It seems controversial with filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and now Francis Ford Coppola speaking about the MCU films. Their position is film as cinema. Scorsese’s interview with Empire magazine explains, “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. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” This is a separation from entertainment films and cinema to what I think is like best seller books and literature. Either one has validity in the eyes of the audience, but there has to be understanding on how they work.
Coppola explained to Yahoo!, “When Martin Scorsese says that the Marvel pictures are not cinema, he's right because we expect to learn something from cinema, we expect to gain something, some enlightenment, some knowledge, some inspiration.” On the other hand, filmmaker Kevin Smith attaches meaning through pop culture and what the MCU movies provide which he mentions in a Hollywood Reporter interview, “These [Marvel] movies come from a core. They come from a happy childhood. And they’re reflections of a happy childhood. He’s not wrong, but at the same time, neither are we for loving those movies.” Smith continued that he thinks the movies of the MCU are cinema.
Scorsese and Coppola are virtuosos of cinema and their films are outstanding pieces of cinema. I think what came out was that there is a movement towards considering MCU and films of the superhero genre as cinema. As a whole, I think Coppola and Scorsese are right, they are not about the human condition. So, this is where I think the evaluation may not be valid. Black Panther. Let’s look at Scorsese said cinema should provide, “emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” At its simplest, T’Challa’s story is to understand his place with his father gone, and how to integrate his people, his world, with the rest of the world. This theme may not be strong, but it is an issue that we struggle with as human beings.
Jamal Smith in his Time magazine article said, “It’s a movie about what it means to be black in both America and Africa—and, more broadly, in the world.” A powerful message and tied to it is the film's impact, not in terms of box office, but the movie itself with a mostly black cast and filmmakers. Tambay Oberson in a December 13, 2018 Indie Wire article noted, “`Black Panther’ is a game changer. With over $1.3 billion worldwide, it shattered the long-standing, fallacious belief that black films don’t sell overseas.” If it takes a MCU film to accomplish this feat, then all the better. Black Panther is an exception and a benchmark for other superhero movies.
Black Panther aside, I consider the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, not as theme parks rides, but as McDonald’s. Scorsese’s comparison may be correct with Disney’s California Adventure creating a MCU themed land based on the movies. Theme parks are great entertainment, a feel-good experience that doesn’t change your life or reflect on it, EPCOT would be closest in providing educational value. I have almost a lifetime of reading comic books. I always wanted them to come to the movie screen. What was a niche entertainment is now opened to world wide audienes. The downside of course is that there is not an uptick to the comic book readership. There are Free Comic Book Days and other promotions to interest television and movie audiences to become readers, but there is very little cross-over appeal. This in a way proves the point of Scorsese and Coppola.
So let’s get back to my comparison, McDonald’s, a meal that you consume, but it’s eat and forget. An excellent meal you remember for a day or more, flavors that you savor for some time, I still remember a few meals I’ve had, the same way with some films. I think what serious cinema-philes react to is the factory quality of the MCU movies. They are created to have the broadest appeal. Take for instance, Spider-Man, the recent Spidey films eliminated Uncle Ben and the central part of the character, “With Great Power Comes Great Responsiblity.” This is set aside because filmmakers want to focus more on the fun and action of the character and not dwell too much on the death of Uncle Ben. A second example is Tony Stark’s alcoholism, this does not fit within the Disney framework, but was a great part of Iron Man’s character from the well known storyline, “Demon in a Bottle.” When the MCU is ready to deal with very human flaws, then it will start to make in roads to making cinema.
#MarvelCinematicUniverse, #MartinScorsese, #FrancisFordCoppola, #KevinSmith
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