Marvel’s reckoning
Film legends have been laying into the MCU. Do they have a point?
When Martin Scorsese declared war on Marvel last month, it opened the floodgates. “Despicable,” grumbled Francis Ford Coppola. “I’m not interested,” mumbled Fernando Meirelles. “Like hamburgers,” sniffed Ken Loach. It can only be a matter of time before Nuri Bilge Ceylan calls Ant-Man a crime against humanity.
It’s understandable why the old guard might be feeling threatened by the new world order. Superhero cinema currently dominates the box office to an unprecedented degree. Super-folk, some argue, are sucking the oxygen out of cinemas. Going hand-in-hand with Marvel’s stratospheric ascent is Hollywood’s increased dependance on money-spinning franchises. How many Butch Cassidys, Sixth Senses or Pulp Fictions have we missed out on because studios are no longer willing to bankroll the more creatively fertile mid-budget
movie that offers a more modest return on investment?
James Gray is a prime example of a mid-budget filmmaker. When we spoke to the Ad Astra director earlier this year, he too compared Marvel movies to hamburgers (keep up, Loachy). And he does have a point. Marvel movies have become the film equivalent of fast food – you know what to expect, that you’ll probably enjoy it, and though it may not be the healthiest choice for every meal, it doesn’t mean what you’re getting is devoid of nutritional value.
As the biggest kid in the playground, Marvel can take a pile-on. Its films are beloved because they marry heartfelt, crowdpleasing storytelling with awe-inspiring big screen spectacle. Endgame broke box-office records because it was appointment viewing, a shared cinematic event like no other. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, of course. The elder statesemen of moviedom are right in as much as superhero films are different from what’s come before, and they can’t be all that studios are willing to sink their money into if we want a healthy film industry. But the idea that they aren’t cinema (whatever that means) is absurd. And if Cap and co. encourage more people to leave the comfort of their home cinemas and experience the real deal, it can only be a good thing.
‘THE IDEA THAT MARVEL FILMS AREN’T CINEMA IS ABSURD’