Days after Martin Scorsese dismissed Marvel movies as 'not cinema' and compared them to theme parks, the series' recurring star Samuel L Jackson has responded. Jackson, who plays the inimitable Nick Fury in the MCU, said the director is entitled to an opinion but that can't stop people from making movies they believe in.
"I didn't pay much attention to it. I mean that's like saying Bugs Bunny ain't funny. Films are films. Everybody doesn't like his stuff either. We do..but not everybody...Everybody's got an opinion, so I mean it's okay. Ain't going to stop nobody from making movies," Jackson told Variety.
In a recent interview, Scorsese had said that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies don't serve the purpose of cinema and are rather a theme park adventure. He said he had seen some of the Marvel Studios projects and found them lacking on the "emotional and psychological experiences".
"I don't see them. I tried, you know? But that's not cinema. 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," the director said.
Karen Gillan, who plays Nebula in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, also said the MCU films defined storytelling with visuals. "I would absolutely say that Marvel movies are cinema. Cinema is storytelling with visuals," Gillan told The Hollywood Reporter.
She said the Guardian series was a true embodiment of director James Gunn's personality. Gunn was one of the first Hollywood names to respond to Scorsese's remarks, saying he was "saddened" by the director's opinion.
"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 humour... that's a very big representation of who he is as a person and therefore it's very cinematic. He's an artiste," Gillan added.