The Russo brothers have finally decided to respond to director Martin Scorsese’s comments that Marvel Studios movies are “not cinema.” The Russos’ comments come after several weeks of critics and fans alike debating the legitimacy of Scorsese’s opinions.
Joe and Anthony Russo entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe when they signed on to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier. A political thriller as well as a superhero movie, The Winter Soldier is often considered on of the best Marvel movies. The Russo brothers were then invited back to direct Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and this summer’s record-breaking blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame. The Russo brothers are the only directors to date to direct more than two MCU movies, and every movie they’ve directed has become both a critical and financial success.
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While doing press for his film The Irishman, Scorsese made some now infamous comments about Marvel movies, stating that they are more like theme park rides than cinema. While discussing their movie 21 Bridges in an interview with THR, the Russo Brothers responded to Scorsese’s comments, with Joe Russo saying that they define cinema as “film that can bring people together to have a shared, emotional experience.” Anthony Russo also added that nobody, including Scorsese, owns cinema. They also noted that since Scorsese quickly dismissed the MCU after trying to watch a few films, its hard to have a fruitful conversation about film if Scorsese hasn’t seen the films he is talking about.
The Russo brothers aren’t the only MCU directors to weigh in on Scorsese’s comments. James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2, said that Scorsese was one of his favorite directors and that it hurt him to see that Scorsese was judging films without seeing them. Joss Whedon, director of The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron also responded on Twitter saying that while he understands what Scorsese is trying to say, he can’t help but point out directors like Gunn whose “heart and guts are packed” into their films.
Superhero movies’ place in cinema and the value that they have as an art form has been a topic of debate for several years. While many fans have enjoyed this influx of films based on their favorite comic books, some cinephiles have found that they over-saturate the movie industry and take attention away from original films or smaller indie films. Others see superhero movies as a trend, and like most trends they will soon become obsolete. Director Steven Spielberg suspected that like the Westerns that were popular in Hollywood decades ago, audiences would eventually grow tired of the superhero genre and reject it. Much has changed in the realm of superhero movies, from the end of the MCU’s Infinity Saga to Disney acquiring Fox. Perhaps this is the end of an era for superhero movies, but only time will tell if superhero movies will end altogether.
More: The Biggest MCU Phase 4 Reveals From Marvel’s Disney+ Special
Source: THR
- Black Widow (2020) release date: May 01, 2020
- Eternals (2020) release date: Nov 06, 2020
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) release date: Feb 12, 2021
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2021) release date: May 07, 2021
- Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 (2021) release date: Jul 16, 2021
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2021) release date: Nov 05, 2021
- Black Panther 2 (2022) release date: May 06, 2022
