James Gunn seems to be the voice leading the defence against critics saying that Marvel movies were ‘not cinema’. The Guardians of the Galaxy director was saddened when Martin Scorsese said Marvel movies weren't cinema and theatres shouldn't be invaded by them. But now with Francis Ford Coppola jumping into the debate, Gunn is not holding back.
It all started when legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese said that some of the Marvel Studios projects were lacking on the "emotional and psychological experiences". The Godfather actor not only agreed with his fellow cinema icon Scorsese but adding the word "despicable".
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. I don't know that anyone gets anything out of seeing the same movie over and over again. Martin was kind when he said it's not cinema. He didn't say it's despicable, which I just say it is.
In response, while Gunn did not mention Francis Coppola by name, the director referenced the word ‘despicable’ and shared a post that he linked to an Instagram photo of Guardians of the Galaxy's Groot and Rocket, with this caption: Many of our grandfathers thought all gangster movies were the same, often calling them “despicable”. Some of our great grandfathers thought the same of westerns, and believed the films of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone were all exactly the same. I remember a great uncle to whom I was raving about Star Wars. He responded by saying, “I saw that when it was called 2001, and, boy, was it boring!” Superheroes are simply today’s gangsters/cowboys/outer space adventurers. Some superhero films are awful, some are beautiful. Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And that’s okay.