The filmmaker previously said Marvel movies were “not cinema”
Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has defended the film franchise following Martin Scorsese’s recent criticism of Marvel movies.
Speaking to Variety on Saturday (October 5) at the opening of Tyler Perry’s new studio in Atlanta, Jackson said that “everybody’s got an opinion”, including Scorsese. “I mean that’s like saying Bugs Bunny ain’t funny. Films are films. Everybody doesn’t like [Scorsese’s] stuff either,” he said.
“Everybody’s got an opinion, so I mean it’s okay,” Jackson added. “Ain’t going to stop nobody from making movies.”
Jackson wasn’t the only Marvel star to weigh in on Scorsese’s comments. Actress Karen Gillan, who plays Nebula in the Guardians Of The Galaxy series, also responded to the filmmaker’s comments.
“I would absolutely say that Marvel movies are cinema,” Gillan told The Hollywood Reporter during a recent interview. “Cinema is story-telling with visuals.” She also came to the defense of Guardians director James Gunn, who earlier tweeted that he was “saddened” by Scorsese’s remarks.
“There’s so much heart and soul, and it’s James’ soul in there,” Gillan said. “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 artist.”
Last week, Scorsese gave an interview where he likened Marvel’s comic book movies to “theme parks”. “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,” Scorsese said in a recent conversation with Empire. “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Scorsese is currently promoting his new movie The Irishman starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. The film will premiere in selected UK cinemas on November 8 before the official release on Netflix on November 27.
