Martin Scorsese takes a dig at Marvel films again: 'It’s not cinema; We shouldn’t be invaded by it'

Martin Scorsese reiterated his dislike of Marvel films at BFI London Film Festival. His new film The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, was the event’s closing night film. “It’s not cinema, it’s something else. We shouldn’t be invaded by it. We need cinemas to step up and show films that are narrative films,” said the filmmaker at a press conference on 13 October (Sunday). [caption id=“attachment_7451761” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Martin Scorsese. Image from Twitter[/caption] On Saturday, Scorsese had made similar comments at the BAFTA’s annual David Lean lecture, according to EW.com : “Theaters have become amusement parks. That is all fine and good but don’t invade everything else in that sense. That is fine and good for those who enjoy that type of film and, by the way, knowing what goes into them now, I admire what they do. It’s not my kind of thing, it simply is not. It’s creating another kind of audience that thinks cinema is that.” Previously, he had told Empire that though Marvel films were well made, they did not capture the true essence of cinema. Scorsese had compared the widely popular superhero features to theme parks. His comments were criticised by James Gunn, Robert Downey Jr, Joss Whedon and even Samuel L Jackson, who pointed that “everybody doesn’t like his stuff either.” Meanwhile, Scorsese’s $125 million Netflix film about the reflections of a former Jimmy Hoffa associate and hit man is slated to release on 27 November. De Niro plays Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran;  Pacino portrays Jimmy Hoffa; and Joe Pesci is Russell Bufalino. The cast also includes Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Jesse Plemons, Bobby Cannavale, Sebastian Maniscalco, and Anna Paquin. The gangster drama will be screened at the upcoming  Jio MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival , alongside films like  Ad Astra ,  Midsommar ,  The Souvenir , and  The Report . Netflix will premiere The Irishman on 27 November.