James Gunn has responded to the recent wave of anti-Marvel sentiment from a pair of legendary directors via social media.
Francis Ford Coppola (
Apocalypse Now, The Godfather) followed up Martin Scorsese's "not cinema" comments by taking things one step further and calling Marvel movies "despicable," adding that he doesn't understand how "anyone gets anything out of seeing the same movie over and over again." Gunn, who is no stranger to Marvel-related controversy himself, has now attempted to put things into perspective in a lengthy Instagram post.
“Many of our grandfathers thought all gangster movies were the same, often calling them ‘despicable,'” wrote the
Guardians of the Galaxy director.
“Some of our great grandfathers thought the same of westerns, and believed the films of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone were all exactly the same. I remember a great uncle to whom I was raving about Star Wars. He responded by saying, ‘I saw that when it was called 2001, and, boy, was it boring!’
Superheroes are simply today’s gangsters/cowboys/outer space adventurers. Some superhero films are awful, some are beautiful. Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And that’s okay.”
Thor: Love and Thunder actress Natalie Portman also defended the studio's output.
"I think there is room for all kinds of cinema," she told
THR at the 6th annual Los Angeles Dance Project Gala on Saturday.
"There is no way to make art. I think Marvel movies are so popular because they are so entertaining and people want to have fun when they have a special moment after work, after facing their real-life difficulties."
Tell us, do you think Scorsese and Coppola bring up any valid points? What do you make of Gunn's response? Check out his post below, and drop us a comment in the usual place.
Many of our grandfathers thought all gangster movies were the same, often calling them “despicable”. Some of our great grandfathers thought the same of westerns, and believed the films of John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, and Sergio Leone were all exactly the same. I remember a great uncle to whom I was raving about Star Wars. He responded by saying, “I saw that when it was called 2001, and, boy, was it boring!” Superheroes are simply today’s gangsters/cowboys/outer space adventurers. Some superhero films are awful, some are beautiful. Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And that’s okay. ❤️
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About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.