Spider-Man: No Way Home not only brought the signature villains to life but also a 2019 remark, that says Marvel movies are not ‘cinema’. The never-ending debate, of Marvel movies, aren’t actually ‘cinema’ has caught fire once again. The fire is wilder than ever as the faces involved are one of the biggest Hollywood faces. Neither the debate is new nor the statement it is being fought on.
Marvel movies are not “cinema”
The Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese back in 2019 said that he doesn’t consider Marvel movies to be cinema. Furthermore, he said that the films made in the entire franchise are like “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, it isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
The debate went on for a while in 2019 too when Karen Gillan, the actress who plays Nebula in MCU stood for Marvel movies and said there is a lot of heart and soul in the movies. The actress also praised the Avengers: Endgame director/writer, James Gunn saying:
“Cinema is storytelling with visuals. There’s so much heart and soul, and it’s James’ soul in there. That’s a very big representation of who he is as a person and therefore it’s very cinematic. He’s an artist.”
This debate was settled back in 2019, but it has come back to life now with bigger faces involved. After the grand success of Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home the stars have started refuting the remarks that say superstar or Marvel movies are not Oscar-worthy.
Tom Holland responds to Martin Scorsese
Spider-Man: No Way Home’s central Spider-Man, Tom Holland has now responded to Martin Scorsese’s remarks in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Holland asked rhetorical questions and said all the movies are the same it’s just the matter of which movie is more expensive.
“You can ask Scorsese, ‘Would you want to make a Marvel movie?’ But he doesn’t know what it’s like because he’s never made one. I’ve made Marvel movies and I’ve also made movies that have been in the conversation in the world of the Oscars, and the only difference, really, is one is much more expensive than the other. But the way I break down the character, the way the director etches out the arc of the story and characters – it’s all the same, just done on a different scale. So I do think they’re real art.”
Watch: Tom Holland Fires Back at Martin Scorsese amid Spider-Man Oscar Push
Tom Holland didn’t stop there, he went on to say that no matter how good or bad Marvel movies are, still millions of people will watch it. But, it is not the case with small indie films, they may or may not have viewership, so comparing the two is completely unreasonable. Furthermore, Holland tried to explain his point by taking examples of one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
“I mean, you can also ask Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr. or Scarlett Johansson – people who have made the kinds of movies that are ‘Oscar-worthy’ and also made superhero movies – and they will tell you that they’re the same, just on a different scale, and there’s less Spandex in ‘Oscar movies’.”
Tom Rothman and Kevin Feige respond too
It’s just not Tom Holland who countered the 2019 statement of the acclaimed director. The director of Spider-Man: No Way Home, made her way in the contest saying:
“Just because they’re a certain kind of genre doesn’t mean they’re not quality movies. We all got in this business to make movies that people want to see, that make people feel things, and I think this movie legitimately does that.”
The remarks made by Tom Holland and Amy Pascal were further backed up by the Chairman of Sony Pictures, Tom Rothman and the President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige. Tom Rothman said that, “No Way Home is superb filmmaking” and Kevin Feige gave a closer saying that, “both of these types of films deserve recognition.”
Spider-Man: No Way Home on the way to Oscars
Now, considering the evident success of Spider-Man: No Way Home on the box office and how it has made the theatres alive once again, expecting an award won’t be wrong. The two biggest production houses coming together, signing stars from different franchises with amazing graphics, requires a lot of hard work and “cinema.”
Though it has happened just once for Marvel back in 2019 when Black Panther was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, it may happen again and maybe it is bigger this time. Recently, in an interview Tom Holland jokingly said, that he is expecting an Oscar nomination for his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The film has gained popularity all over the globe and several scenes have made a permanent place in the hearts of people. If not for an Oscar or any other awards, Spider-Man: No Way Home has already won a lot of hearts and earned a lot of recognition.
