The Irishman director Martin Scorsese says Marvel films are not cinema, compares them to theme parks

Martin Scorsese’s gangster drama, The Irishman , had its premiere at the New York Film Festival on 27 September. He gives his two cents about the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which have a crazy fan following. Scorsese is blunt in his assessment of the films, and says while they were made well, they did were not cinema. He even compares these superhero films to  spectacles at theme parks.

“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," Scorsese tells Empire, according to Screen Rant .

However, films in the MCU have broken several box office records, like the recent Russo Brothers-directed  Avengers: Endgame . The film, that starred Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, and others, is now among the top grossing films of all time ($2.796 billion). It has crossed the lifetime earnings of James Cameron’s Avatar ($2.790 billion). Black Panther earned seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. It went onto win awards for Best Costume Design, Best Original Score , and Best Production Design.

The Irishman is Scorsese’s $125 million Netflix film about the reflections of a former Jimmy Hoffa associate and hit man. Robert De Niro plays Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran,  Al Pacino portrays Jimmy Hoffa, while Joe Pesci is Russell Bufalino. The Irishman 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.