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Lessons from a Crime Boss
I have to admit, this one has me a bit between thoughts. For starters, I am a big fan of The Godfather trilogy (well…more the first two parts than part three) and I also enjoyed Goodfellas and The Departed. I accepted them for what they were. A tale of the perils of organized crime. Violence aplenty and all star casts. However, I can’t honestly say that I received what Francis Ford Coppola said that we should get from cinema.
We expect to gain something, some enlightenment, some knowledge, some inspiration.
The fact that gangsters break laws, kill each other, and are good at keeping it hidden is neither enlightening, nor inspirational. In fact, because the films are all very similar, I also didn’t gain any particular new knowledge. And that’s okay. When accepted for what they are, they were great films for the genre. What that didn’t make them was of particular more merit than the MCU films.
What I expect from MCU films
Part of the issue is I don’t go into MCU films to learn something new, or be necessarily inspired. I go to be entertained and for the most part, the MCU films fulfill their goal. Does that make them high brow cinema? Nope. but they are not trying to be. They are filling the audiences need for action and adventure with characters that many fans are familiar with. In that endeavor, they are succeeding. Box office totals alone make that abundantly clear. Whether or not it is everyone’s “cup of tea” is for the individual to decide. It is apparent that it is not Scorsese or Coppola’s idea of quality cinema. And that is certainly their opinion and their welcome to it.
I do have a hard time understanding how Coppola considers the MCU “despicable.” If he means that making a massive amount of money and satisfying millions of fans is despicable, then I suppose he’s right. But he would be hard pressed to find a consensus with his opinion. Make no mistake, the resumes of Scorsese and Coppola are impeccable and for the type of films they make, they are classics. Are they somehow of more value than the films of the MCU? Depends on who you ask…other than Scorsese and Coppola I mean.
Step Right Up
In the end, I’m pretty sure that Marvel or DC for that matter, are too worried if their brand of entertainment is considered “high brow” cinema. They are satisfied that audiences come to see them and their efforts pay for themselves multiple times over. If you were to ask probably any Director of a MCU film, they would extol the virtues of Scorsese and Coppola. However, I doubt they would change how they made their films or worry if some consider them as “theme park” films. All they would tell you is to Bring your tickets and “step right up ladies and gentlemen.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
