A Response To Martin Scorsese

This isn’t just for my own inflated sense of self-importance, I’m certain that Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, as well as all of Disney, truly care about my opinion.

Joseph Anthony Ruiz
Nov 6 · 7 min read
Who will win?

After weeks of memes and controversies over comments made by Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola it seems Scorsese has finally done his best to give us clarification on what it is that he meant after seemingly dismissing all superhero movies. In a New York Times Opinion piece titled I Said Marvel Movies Aren’t Cinema. Let Me Explain. Scorsese lays out his grievances with the modern studio system and elaborates on the aforementioned comments. In it, Scorsese speaks of his own youth and how he would have most likely enjoyed these films or possibly even tried to make them had he grown up with them, but instead he saw different films growing up. Scorsese believes going to the theater then was a communal experience, one in which the audience’s own energy can fuel the way a movie is perceived, using Hitchcock as an example.

Hitchcock’s North By Northwest

Scorsese does poignantly details the fact that while Hitchcock films were enjoyable, the audience treating each new film as an event of sorts, there was more reason to watch them than just for the twists and turns and exciting premises. It the same reason that Hitchcock’s films have lasted so long: it’s Hitchcock’s dedication to crafting his tales and characters. Hitchcock utilized his talents to tell new and exciting stories that still allowed him to capitalize on human experiences. It’s with that criticism that it’s clear Scorsese hasn’t bothered to watch many of the Marvel films as some do cover more ground than just a bombastic and explosive third act. Both films of the Guardians of the Galaxy series are, at their core, a story of a foster family trying to find a way to coexist while dealing with their past trauma. In other films we see a deep friendship through Black Widow and Hawkeye’s relationship, one filled with nuance and tragedy. Then there’s the father and son themes throughout all of the Iron Man appearances as Tony Stark desperately tries to adjust his image while honoring his deceased father and then coming full circle with his supplemental father figure role relationship with Peter Parker. Black Panther carries Shakespearean themes with its wide cast of characters and their own unique voices and turmoil over loyalties through a divisive regime change. Yes, in the middle of these heartfelt storylines there’s evil robots or aliens trying to destroy everything; there’s unrealistic catastrophe that has a seemingly low death count. With this, the stakes do seem low, but I don’t believe everyone is as invested in these films because of the fight scenes and explosions; I suspect it’s the relationships between the characters as well as the audience’s own connection to them. Unfortunately, I don’t see a world that is going to one day review a specific Marvel film thirty years later, especially a sequel, for its greatness or longevity and therein lies another one of Scorsese’s arguments: there’s too many of them.

Spectacle can be used for good

These superhero movies are being released like clockwork. While I love superhero films and feel they serve a purpose in societal catharsis having risen in popularity after the September 11th attacks, they’ve taken over the industry. I personally view the superhero film as the modern day Western. If you look at films from the 40’s to 60’s, Westerns were incredibly plentiful, eventually turning into the Spaghetti Western. At the same time, they didn’t have the world building that Marvel has within their films, and so despite the genre saturation, they were still unique entities. For some time now we’ve been getting 2–3 Marvel films a year, some having been announced years in advance. I personally fall into the problem this creates where, because movie tickets are so damn expensive and I’ve been advertised a superhero movie for so long, that I am instantly drawn to those more than other films. It makes sense that if you’re only going to see a certain amount of films a year it pays off to see the spectacular ones on a big screen with great sound. Along with that, the showtimes are so plentiful that grabbing a seat for me and some friends isn’t difficult at all. But then when another movie I want to watch comes out, like say Jojo Rabbit or The Farewell, these movies all require me to go further out of my way in order to find a theater that’s showing them. While it seems fine to watch an intimate drama at home, most filmmakers want their work to be shown on the big screen. Due to this over saturation of spectacle, theaters are less inclined to show smaller pictures and smaller theaters in turn are less plentiful and . Scorsese laments this and speaks on how being a filmmaker with original ideas just doesn’t feel as easy as it once was.

Everyone in The Farewell judging me

When Scorsese started off with his original films the market was completely different; most effects were practical, independent films were typically character driven, and it was in these types of stories that Scorsese found his niche of mobster movies. Of course his work has expanded to other genres, but mobster and crime-related films are what he’s known for, and yet, Netflix is releasing Scorsese’s new picture, The Irishman. It’s a testament to the broken studio system that Scorsese seems to truly hate as he states in his piece that it is every filmmaker’s desire to see their work on the big screen and yet he’s opted to partner with Netflix because it was the only way to allow his vision to come to life. One of the most prolific directors, a cinematic god, had difficulties with studio interference, which leaves little hope for anyone breaking in hoping to tell their own unique story.

It’s through this Scorsese shows his beef isn’t truly with Marvel films, but with the corporate oversight of film companies, churning out these types of films in order to get more theater goers and gain profits as quickly as possible. Why then should any studio try to go a different route, to invest in an artist’s independent and unique vision when there’s a franchise that needs to be rebooted or a sequel that can be made. Thankfully it seems some directors are utilizing their wealth and fame from their franchise works in order to create different content. Two notable examples of this are Thor: Ragnarok’s director Taika Waititi’s new project Jojo Rabbit (yes it’s adapted from a novel, but it’s very different) and The Last Jedi director and writer Rian Johnson with his new whodunnit Knives Out. Originality is not dead, but the superhero film and franchise reboots are creating a problem for burgeoning filmmakers and writers hoping to bring a unique voice but instead being forced to follow a corporate guideline.

Taika Waititi hiding from Disney

Now in Disney’s defense, we’ve seen how the freedom they do give most of their directors and writers do allow for stories that are worth the emotional investment, but there’s truth to Scorsese’s claim that there’s no real risk. The corporations have a plan for the next several years of Marvel, meaning most likely every hero will survive, and so there’s no real danger afoot. It’s peaceful in a way, knowing good will win and no one will suffer too much, but there’s also a lack of excitement that is present when you’re watching a film that genuinely surprises you. Along with this there is certainty that they can put out absolute garbage, and because there’s two more superhero films within the same year, they can easily make up on lost profits, assuming there are any. All in all, the future of filmmaking feels bleak as the theater going experience turns towards the blockbusters and the intimate movies or as Scorsese would say, cinema, are relegated to the likes of Hulu and Netflix. Nevertheless I would still say it’s unfair to say all of Marvel isn’t cinema, but maybe a lot of it isn’t. Scorsese has a point and while Disney has always taken familiar properties and repackaged them with added flair and quality, the result of what they’re doing with Marvel is, to some extent, as Coppola stated, despicable.

Shark Tale is true cinema
Joseph Anthony Ruiz

Written by

Cinephile. Syltherin. Horror-lover. Screenwriter in progress. @shortandsweetreviews on Instagram

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