- At the junket for his new war movie "Midway," director Roland Emmerich — the man behind "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow" — told Insider that Marvel movies send him to sleep.
- "When I see Marvel movies, my eyes glaze over," he said in the interview in London, adding: "I watch them on the plane so I can fall asleep."
- Emmerich is among a growing number of established directors who have trashed the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Martin Scorsese first said that the movies weren't cinema, and Francis Ford Coppola even called them "despicable."
- "Midway" stars Patrick Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and Nick Jonas, and is out in theaters November 8.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Add Roland Emmerich to the list of well-established directors who have expressed their dislike of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The "Independence Day" director — whose new war movie "Midway" starring Woody Harrelson and Nick Jonas is out November 8 — told Insider that he watches Marvel movies when he needs some help nodding off.
"When I see Marvel movies, my eyes glaze over," he said at a London junket for "Midway."
"I watch them on the plane so I can fall asleep."
Emmerich added his voice to those of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, who have both recently criticized the Marvel franchise.
In an interview with Empire magazine (via ScreenRant), Scorsese said that Marvel movies weren't cinema, and compared them to theme parks.
Coppola went even further, telling journalists in Lyon after being awarded the Prix Lumiere for his contribution to cinema that: "Martin was kind when he said it's not cinema. He didn't say it's despicable, which I just say it is."
Emmerich stipulated that he thought the two legends of cinema did go a bit far with their criticisms, telling Insider: "I would say it's a little bit harsh but I'm not a fan of these movies either because they feel very formulaic."
He said: "I think what's a little bit disconcerting for me is how the stories are told. Because you have to have a knowledge of the characters, they don't even bother to tell you, 'Oh this is this character and he has these kinds of superpowers.
"... What's really happening is the storytelling is going down the drain a little bit."
Emmerich added that he preferred the origin stories over the multi-hero "Avengers" blockbusters because there is more storytelling involved.
Many people in the industry have come to the MCU's defense since it was trashed by Scorsese and Coppola.
"Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn wrote a heartfelt Instagram post where he compared the dominance of superhero movies at the box office today to that of gangster movies when Scorsese and Coppola were in their prime.
"Some superhero films are awful, some are beautiful. Like westerns and gangster movies (and before that, just MOVIES), not everyone will be able to appreciate them, even some geniuses. And that's okay," he wrote.
Meanwhile, "Thor: Ragnarok" director Taika Waititi told AP Entertainment: "Of course it's cinema! It's at the movies."
Samuel L. Jackson was among the actors who have defended the movies, telling Variety: "I mean that's like saying Bugs Bunny ain't funny. Films are films. Everybody doesn't like [Scorsese's] stuff either.
"Everybody's got an opinion, so I mean it's okay.
"Ain't going to stop nobody from making movies."
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