Martin Scorsese caused something of an uproar in 2019 when he said Marvel movies are “not cinema,” and now Tom Holland has given his take on the matter.
The Spider-Man: No Way Home star, in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, spoke about the chances of major Oscar nods for the film and dismissed the idea that the superhero genre is incapable of grabbing such nominations. His comments come as the team behind the film, which has grossed over $770 million worldwide so far, plan to push the No Way Home as a contender in the Best Picture race.
“You can ask [Martin] Scorsese ‘Would you want to make a Marvel movie?’ But he doesn’t know what it’s like because he’s never made one,” said Holland. “I’ve made Marvel movies and I’ve also made movies that have been in the conversation in the world of the Oscars, and the only difference, really, is one is much more expensive than the other. But the way I break down the character, the way the director etches out the arc of the story and characters—it’s all the same, just done on a different scale. So I do think they’re real art.”
The 25-year-old actor went on to compare smaller budget films with tentpole crowd pleasers, and said that most actors approach superhero films the same way they do any other project.
“When you’re making these films, you know that good or bad, millions of people will see them, whereas when you’re making a small indie film, if it’s not very good no one will watch it, so it comes with different levels of pressure,” he said, later name dropping some of his cast mates. “I mean, you can also ask Benedict Cumberbatch or Robert Downey Jr. or Scarlett Johansson—people who have made the kinds of movies that are ‘Oscar-worthy’ and also made superhero movies—and they will tell you that they’re the same, just on a different scale. And there’s less Spandex in ‘Oscar movies.’”
Regardless of what Martin Scorsese thinks of Marvel movies, which he referred to as theme park rides while also admitting they’re “well made,” Spider-Man: No Way Home has proved to be a massive hit with audiences. As for Oscar chances, that remains to be seen.
There is some relatively heavy competition for the Best Picture category at the Oscars this year, but Black Panther did get a nomination in the past. Contenders for the biggest category include Belfast, C’Mon C’Mon with Best Actor winner Joaquin Phoenix, Licorice Pizza, The Power of the Dog, West Side Story, Dune, and Tick Tick … Boom! among others. Drive My Car, Japan’s entry for Best International Feature Film, is also a favorite among critics.
