Francis Ford Coppola Jumps on Bash Marvel Bandwagon, Calls MCU 'Despicable'

“Martin [Scorsese] was kind when he said it’s not cinema,” the “Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” director says. “He didn’t say it’s despicable.”

The bashing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe appears to not be over just yet, as Francis Ford Coppola has thrown his hat in the ring, coming out firmly against the tentpole superhero films.

In fact, the "Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" director went so far as to say that Martin Scorsese — who started this whole thing — was being "kind" when he described Marvel films as "not cinema," according to Yahoo!

"When Martin Scorsese says that the Marvel pictures are not cinema, he’s right because we expect to learn something from cinema, we expect to gain something, some enlightenment, some knowledge, some inspiration," Coppola said while speaking to journalists after collecting the Prix Lumiere in France for his contributions to cinema; an award Scorsese has previously won.

"Martin was kind when he said it’s not cinema," Coppola continued. "He didn’t say it’s despicable, which I just say it is."

He went on to say, "I don’t know that anyone gets anything out of seeing the same movie over and over again," so there’s nothing really for moviegoers to get out of the experience of watching them.

Moviegoers, obviously, have disagreed in massive numbers. Across 23 films in just the "Infinity Saga" storyline, the collective MCU has grossed more than $8.5 billion domestically and more than $22.5 billion worldwide.

And it shows no signs of slowing down as all three MCU releases in 2019 ("Captain Marvel," "Avengers: Endgame" and "Spider-Man: Far from Home") have joined the billion-dollar club, following hot on the heels of "Black Panther: and "Avengers: Infinity War" in 2018. In other words, as the MCU heads into Phase Four, it’s only picking up steam.

Scorsese made the comment which kicked off this back-and-forth over the Marvel films earlier this month in an interview for Empire. "I don’t see them. I tried, you know?" he said. "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," he continued. "It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being."

Scorsese’s comments drew the ire of several individuals involved with the MCU, including directors James Gunn and Joss Whedon, and actors Samuel L. Jackson and Karen Gillan, among others. And as expected, Coppola’s doubling down is only drawing more reactions from industry professionals and fans alike.

Surprisingly, many are deferential to the two legendary directors, while still disagreeing with their sentiments. Imagine that! Check out some of the early reactions below:

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