Commentary: Film and human experience

“[Marvel] isn’t cinema.” 

These words came from arguably one of the most famous and influential filmmakers of the last 50 years or so: Martin Scorsese. Scorsese, director of blockbuster films such as “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Taxi Driver” and “Goodfellas” is widely revered as one of the leading voices in the film industry. Though I don’t necessarily subscribe to the belief that Scorsese’s opinion on movies is gospel, many people believe that if Martin Scorsese says a film is good or bad, it must be true. 

For the last 15 years or so (and probably longer), moviegoers have complained that the film industry has been taken over by reboots and superhero movies, often making statements like Scorsese’s that some movies — such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s movies — are uncreative and aren’t “real” cinema. Some would argue that the age of powerful movies that directors like Scorsese created may be over, making room for superficial entertainment rather than storytelling. Why do you think Disney is making all of these live action reboots? To tell a story? To tap into nostalgia and nothing more? To make money? I could go on and on about how Walt Disney Studios has lost the originality it once had, but that’s an article for another time. My point is, cinema lovers may claim that movies are being pumped out for entertainment and profit’s sake; they do not care about telling a story that reflects on the human experience. 

And frankly, I can see their point. Like most people my age, I love Marvel movies. But I think they’re often not as moving or well-crafted as other movies I’ve seen. Sometimes, they feel rather copy/paste, and a lot of people claim they’re just the same movie over and over again. Scorsese argues that they’re “theme parks” — merely vehicles to entertain rather than an artform to have people reflect on their own experiences. That’s not inherently a bad thing because we all love some superficial fun; however, Scorsese appears to be challenging the average moviegoer to think of what they are looking for when they go to the theater. Do they want to be entertained by watching a giant monkey fight a huge lizard? Do they want to be scared by watching two men in a lighthouse slowly lose it? Or do they simply want to laugh, cry and learn? 

But as I discussed in my “real music” article, the reasons people watch movies are subjective, and just because a famous director says something isn’t “real cinema” doesn’t take away from the viewer’s experience. Some people have deep emotional connections to movies that are “superficial” such as Marvel or “Star Wars.” And that’s okay!

I do agree with Scorsese, but only to a certain extent. I think Marvel’s “WandaVision” has phenomenal character development and really does a good job of breaking down loss and denial, while also being thoroughly entertaining. Plus, to those who say movies no longer reflect the human experience like they once did, I thoroughly disagree. Many of the Oscar nominations and movies I’ve seen have done a fantastic job of keeping “real cinema” alive. Cinema and what movies mean is subjective, and if you experience films on a different level than those who “know” film, their opinion and their experience doesn’t trump yours.