Why So Serious?  Challenging A Modern View On How Only Critically Acclaimed Films Are Considered Cinema

In this piece, I will be exploring the importance of mainstream film series that do not make it into festivals and barely receive any praise from professionals and film critics due to its entertaining nature. I will be supporting my argument using the personal opinions of the average viewer and real people I know, some statistics I have found online as well as the interviews of well-known people (such as Martin Scorsese and his view on Marvel). The main purpose of that is to make people realise that films which are made for the sake of fun only can be just as remarkable as more serious stuff.

In the world of cinephiles and people who share the same passion for arguably the most complicated and yet most touching form of art, it is believed to be true that only a specific type of film has the right to be considered ‘worthy’ or ‘notable’, especially when it comes to exploring it in the sense of its artistic significance. When there occurs the debate on whether some movie is ‘good enough’ in the eyes of professional society, people, especially critics, tend to forget that 99% of viewers who go to the cinema or use streaming platforms are the average audience who have no particular knowledge on how it is ‘supposed’ to be. Unlike those who have been studying Film in college and know all nuances or those who have been a part of the industry for a long time, an ordinary viewer watches it mostly for the sake of an enjoyable plot. Obviously, the more entertaining the narrative is, the more chance it will get a decent box office and a bigger number of views.

In his infamous interview for Empire Magazine (link) that later became a well-known meme among Internet users, the celebrated movie director and maestro Martin Scorsese claims that Marvel movies are not cinema. Later on, in another interview, now for The New York Times, (link) Scorsese elaborates on his perspective and says: “Many of the elements that define cinema as I know it are there in Marvel pictures. What’s not there is revelation, mystery or genuine emotional danger. Nothing is at risk”. He also highlights that “The situation, sadly, is that we now have two separate fields: There’s worldwide audiovisual entertainment, and there’s cinema.” To put it simply, Scorsese believes that a mainstream franchise such as Marvel is way too repetitive and lacks emotional intelligence as a result. Having analysed this perspective fully, I concluded that I do not agree with the statement. If we go to the official website of one of the most trustworthy movie databases and have a look at the highest-grossing films worldwide starting from 2018, we can see that each year (excluding 2020 – it seems like due to the Pandemic big studios would not film much) at least one movie that is a part of a big franchise is in top five, including Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Spider-Man: No Way Home, No time to Die, Fast and Furious 9, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Safe to say, that when it comes to good marketing and knowledge of people’s needs, production teams of huge movie series know their stuff, attracting more views as the years go by. Even though in Scorsese’s opinion all the films of the same universe are repetitive, it does not seem to scare away the devoted fans. And yes, the money still comes. Some might call it lazy; I call it smart. But enough of boring statistical stuff – let me start my next paragraph with a little personal story of mine I keep close to my heart because it changed the view I look at the world of Film forever.

When I was a little kid, I had no idea who I wanted to be when I grew up. I had a list of options I would consider and yet I kept changing my mind. Time passes, and here comes New Year’s 2007 - it is past midnight and I sit alone in the dining room switching between channels. Boring! But then…boom! I put away the remote and observe carefully – there is something exciting happening on screen. I see sea monsters, a girl, and a guy (‘they are in love, obviously’ – thought little me), ships and marines and…pirates? The title comes up and I see how it is called: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. It was shocking to me how amazing it looked. I also could not comprehend how much technology was used but what is more important, it made me want to do something with this information and image I just absorbed from the screen as soon as possible. First, I decided I wanted to run away from home, join a pirate crew and sail amongst other sea rebels. Failing to do that, I started occupying myself with more realistic stuff such as writing stories about adventures on the sea, then after spending days searching for the cast crew and production crew of the movie I started developing a hobby I called ‘I know everything about Hollywood because I read news about it daily’, as well as building ships using chairs and blankets. Then I introduced myself to Hans Zimmer who was a lead composer of the film series, then I realised how exciting it must be to be a part of storytelling which years later led me to move to the UK to pursue my dream of working in Film. Since then, I rewatch Pirates of the Caribbean every year because it brings me extreme joy and a sense of freedom and a feeling that everything is going to be okay. Even after my unsuccessful attempt to become a pirate seventeen years ago, I feel like I am a part of the crew when watching it. And despite my deepest devotion to serious films as an adult, those films remain sacred for me and are a source of inspiration and happiness. Is it not what cinema is supposed to do anyway – make us feel things?

I asked my friend Benjamin who is also a filmmaker if he thinks that mainstream movies for the masses are not real cinema and here is what he says:

“I don’t see a difference. All cinema is entertainment. Some excite the mind, some the heart. Some entertain by distracting you from reality, some by making you focus on it more. Not all art is serious-minded, not all art is worth your time, but all films are art” – concludes Benjamin. Even as a part of the industry and someone who has seen a lot of films of various styles and genres, he refuses to label specific types of cinema as something better than the rest. Some other people I talk to agree and share the same opinion.

“I think Film has always had a main goal to entertain,” says Tia, a friend of mine who writes about culture and sometimes spends her time watching both popular and indie work. She believes that “movies like these (big franchises) serve to a wider audience and therefore are just as important for the industry”. She was also asked to describe the role she thinks mainstream movies and critically acclaimed movies serve. “I love both deeper films and movies that are made purely for entertainment but they both serve different purposes for me” – says Tia. “I find critically acclaimed films provide a talking point with others and you can spend hours discussing the deeper meaning. With movies made purely for entertainment, there’s less pressure on the creation of it, you’re watching it to laugh or cry or just feel something without having to have much prior knowledge. They are based on common themes that already exist in movies so it’s comfortable, relatable and recognisable for many people”. As we can see, for some people emotional component and how we relate to what we see on screen is just as important as its artistic factor.

Another friend of mine, Daria, who works as a lawyer and needs some time to rest her mind after a long day of work enjoys watching fun movies with an enjoyable narrative. “I like that when watching stuff like that, I do not have to think heavy thoughts and it gives me the opportunity to rest. Nowadays, when there are so many bad things happening, when you feel stressed or panicked, you just want to relax and these movies are just what you need”. She also highlights the fact that to observe something deep, one needs to be prepared. “When I am about to see a philosophical movie, I should be in a particular mood. One time I was advised to check out Aftersun – did not enjoy it one bit. Because I was expecting something completely different when starting it, I ended up being a bit disappointed. I was not ready.” I asked her if the entertainment she seeks in films serves the main purpose for her. “I mean, both mainstream and indies are good and important. I guess it’s just a matter of taste - you aren’t wrong for liking either”.

Looking at three of these perspectives, we can say that it all depends on whether you want to do more – to think or to feel. And when most respected critics out there choose the first, there are people who need the second. The beauty of cinema is to able to connect with the viewers whether they watch it for its deep message, stunning visuals or pure fun. There is no right or wrong in the world of Film, but there is always a subjective perspective of everyone who becomes a part of it.