Martin Scorsese says we need to ‘save cinema’ from superhero films and constant sequels

Martin Scorsese is again hitting out at superhero films and Hollywood's obsession with making film franchises or sequels.

There's no denying that the film and TV industry has been saturated with the above for more than a decade.

While audiences have been going wild over the likes of Iron Man defeating Thanos in Avengers: Endgame or Dom Toretto do another ridiculous car stunt in Fast X, it seems like not everyone is happy about where cinema is going.

Scorsese has been responsible for some of the most iconic films of all time and he's sounded an alarm about the future.

In an interview with GQ, the legendary director said: “The danger there is what it’s doing to our culture.

Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty Images

"Because there are going to be generations now that think movies are only those—that’s what movies are.”

When the interviewer said people already think Hollywood is hyper focused on superheroes and franchises, he said there needs to be a counter movement.

He added: "We have to then fight back stronger. And it’s got to come from the grassroots level. It’s gotta come from the filmmakers themselves.

"And you’ll have, you know, the Safdie brothers, and you’ll have Chris Nolan, you know what I mean?

"And hit ’em from all sides. Hit ’em from all sides, and don’t give up. Let’s see what you got. Go out there and do it. Go reinvent.

"Don’t complain about it. But it’s true, because we’ve got to save cinema.”

It's understandable mentioning Nolan considering the success of his latest film Oppenheimer and his other amazing films like Memento, Tenet and Inception.

Getty/Roberto Serra - Iguana Press

However, it's odd considering Nolan was responsible for The Dark Knight trilogy, which is one of the most successful and beloved superhero franchises.

When the Barbie movie and Oppenheimer were released, critics said it was refreshing to see two original films do so well in a sea of reboots, live-action remakes, and sequels.

However, it wasn't long before Mattel, who owns the rights to the iconic doll, revealed it wanted to create a cinematic universe of its other products.

Yep, we're really getting movies about Hot Wheels, UNO, the Magic 8 Ball and others.

Disney will also likely continue to milk the cash cow that is the live-action remakes until they've gone through all their titles.

You can also expect Marvel and DC to churn out a few titles every year based on their comic book empire.

You can just imagine Scorsese cringing at the thought.

Topics: Martin Scorsese, Film and TV

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie