Martin Scorsese follows up with his criticism of superhero films – and calls on filmmakers to defend themselves more strongly and to reinvent themselves. The “Killers of the Flower Moon” director cites Christopher Nolan and the Safdie brothers as a positive example.
Martin Scorsese (80) follows up with his criticism of superhero films. “The danger here is what they do to our culture,” he said in an interview with “GQ.” There will be generations who only see Marvel and Co. as films and don’t know anything else. The director had already compared the inflationary superhero spectacles to theme parks in 2019. In any case, they are not cinema, as he understands it. So films “about people trying to convey emotional and psychological experiences to another person”.
What does Martin Scorsese have to do now to recapture the cinema for “real” films as he sees it? “We have to defend ourselves more strongly,” he told GQ. The countermovement must come from the grassroots, from filmmakers themselves.
The Oscar winner cites the indie filmmaker brothers Joshua (39) and Benny Safdie (37), who thrilled critics with their feverish crime films “Good Times” and “Uncut Gems”, as positive examples. Scorsese also mentions Christopher Nolan (53). He also directed superhero films with his Batman trilogy, but they were outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the DC Extended Universe.
Martin Scorsese’s appeal to filmmakers: “Go out and reinvent yourself”
Scorsese’s martial appeal to his colleagues in the fight against the dominance of the superhero franchise: “Hit them from all sides and don’t give up. “Show what you can do. Go out there and do it. Go out and reinvent yourself. Don’t complain about it.” After all, the situation is serious. “We have to save the cinema.”
Even films that are designed straight from the drawing board for streaming services are not real cinema for Martin Scorsese. “It’s almost like AI making a movie,” said the veteran. There are good directors and special effects people there too, but “what do these films do for us?” Aside from consuming something and then eliminating it from your mind, from your entire body.”
Martin Scorsese’s new film “Killers of the Flower Moon” opens in German cinemas on October 19, 2023. The work is produced by, of all things, the streaming service Apple TV+.
