced film, such as “The Irishman.”
“But if you can help them be open to something that might have different layers to it, where they may not be able to get it until two days later, that might be interesting,” he said.
While this sort of answer doesn’t clarify comments made by Ken Loach or Francis Ford Coppola, with the latter calling Marvel films “despicable,” it does go a long way to helping show that Scorsese isn’t just upset over superhero films because he’s an older gentleman. He’s more sad about how the biggest films in the world are shaping the minds of modern film fans to expect things in short bursts and action-filled packages.
“The Irishman” arrives in theaters on November 1 and will be ready to shape the minds of folks at home when it arrives on Netflix on Novmeber 27.
