James Gunn is 'saddened' by Martin Scorsese comparing Marvel movies to theme parks: 'Not fond of people judging things'

Marvel makers assembled in defense of their superhero flicks after legendary director Martin Scorsese criticised the films, comparing them to “ theme parks .” The Oscar-winning filmmaker dismissed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as “not cinema” during an interview while promoting his upcoming movie The Irishman, reported Deadline. On being asked if he has watched the films, the ace director told Empire, “I don’t see them. 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,” he added. The filmmaker’s comments have drawn extremely strong reactions across Twitter. The Avengers director Joss Whedon took to Twitter to respond to the criticism. He also noted Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn’s work as an exception and wrote there’s a reason why ‘I’m always angry’,(the latter a reference to Bruce Banner’s famous Avengers line).

“It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

I first think of @JamesGunn, how his heart & guts are packed into GOTG. I revere Marty, & I do see his point, but...

Well there’s a reason why “I’m always angry”. https://t.co/Wh3ptU2KBp

— Joss Whedon (@joss) October 4, 2019

Gunn himself also weighed in, calling Scorsese one of his five favourite living filmmakers.

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“That said, I will always love Scorsese, be grateful for his contribution to cinema, and can’t wait to see The Irishman,” he added in a second tweet. “And I’m not saying religious zealotry is the same as not liking my movies, or in the same category. What I’m saying is I’m not fond of people judging things without actually seeing them, whether it’s a movie about Jesus or a genre,” Gunn concluded. C. Robert Cargill, who wrote the screenplay for _Doctor Strange_ , called Scorsese a “genius,” but said, “anyone who thinks Marvel is only trying to make theme park rides is being unjust and cynical.” The Last Temptation of Christ received a lot of criticism from religious conservatives when it was released in 1988. Many celebrities have criticised Marvel in the past too. Director James Cameron slammed The Avengers franchise in 2018, “I’m hoping we’ll start getting Avenger fatigue here pretty soon. Not that I don’t love the movies. It’s just, come on guys, there are other stories to tell besides hyper-gonadal males without families doing death-defying things for two hours and wrecking cities in the process. It’s like, oy.” HBO late-night host Bill Maher criticised the films after Stan Lee’s death that same year, “A culture that thinks that comic books and comic book movies are profound meditations on the human condition is a dumb f-king culture. And for people to get mad at that just proves my point.” _Avengers: Endgame_ became the highest-grossing film in history this summer, minting more than USD 2.8 billion at the global box office. Meanwhile, The Irishman is set to release on November 1 before debuting on Netflix on November 27.