Samuel L. Jackson Has The Best Reaction To Criticism Of Marvel Movies
Samuel L. Jackson weighed in about Marvel movies and the Academy Awards. He had the best answer which also included a thought on his career
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When it comes to movies, and their overall pull on the world, I think Samuel L. Jackson just gets it. This is a guy who’s about as critically acclaimed as they come but has also had a long and successful career in one of the biggest popcorn movie franchises ever. So if there was something of an “authority” on what it means to be entertained and what the purpose of movies really is, well I think we can at least respect the dude’s opinion. And he’s definitely got an opinion here.
That’s especially true when it comes to Marvel movies and how they stack up against other films out there, even the prestigious award winners. Recently, Samuel L. Jackson cut loose and dished on Marvel, Spider-Man: No Way Home as well as how he sees his movie career in a macro sense.
While speaking with the Sunday Times (via People) Samuel L. Jackson discussed the Academy Awards, and in some part, how a movie like Spider-Man: No Way Home wasn’t up for an Oscar. Some would have thought that considering the overwhelmingly positive critical reception, and the all-time blockbuster status at the box office, if there was a Marvel movie that was going to fit the Academy’s bill, this would have been it. But alas, it wasn’t there when nominations came out. This, in part, sparked up a conversation by Jackson who said there should be a new Academy Award to recognize movies of this ilk. Check out what Samuel L. Jackson had to say on the subject:
“They should have an Oscar for the most popular movie. Because that’s what the business is about. They should! It did what movies did forever — it got people to a big dark room…All movies are valid. Some go to the cinema to be moved dearly. Some like superheroes. If somebody has more butts on seats it just means your audience is not as broad. There are people who have had successful careers but nobody can recite one line of their parts. I’m the guy who says shit that’s on a T-shirt.”
God, put this in the Smithsonian. Samuel L. Jackson just gets it. Sure, there are certain directors who have taken potshots at the Marvel Universe over the years, clearly not in love with the model or the big screen dominance. And those detractors include names like Martin Scorcese, Ridley Scott, and Francis Ford Coppola, so it’s not like it’s just Indie directors out there who’ve become disenfranchised by the comic book model. But Samuel L. Jackson is speaking to the exact reason people like to go to the theaters. They want to be entertained. And Marvel movies are nothing if not entertaining. In some ways, they are the exact reason the big screen was made: to see things that are larger than life and out of this world. Kudos to them for finding such a broad and family-friendly audience as well.
Look, everyone enters the movie industry with different goals and visions. Not everyone is going to enjoy Marvel movies or comic book movies in general. But that’s almost beside the point. There clearly is an audience for these films. And some have been excellent. Spider-Man: No Way Home may be the best of the bunch. Culminating in a heartwarming and human story about Tom Holland’s Peter Parker while ALSO wrapping in two previous iterations of the character was nothing short of a triumph. Samuel L. Jackson is definitely correct in suggesting a new award to celebrate these kinds of movies. Is he part of the franchise as well? Sure, but he’s not wrong.
Next up for Samuel L. Jackson are some very different projects. Of course, he’ll be reprising Nick Fury in the Secret Invasion series as well as The Marvels next year. But he also has Apple TV+’s The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray which could have him in the Emmy Award discussion before it’s all said and done as well.
