As you’ve probably heard, there’s a bit of a kerfluffle between the old guard of filmmaking and those who are in the business to produce comic book movies. With Martin Scorsese allegedly writing them off as “theme park attractions” and Francis Ford Coppola decrying the genre as “despicable,” it seems like these two titans of theatrical releases have turned their guns on the likes of Marvel and DC.
However, there’s some more depth to this story, as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse co-director Peter Ramsey dropped into Twitter to share that not only did Coppola enjoy that particular comic film, he had the following praise to offer:
Admittedly, the supposed war between Scorsese and Coppola versus the comic book movie world seems to be a bit misinterpreted. This especially seems to be true when you see more pieces to the puzzle, such as these remarks come into focus.
Here now is piece of information from Peter Ramsey’s Twitter that has brought Francis Ford Coppola’s thoughts on comic films into a better perspective. As a film that takes such an artistic and thematically different approach to comic book action as Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse did, you could imagine that two of the “Film Brats” of the 1970s would be able to appreciate the artistry that’s on display in the Academy Award winning journey of Miles Morales and the Spider-Fam.
Quite frankly, this kind of lumps The Godfather director’s school of thought into a similar lane as Martin Scorsese’s remarks, as his thoughts have been refocused in a more recent interview. Scorsese reframed his comments in the mindset that comic book movies are different from the cinematic experience you’d take from a film like The Irishman. So rather than saying something like Avengers: Endgame isn’t a cinematic experience that doesn’t belong in the theaters, he’s really saying that both of those examples are totally different experiences.
Though Scorsese did also say that comic book movies are invading the film marketplace, but even in that respect, he does have a point that could be discussed. Ultimately, it feels like the legendary directors have some bold thoughts on the marketshare being split between the fantastical and the more grounded.
But at least in Francis Ford Coppola’s corner, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is a comic book movie that he can get behind. So if you’re going to approach any of the legendary film directors mentioned above, or any other directors you happen to meet in your daily travels, make sure to leave some room for explanation as to whether or not outliers such as this animated masterpiece count as “theme park films.”
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is currently available on Netflix, which is where you’ll most likely catch The Irishman after its November 27 streaming debut.
