STAR WARS Creator George Lucas Breaks Silence On Martin Scorsese Saying Marvel Movies Aren't "Cinema"

STAR WARS Creator George Lucas Breaks Silence On Martin Scorsese Saying Marvel Movies Aren't "Cinema"

Star Wars and Indiana Jones creator George Lucas has responded to Martin Scorsese's belief that Marvel movies aren't "cinema" while sharing his own take on the current state of Hollywood. Check it out!

By JoshWilding - May 25, 2024 03:05 AM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Studios

In 2019, filmmaker Martin Scorsese opened a can of worms when he decided to make the declaration that superhero movies are not "cinema." 

The past five years have seen countless writers, directors, and actors hit back at his comments, while plenty of others have rallied around Scorsese and agreed with his appraisal. Which camp does legendary Star Wars creator George Lucas fall into?

In a rare interview conducted at Cannes this week, Lucas was asked for his thoughts on Scorsese's scathing take on superhero fare (the topic turns to Marvel around the 8:00 mark in the video below).

"Look. Cinema is the art of a moving image," he responded. "So if the image moves, then it's cinema. I think Marty has kind of changed his mind a little bit." Lucas then shifted gears to talk about how he pioneered digital film and the fact many directors, Scorsese included, were initially adamant that he was doing the wrong thing.

While Lucas stopped short of sharing his thoughts on Marvel fare (saying "if the images movies, then it's cinema" may or may not be telling), he did offer a no-holds-barred assessment of Hollywood's current output elsewhere in this conversation.

"The stories they're telling are just old movies," he said. "'Let's do a sequel, let's do another version of this movie' There's no original thinking. The big studios, they don't have an imagination." 

However, those of you hoping Lucas, who also created Indiana Jones, will step behind the camera to right the ship will likely be disappointed. 

"No, I'm retired," he confirmed. "The last one I did as a producer was a thing called Strange Magic, which is an animated film. So I was doing movies that I wanted to do rather than...I was financing myself and had my own studio. I am building a museum in Los Angeles. It's keeping me very busy."

It's always fascinating to hear from Lucas and we'll be bringing you his thoughts on Disney's Star Wars movies soon. We'd be shocked if he doesn't appreciate Marvel movies from a technical standpoint (without Jar Jar Binks, there would be no Thanos) but whether he's a fan of the MCU remains up for debate.

Check out the full interview below.

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IAmAHoot
IAmAHoot - 5/25/2024, 4:04 AM
You're not chummy enough with the gentleman to just use "Martin" in the headline.
Snow43214
Snow43214 - 5/25/2024, 5:41 AM
@IAmAHoot - lmao, good old Marty
Tidaltree
Tidaltree - 5/25/2024, 5:47 AM
@IAmAHoot - Thought about George R.R. voicing his opinion ...
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 5/25/2024, 7:48 AM
@IAmAHoot - BOOM!

And there it is!

First rule of 2nd grade non-fiction compositional writing: you never refer to a person by their first name unless you are on a personalized basis with them
ReverseFlasher
ReverseFlasher - 5/25/2024, 10:39 AM
@IAmAHoot - Lucas finally giving his opinion on Martin Lawrences classic 90s tv series
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/25/2024, 4:14 AM
He's absolutely right imo. The prequels weren't the best, but he did push the boundaries of filmmaking. And that pushing boundaries of moving images is what real cinema is in my book.

I feel like Scorcese and co. are more pushing against conventions, while Lucas and Spielberg are expanding them. Neither works within conventions, but atleast one is broadening them. I don't care if it's a sequel or a remake, as long as it feels new.
TheMetaMan
TheMetaMan - 5/25/2024, 4:33 AM
@bkmeijer1 - Martin Scorsese and many other veteran filmmakers are living up to their old age. They are stuck in their ways it’s purely dogmatic. Lucas says it as it is with an unbiased POV. I love Scorsese’s work, I thought Killers of the flower moon was cinema but so is Across the spider-verse. Martin would beg to differ but that’s him going senile. Lacking the cognitive intelligence to process what is technically a moving image which is cinema just like Lucas described it.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/25/2024, 7:08 AM
@TheMetaMan - agreed. Being stuck in the past is standstill, and a standstill is moving backwards while the medium should always be moving forward.

