Last week, legendary director Martin Scorsese drew ire from numerous quarters for his dismissive comments about the quality of Marvel movies, describing the MCU films as “not cinema” and more akin to “theme parks.” Several filmmakers and actors who’ve worked for the studio have since responded to his statement to defend the franchise and the latest is Avengers: Endgame star Karen Gillan.
The Hollywood Reporter caught up with the Scottish actress, who’s played Nebula since 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy in the MCU, at the 10th anniversary Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic Los Angeles. And for Gillan, whether Marvel films count as cinema or not is a cut-and-dry issue.
“I would absolutely say that Marvel movies are cinema. Cinema is story-telling with visuals.”
The star went on to specifically talk about the Guardians films, written and directed by James Gunn, describing how much “heart and soul” Gunn puts into his movies.
“There’s so much heart and soul, and it’s James’ soul in there. He injects so much of his own personality, his sense of humor … that’s a very big representation of who he is as a person and therefore it’s very cinematic. He’s an artist.”
It’s interesting that Gunn’s Guardians franchise has become one of the main examples that folks are using to prove Scorsese’s views incorrect. Avengers director Joss Whedon also singled out how his fellow Marvel filmmaker pours “his guts” into the GotG pics while Gunn himself has also responded to Marty’s comments directly. Stressing that he’s a huge fan of Scorsese’s, Gunn admitted that he’s a little hurt that his and other director’s efforts have been dismissed like that.
Tell us, though, what do you think of Martin Scorsese’s comments about Marvel movies? Do they have any merit? As always, let us know down below.