Some of the most revered directors in Hollywood have criticized the MCU in the last few years, including renowned directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. But why is that? There are many factors for those criticisms. It’s not only a taste thing, but much more of a big picture thing, as they might believe the franchise is killing cinema. Here’s why some acclaimed directors and actors may hate the MCU, explained:
It Changed the Industry
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
The success of the MCU changed the entire industry. Now, most studios only look for blockbusters that can make more than 200 million at the box office, while there are no middle-cost productions, where new directors and actors can tell different, unique stories. 25 years ago, in 1997, the box office success where from all kinds of films: My Best Friend’s Wedding, Liar, Liar, Contact, Jerry Maguire, and Air Force One. Yes, there were also some big tent pole movies like Titanic, or The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but they were not the only thing in cinemas. This year, another movie with Julia Roberts and George Clooney, Ticket to Paradise, went almost directly to streaming. That is one of the main reasons there’s all this MCU animosity, as the superhero films are the only things in cinemas; they’re relegating all the other genre films to watch-at-home entertainment, as every studio is only looking for IP they can market to cinemas.
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Money Over Art
Sony Pictures Releasing
Hollywood studios have always been a business, but it’s in the last few years, where they have become part of big conglomerates, that have shareholders and must answer to Wall Street, that the studios have become risk averse to the point of only putting money behind big IP films, like the ones the MCU does. In the ’70s, the big moneymakers were also risky ones (Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather being the perfect example), and in the ’90s, at least there was the indie circuit, where good movies could be made for 30 million or less. Nowadays, the studios only do five million dollar, award-baiting, artsy films, or 200 million dollar blockbusters.
This way of doing business means movies with new voices, innovative techniques, and unique ideas aren’t being made. In their place, studios prefer to pay for soul-sucking movies like Morbius (pun intended), than one that tells the story of a divorced dad who is learning to bond with his son, like Kramer vs Kramer. Those who hate the MCU believe this money-making genre might be killing a new generation of filmmakers more interested in personal relationships, feelings, and showing real-world emotions, over the superhero spectacle. It also puts a big pressure on those who get the chance to direct for the first time, as they know it’s probably their only chance. Greta Gerwig has said many times that she felt enormous pressure while directing Lady Bird, as she knew that, if it didn’t work, she wouldn’t get another chance to direct, and that would’ve been a shame.
It Doesn’t Reflect Our World
One of the biggest critics of the MCU is Martin Scorsese, who told Empire Magazine: “I don’t see them,” he says of the MCU. “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.”
Another incredible filmmaker with great movies, Francis Ford Coppola also shared similar ideas: “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.” And even someone as commercial and big blockbuster-creating as James Cameron, with incredible movies, feels the same way.
What these old-school directors are defending is that movies should be entertaining, but they should also show all kinds of real stories, emotions, and life-altering moments, and they think the MCU doesn’t have enough of those. These filmmakers believe cinema and art should reflect love, grief, dark times, fun times, jokes, relationships, work success, friendship, families, sex, and all the other human emotions in between. They think the MCU doesn’t reflect them, as its movies are all action, puny jokes, and scenes for future projects, without that much soul. While that’s not necessarily true, as the death of Tony Stark is still affecting the whole MCU (and broke all our hearts), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever dealt with grief and moving on beautifully; not all MCU projects had human emotions as its priority.
No Creative Freedom, No Risks
Marvel might be more “actor-friendly” than director or writer-friendly, as there are some goal posts each movie has to hit, handicapping creative freedom and taking story risks. The sense of amazement a viewer can feel in the cinema is one of the film industry’s best assets, and without creativity and taking risks, people might lose that feeling. It’s obvious that Taxi Driver wouldn’t be made today by any studio; but that also applies to Pulp Fiction, Groundhog Day, and even films that ended up being big franchises like Terminator. Each of those movies created new ways of understanding and creating the art of cinema, which made the whole medium evolve for the better and kept it getting innovative. In a world of formulaic stories and most shootings made on a green screen, it’s easy to lose that amazement that made people go to the movies in the first place, as some think it’s being replaced for Easter eggs and teasers for future things.
If Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola started now, they wouldn’t be able to do their movies, and should become MCU directors, or keep doing smaller, award-baiting films to be able to show their talent. This duality, with the bigger getting bigger and creating similar films, is what’s behind the hate of these beloved filmmakers for the MCU. They have the feeling that going to the cinema and movies should be about the real world, with real people and day-to-day battles, and have the feeling that cinemas have been kidnapped by comic movies that don’t leave space for any other kind of film.
There’s no right or wrong answer. MCU movies are great, and we love them, and as the DCU or the Monsters Universe have proved, creating interconnectivity between films while still delivering fun movies, is one of the most complicated things ever. Having said that, it wouldn’t hurt if the film industry had more variety in its offerings; a sci-fi movie here, a rom-com there, and a comedy once in a while. We believe that’s what Scorsese’s and the rest of the filmmakers’ complaints are really about, as variety is the best thing for the (movie) soul.
