Parasite Director Bong Joon-ho Praises Marvel Movies as Having Great Cinematic Moments

Bong Joon-ho is an acclaimed filmmaker in his own right, even more so after his latest Parasite won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Still celebrating the acclaimed film, Bong has joined the Marvel and cinema debate with comments of his own. In a recent profile by Variety, Bong says he sees where the likes of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola are coming from with their anti-Marvel comments, though he doesn’t necessarily agree.

“I have so much respect for Scorsese and Coppola, and I grew up studying their films,” Bong says. “So I fully understand the context of their comments and I respect their opinion. But on the other hand, if I look at the films individually, I enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy, James Mangold’s Logan and Winter Soldier by the Russo Brothers. There are great cinematic moments in those films.”

Despite enjoying a few of the most-acclaimed Marvel movies, Bong doesn’t see himself directing a superhero flick any time soon, for any very particular reason. ” I have a personal problem. I respect the creativity that goes into superhero films, but in real life and in movies, I can’t stand people wearing tight-fitting clothes,” Bong admits.

The director adds, “I’ll never wear something like that, and just seeing someone in tight clothes is mentally difficult. I don’t know where to look, and I feel suffocated. Most superheroes wear tight suits, so I can never direct one. I don’t think anyone will offer the project to me either. If there is a superhero who has a very boxy costume, maybe I can try.”

The controversy — or discussion, at least — is rooted in an Empire interview Scorsese gave last month. At the time, the Oscar-winning director admitted despite never seeing a Marvel movie, he doesn’t think the films are legitimate pieces of cinema.

“I don’t see them. I tried, you know? But that’s not cinema,” Scorsese said. “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. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

Upcoming properties from Marvel Studios include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision in Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.

Have you seen Parasite yet? If so, let us know what you thought of the film in the comments below!

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for HFA