There’s no doubt that Martin Scorsese is considered among the top filmmakers of all time. With movies such as ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Goodfellas’ under his belt, to say that the director’s body of work is impressive would be an understatement.
Scorsese however, seems to have stirred up some controversy with his latest interview for Empire Magazine. When asked what he thought about movies from the Marvel world, here’s what he had to say: “I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema,” Scorsese said. “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.”
Naturally, upon hearing this, actors from the Marvel were asked to respond. Samuel L. Jackson, who reprises the role of Nick Fury in the Marvel films, was first to share what he thought. In an interview with Variety, Jackson said, “I mean that’s like saying Bugs Bunny ain’t funny. Films are films. Everybody doesn’t like his stuff either. Everybody’s got an opinion, so I mean it’s okay. Ain’t going to stop nobody from making movies.”
On the other hand, James Gunn, the director of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ expressed his disappointment when he took to Twitter about it how the comments of one of his favourite directors made him feel.
He tweeted, “Martin Scorsese is one of my 5 favorite living filmmakers. I was outraged when people picketed The Last Temptation of Christ without having seen the film. I’m saddened that he’s now judging my films in the same way.”
Nevertheless, this tweet was followed up a renewal of the love for the filmmaker:
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings star Simu Liu also chimed in, and supported the MCU world responding to Scorsese comparing the films to ‘theme parks’.
Scorsese’s latest film, The Irishman, has already received rave reviews from the festival circuit. The movie stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, and releases on Netflix next month.
