- The Washington Times - Friday, October 4, 2019

Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese — known for films such as “Goodfellas,” “Raging Bull” and “The Departed” — said he doesn’t consider Marvel movies “cinema,” according to an Empire magazine article published on Friday.

“I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. 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,” he told the magazine.

“It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being,” he added.

Mr. Scorsese is currently promoting his new Netflix film “The Irishman,” which will air on Nov. 27 and star Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

The Marvel cinematic universe has released 23 films since 2008 and grossed more than $22.5 billion, including 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” that became the highest-grossing movie ever — making $2.796 billion.

Mr. Scorsese isn’t the only director to criticized Marvel.

“Titanic” director James Cameron told Indiewire in August 2018: “I’m hoping we’ll start getting ’Avenger’ fatigue here pretty soon. Not that I don’t love the movies. It’s just, come on guys, there are other stories to tell besides hyper-gonadal males without families doing death-defying things for two hours and wrecking cities in the process. It’s like, oy!”

 

• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.

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