So the last couple weeks many notable names (Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Jennifer Aniston to name a few) in Hollywood have been stepping forward, bashing Marvel Studios’ MCU (and Comic Book adaptations as a whole) for not being real “Cinema”. So there is the question, are these formulaic, blockbuster, billion-dollar-making films real “cinema”?
In short, YES.
So I do get where these acclaimed individuals are coming from in that the MCU has followed a similar story telling format and has relied heavily on CG action, but it’s part of a GENRE that does that.
The MCU, and comic book movies as a whole, are a repeat of history. Much like the old Westerns or gangster movies of the 1930s through 50’s, the genre is booming and will ultimately die off when the public finds something new to latch on to. Just because it’s a saturated genre, doesn’t mean these films are less worthy of critical acclaim.
Like every other genre, there are good entries, bad ones, and some in between. Is John Wayne less of a Cinematic Icon because of the vast number of westerns that we’re released while he was a leading man? Of course not. So to say that a genre that is clearly leaving its mark on cinematic history isn’t “real cinema” just seems pretentious.
Some of these films also have genuinely great stories to tell, that are grounded in reality, and films like Logan and Joker (Lay off me I know they aren’t MCU) have proved that you can take a traditional approach to the genre and come out with a great overall film.
FlickFix 