Kumail Nanjiani defends Martin Scorsese's Marvel criticism: 'If Scorsese hasn’t earned...'

Iconic director Martin Scorsese, certainly without meaning to, kicked off a debate on whether Marvel is cinema in 2019. Scorsese had compared Marvel movies to theme park rides and not really, according to him, cinema. While speaking to Empire magazine, he said, “I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. 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 said debate has embroiled both MCU actors and directors and other filmmakers also spoke against Marvel movies, saying because of their domination, small movies not backed by a big studio are suffering.

Also Read:Why Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, et al. are right about Marvel movies

Many actors working in Marvel movies went on to criticise Scorsese, while some like Robert Downey Jr while disagreeing also said Scorsese has earned the right to voice his opinion. Kumail Nanjiani, who played Kingo in Chloe Zhao's 'Eternals', is the latest MCU actor to speak up, and his opinion is similar to Downey Jr's.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

While speaking to Esquire, Nanjiani said “I obviously love the movies Tarantino makes or Scorsese makes, and I may disagree with Scorsese’s opinion on superhero movies, but I mean, who else has earned the right to have an opinion? If Scorsese hasn’t earned the right to have an opinion on movies, then none of us should have an opinion on movies. It’s so strange that people get upset about it.”

After Scorsese, filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola (who was blunter, called Marvel movies "despicable"), Jane Campion, James Cameron, Ridley Scott, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Bong Joon-Ho, among others have aired their grievances against the MCU movies or their domination of the cinematic landscape that has come at a cost of original films.