Marvel movies erase the importance of quality cinema
For far too long, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated the movie screen, leaving the true artform of film in the distant past. Beautiful films that shaped the industry have become ancient relics that serve as nothing more than a novelty in the wake of reboots and sequels that try to compete with Marvel.
The film industry must shine the limelight on independent films and theaters before the money-hungry dominance of Marvel eradicates the creative artform.
Filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese have shaped the film industry over the past century. These directors were all influenced by the type of cinema that past heroes made.
Now, viewers are on the precipice of a new era — in which these types of films that evoke emotion, tell a moving story and change viewer’s perception of the world may be gone forever.
Arguably one of the greatest living filmmakers of all time, Martin Scorsese, criticized some comic book films.
In an interview with Empire magazine Scorsese said, “I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema.” He continued, “It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
Scorsese is not saying that Marvel films have no merit and are inauthentic, but rather that they are distinct from the films that helped shape his love for the movies.
The differences between the cinema that Scorsese loves and how Marvel creates films involve one crucial factor — risk. According to IndieCollect, a film organization, “Independent films represent alternative voices, innovative storytelling techniques, geographical and demographic diversity, and they tackle a vast array of topics.” To incorporate these elements into films, risks must be taken and directors must be willing to fail.
Marvel has perfected a formula that has garnered a devoted fan base, millions of dollars and dominance over the film industry. This formula is pretty simple: play it safe and take no risks. In Marvel films, the moments that showcase emotion and allow viewers to understand the characters better serve as an appetizer or side dish to the main entree of action and adventure, which consumes most screen time.
These rare, emotional moments allow directors to take risks, enable the viewer to absorb a new perspective and provide the actors with the freedom to showcase their abilities. But, when these scenes are a mere moment in a two-hour film, the risk and creativity are taken away.
There is no denying the success of Walt Disney Studios, according to Box Office Mojo. Fifteen of the top 20 grossing films of all time are made by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which of course includes Marvel. This proves that the Marvel formula is working and bringing in tons of money. It also means that the whole industry is trying to replicate this winning formula.
According to Sherry B. Ortner, a professor of anthropology at UCLA, “Where Hollywood films seek to provide escape and fantasy, independent films seek to tell realist or hyper(bolic)-realist stories about the world as it is, in all its ugliness and cruelty, or all its weirdness and strangeness, and if this makes audiences uncomfortable, so be it.”
The desire to tell a story and take a risk is the heart and soul of what all great filmmakers wholeheartedly believed when creating movies in the past. This is the foundation on which the visionaries of today seek to build the new frontier of moviemaking, but with Marvel studios this is becoming a mere pipe dream for anyone who hopes to make films.
There is still hope; even though it would be impossible to stop Marvel, it is essential now more than ever to support independent and arthouse movie theaters and films.
Viewers can keep the art of filmmaking alive by visiting local independent and art house movie theaters. The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, the American Cinematheque or Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles are all theaters that showcase independent films by great filmmakers.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is creating an industry model that fosters a hostile place for unique creative voices and those that seek to make different types of films.
The battle to protect the art form does not mean the solution is to destroy Marvel, but rather support those struggling to have their voices heard in the industry right now.
Visiting local arthouse theaters and watching the films that shaped this industry would allow independently made films to flourish and revive filmmaking that rewards risk-taking.
