Mark Kermode has carved a reputation as a well-known critic.
So it will come as a surprise to fans of his lofty movie takedowns he has thrown his backing behind an increasingly controversial subject among cinemagoers – Marvel’s unending glut of blockbusters.
The British critic, 60, backed the superhero film factory by targeting the likes of Martin Scorsese, who has branded the studio’s output “not cinema”.
He told Metro: “Some Marvel movies are great. Some Marvel movies are not great. It bothers me when filmmakers who should know better decide to announce the problem with cinema is ‘fairground ride’ movies.
“No, it isn’t. You don’t have to go and see superhero films. You could go and see films like (Celine Song’s 2023 awards darling) Past Lives.”
Kermode was clearly referring to the comments made by Killers of the Flower Moon director Scorsese, 81, who, in 2019, made headlines after declaring Marvel films were “not cinema”.
The director told Empire magazine he had tried watching superhero flicks, but decided they’re not for him.
He said: “I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema. Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks.
“It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”
At the time, Scorsese’s comments ruffled feathers, with many associated with Marvel projects – including Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi and late Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman – expressing their disagreement.
Martin Scorsese compared superhero films to ‘theme park rides’ in 2019— (AFP via Getty Images)
Scorsese isn’t the only one unimpressed with Marvel films – the studio’s latest adventure, The Marvels, ended its theatrical run as the lowest-grossing Marvel Cinematic Universe release to date.
It made $202.5m (£162m) globally – almost one billion less than the $1.131bn (£892.6m) amassed by its predecessor Captain Marvel in 2019.
Also in Metro, Kermode, who has gone viral for his takedowns of films including Sex and the City 2, Moonfall and the “mind-bendingly terrible” Michael Flatley thriller Blackbird, admitted he is no stranger to criticism himself – admitting he has been branded “creepy”.
He told the outlet he “knows what it’s like to be on the end of a bad review”, stating: “When I did The Fear of God, The Exorcist documentary, back in 1998, there was a review that said, ‘The scariest thing about the documentary is that creepy guy presenting it.’“You just roll with it.”
Despite millions tuning in for his weekly podcast, Kermode also wondered why people care about what he says, including actor Jared Leto.
Kermode said the likes of Scorsese should ‘know better’ after the director’s Marvel criticism— (YouTube)
When asked if he was “avoiding” the 51-year-old after previously panning his acting in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci. he replied: “Why would Jared Leto know who I am?”
The critic also surprised by revealing he wasn’t a Christmas Grinch, insistuing: “Yes, I’m weirdly in favour of Christmas. People have the impression that I’m a grump – I’m not. I’m an upbeat kind of guy.”
Kermode added he gets weepy when he hears Judy Garland sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in the 1944 film Meet Me in St Louis – admitting: “It’s beautiful and poignant. It’s a song that says times are troubled now but things will be better in the future. It breaks my heart every time.”
