Lupita Nyong'o Waxes Philosophical On The Artistic Merit Of Marvel Movies
It's no breaking news that Marvel Studios pretty much has complete dominance over the movie industry (per Box Office Mojo). Dating back to 2008's "Iron Man," the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown to include dozens of films, eight Disney+ shows, and one special presentation with the release of "Werewolf By Night." Next month's "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" release will mark the MCU's 30th feature film. The MCU also has its fair share of award-winning actors, with what seems like more and more joining every day. Most recently, the addition of Harrison Ford opened up the shared cinematic universe to a whole new generation of audiences.
However, with massive success comes endless criticism. Just because the MCU has made over 26 billion dollars at the box office doesn't mean everyone's a fan. Marvel's most notable critic has to be legendary director Martin Scorsese. He made headlines last year after Empire published an interview where the director related the blockbuster franchise to theme parks, saying he tried to watch them, but they aren't cinema. Scorsese's comments opened up a new discussion around the MCU, with many other iconic directors criticizing them, including Ridley Scott and Francis Ford Coppola.
"Black Panther" star and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o recently had a very creative response in defense of Marvel movies.
Nyong'o thinks everyone should be able to enjoy what they love
Promotion for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" is well underway, given there's less than a month until the film's release. Lupita Nyong'o plays Nakia, a Wakandan spy who is also T'Challa's former lover. Judging by the trailer, "Wakanda Forever" will be the most emotional Marvel movie to date as it deals with the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman.
Nyong'o channeled that emotion during her interview with The Hollywood Reporter, who asked her to comment on the recent debate about whether Marvel movies were diluting the film industry. Nyong'o had a unique answer, saying, "It becomes a philosophical question about what is art and what is its purpose. I believe that art plays a role in moving the people that experience it, and a lot of people are moved by Marvel. Is you being moved by this thing less important than me being moved by Picasso? I think to be culturally prosperous, to be artistically prosperous as a people, is to have options."
She continued her response by relating movie options at the theater to the choices found in grocery stores. Nyong'o moved from Kenya to the U.S. for college and recalled seeing how drastically U.S. grocery stores differed from Kenya's. Where Kenyan stores only offered brown or white sugar, U.S. stores had entire aisles dedicated to different options. Nyong'o said those choices show prosperity, and it's healthy for the film industry to have similar options. "So I personally love a good Marvel movie, but it doesn't take me away from really wanting the little character-driven film," she said. "I believe in the fight for those things to be kept alive because the one thing we always want, the ultimate privilege, is choice."