And the Spider-Verse movies did exactly that. They really pushed animation into new territories, as we're seeing more animated movies with unique styles. That's cinema imo.
LSHF
LSHF - 5/25/2024, 9:48 AM
@bkmeijer1 - "He's absolutely right imo...as long as it feels new."

Very well stated!
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 5/25/2024, 9:54 AM
@LSHF - thanks. Pretty much goes for every adaptation, remake, sequel, etc imo. It has to add something to justify it's existence. Otherwise might as well just pick up the source material.
Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 5/25/2024, 4:28 AM
What a trash take, lel.
Mrtoke
Mrtoke - 5/25/2024, 4:28 AM
I feel like he's tired of getting told, "May the force be with you."

Lmao I'd be tired too if I was told that for over 45 years
YouFlopped
YouFlopped - 5/25/2024, 4:28 AM
Good job big G! They didn’t appreciate you while you were working, shit on the prequels (that all of a sudden people like now 😂), and abandoned your creativity for the sake of diversion.

Enjoy them Bs. Pushin P like Marvel 💪🏾
marvel72
marvel72 - 5/25/2024, 7:21 AM
@YouFlopped - The prequels got better with each movie, shits on the modern trilogy from Disney.
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 5/25/2024, 7:52 AM
@marvel72 - X1000
Toonstrack
Toonstrack - 5/26/2024, 12:58 PM
@marvel72 - lol no. The new movies are way better than the prequels.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 5/25/2024, 4:40 AM
"𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤. 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞," 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝. "𝐒𝐨 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐚

User Comment Image

However, while i do agree with him to an extent about big studios lacking imagination and just telling versions of old stories , isn’t that what he did aswell?.

I mean Lucas took inspiration from a myriad of things such as Dune , LOTR & The Hobbit , Japanese samurai cinema , westerns and the movie serials such as Flash Gordon he grew up with…

He just happened to present these hodgepodge of influences in a fresh & new manner which is the key imo.

I subscribe to the idea that all the stories have been told but what matters is how you tell them and that could be through pushing genre conventions or technology like Lucas did.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 5/25/2024, 5:31 AM
What people need to realize about Marty it wasn't so much the vocal reactions and popcorn trash in blockbuster movies that make them feel like "theme parks" that he was annoyed by.

What annoyed Marty above all else is that the MCU's (and other major franchises') long-form story telling enabled peasants (in his eyes) on YouTube and the rest of the internet to educate themselves and their viewers / readers on filmmaking concepts like three act structure, character development, cathartic climax, etc, thus preventing him from quite literally gatekeeping cinemas in more ways than one.

That, and the fact that he was forced to push his then latest needlessly long pro-gangster puff piece onto streaming instead of his precious golden halls.

Timing doesn't lie, Mr Scorcese.
IronSpider101
IronSpider101 - 5/25/2024, 6:14 AM
@DrReedRichards - Deranged take.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 5/25/2024, 6:16 AM
@IronSpider101 -

Thank you, unironically. I'd actually be worried if you agreed with me.
IronSpider101
IronSpider101 - 5/25/2024, 6:20 AM
@DrReedRichards - The feeling is mutual, I assure you.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 5/25/2024, 6:26 AM
@IronSpider101 -

Music to my ears.

See you on your next "MCU movies are not real movies" trolling attempt.

User Comment Image
IronSpider101
IronSpider101 - 5/25/2024, 6:30 AM
@DrReedRichards - I'm sure you really felt like you were making a point. Here, have an upvote on your comment for being a good boy (and because I love reading my own writing).
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 5/25/2024, 6:34 AM
@IronSpider101 -

Funny how you fail to realize how self-indulgent it is to unabashedly state "I love reading my own writing".

No, wait-- the other thing: Predictable.

But I suppose that's the case with spiteful contrarians who envy mainstream success and appeal in general.
IronSpider101
IronSpider101 - 5/25/2024, 6:46 AM
@DrReedRichards - Oh I don't fail to realize how arrogant I sound (I'm pretty sure that's what you meant). That is entirely my intention. Good job on notching! Have another updoot.
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