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Elizabeth Olsen: Criticizing Marvel Movies as a Lesser Type of Art Disrespects the Crew

Elizabeth Olsen is tired of filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola bashing Marvel movies. The actor, who is back in theaters as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” told The Independent that she gets frustrated when people make Marvel movies “seem like a lesser type of art.”

“I’m not saying we’re making indie art films, but I just think it takes away from our crew, which bugs me,” Olsen said. “These are some of the most amazing set designers, costume designers, camera operators — I feel diminishing them with that kind of criticism takes away from all the people who do award-winning films, that also work on these projects.”

“From an actor’s point of view, whatever, I get it; I totally understand that there’s a different kind of performance that’s happening. But I do think throwing Marvel under the bus takes away from the hundreds of very talented crew people,” Olsen added. “That’s where I get a little feisty about that.”

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Scorsese infamously compared Marvel movies to theme park rides while discussing how superhero movies have reshaped exhibition in a way that’s harmful to non-superhero movies. Coppola was quoted in 2019 with calling Marvel movies “despicable,” although he later clarified that he wasn’t talking about Marvel movies specifically, but referring to how the film industry now values commerce over art. However, Coppola shaded Marvel movies in a February interview with GQ magazine.

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“There used to be studio films,” Coppola said. “Now there are Marvel pictures. And what is a Marvel picture? A Marvel picture is one prototype movie that is made over and over and over and over and over again to look different.”

Nicolas Cage came to the defense of Marvel movies in the wake of his uncle, Francis, bashing them. “Yeah, why do they do that?” Cage asked GQ about filmmakers criticizing Marvel. “I don’t understand the conflict. I don’t agree with them on that perception or opinion.”

“I think that the movies that I make, like ‘Pig’ or ‘Joe,’ are not in any kind of conflict with Marvel movies,” Cage said. “I mean, I don’t think the Marvel movie had anything to do with the end of the tweener. By tweener, I mean the $30 to $50 million budget movie. I think movies are in good shape. If you look at ‘Power of the Dog,’ or if you look at ‘Spencer,’ or any of Megan Ellison’s movies. I think that there’s still Paul Thomas Anderson.”

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