The fallout from Martin Scorsese’s criticism of Marvel Studios’ output continues, as both fans and filmmakers leap to the defense of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The general consensus seems to be that the movies of the MCU most definitely are cinema, just not the way that Scorsese would define the medium.
Guardians of the Galaxy’s James Gunn admitted that he was hurt by a filmmaker he admires so much taking shots at the genre, and now another MCU alum has defended the studio. Taika Waititi, who directed Thor: Ragnarok and is set to return for the follow-up Love and Thunder, was asked about Scorsese’s comments in a recent interview and emphatically declared that Marvel movies are most definitely cinema.
“Well, it’s too late to change it to the Marvel …Atic Universe. Of course it’s cinema! It’s at the movies. It’s at cinemas near you. Marvel Cinema-tic Universe… scene!”
Scorsese’s comments seem to have snowballed into a huge discussion about the artistic merit of superhero blockbusters, but among the MCU’s multitude of directors, the 44 year-old New Zealander is uniquely placed to comment, having worked in an incredibly varied number of genres. After all, this is the guy who directed vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows and coming-of-age comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople immediately before joining the MCU to helm a $200m cosmic buddy movie, only to follow it up with an anti-hate satire about a lonely child whose imaginary friend just happens to be Adolf Hitler.
The box office receipts definitively prove that audiences can’t get enough of these movies, and virtually every up-and-coming filmmaker in the industry would love to get the chance to direct the latest MCU adventure. It clearly isn’t Martin Scorsese’s preferred taste, but that’s hardly a valid reason to deride a genre that millions of people across the world are fans of.
