A heated debate in the entertainment world has taken place over the legendary filmmaker, Martin Scorsese’s controversial comment about Marvel movies. In November, Scorsese said “I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema,” Scorsese told Empire magazine. “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.” Since then, crowds of angry fans have fought back on social media, mainly Twitter, to defend their beloved movies. Some have gone as far as to bash Scorsese background in film and question his knowledge about film making. In several interviews, Scorsese has clarified what those kinds of movies are not for him. He respects the work the cast and crew put into the movies but the fanfare seems overwhelmingly unnecessary.  

While this issue has made many headlines and gathered lots of attention, few people realize the truth about how movies have changed over the last few decades. Scorsese’s first live-action film, Who’s That Knocking at My Door was released in 1967. Since then he has been the mastermind behind many classic movies like Goodfellas, Raging Bull, and Taxi Driver. The creativity in his stories and distinct style in the cinematography has revolutionized movie genres as we know them. Goodfellas is one of the first mob movies and inspiring countless movies in the crime genre. Needless to say, movies place in entertainment would not be what it is today without Martin Scorsese.  

The supposed hostility he has toward the superhero genre stems from several factors. The superhero genre, unlike Scorsese movies, is distanced from the real world in both movies settings and characters. Many characters coming from alien planets and possessing incredible superpowers that require lots of CGI lead to breathtaking on-screen visuals. Scorsese movies are set in the real world and deal with normal humans and relatable problems and scenarios. The greatness of his movies is in classic film making techniques and storytelling that makes audiences connect on an emotional level. This is a battle between the old and new ways of film making. 

 There is truth to Scorsese’s opinions, the movie industry has become over-saturated with cash-grab movies and bland storytelling has infected the joy of experiencing a great time at the movies. In the days of streaming and watching movies and TV from home, there is certainly still value in going to the movies and experiencing a story that will transport you to a new world. To some degree in today’s world, we have lost the magic of film but Marvel’s movie making empire has not continued that trend. While the movies in the MCU have lots of action and special effects, they also have great characters and original stories. The MCU is loved by millions and critics enjoy them too. It is not a coincidence that half of the top-grossing films of all time are Marvel movies. If they are bringing people into the theater and inspiring generations of fans while giving us quality movies then they should not only be seen as cinema but revolutionary cinema.