The whole
thing really began with my being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed
Thor (2011). Having the second film close to hand, it seemed really silly not
to just go ahead and watch it. I have been taking a few days off recently. A
weekend away with my friends, a few “mental health” days here and there… It’s tough work working in events in the
Christmas season. Sleep is not as much a part of my schedule as I would like,
nor is “down time”. In situations like these, as the film so eloquently puts it
“people need a bit of old fashioned”. Oh and well… Christmas is coming. It’s
the season for a little old fashioned. I mean, ok, I do realise that The
Avengers is not necessarily the first thing that occurs to one when you say “Christmas
Movie” but I think there’s an argument to be made there. The film is, after
all, all about everyone coming together for a common good, putting differences
aside, learning from each other and concentrating on doing good in the world.
Not sure you know what I mean? You may have a point, I am getting ahead of
myself slightly. Let’s take this step by step…
At the end
of Thor, we see Loki cast into an abyss, vanquished… This, it seems, was merely
a hiccup in Loki’s attempts to climb to the top. Not only has he been rescued,
he has been given an army. The destination? Earth. Loki is determined to
conquer the planet and claim it as his own – he will have the kingdom Asgard
denied him. And the attack is so ferocious and the power he has gathered so
great that it will take every single super hero the Earth can muster, ranging
from the incredible Hulk to Captain America to conquer him… But even with Thor,
Loki’s own brother, joining the fight, what are the odds of a handful of heroes
against an entire army that is truly “out of this world”?
The answer
to that question lies, of course, in the word “heroes”. The Avengers is
everything a superhero movie should be – and then some. The only thing that was
missing from the conventional mix was a “love interest” story which I found
rather refreshing to be honest. Forcibly inserting a rather “out of the blue”
love affair usually seems a little unnecessary to me. I mean ok, there is the “attraction” between
Natasha Romanoff and Hawkeye but there is a lot of military style “loyalty”
mixed into that. I mean, yes, there is the hint that there may be something
more to their relationship, but her will to save him is based largely on her
wish to redeem her past sins. Oh and there is of course Pepper Potts and Iron
Man (I think he is my favourite Avenger by the way. I find him the most “human”
of the lot. I know they all have their token faults but Iron Man has actually personality
issues and borders on the dysfunctional. Plus Robert Downey Jr.’s rendition of
him is HILARIOUS. ). One might argue
that all of this makes to film rely a little too much on explosions, special
effects and “boys toys” as it were. But honestly… Who watches The Avengers for
the philosophical messages and character development?
Another
thing I noticed is that the place of humour in the movie has been notched up
quite a bit. It is mainly Loki’s domain – but this is of course Character
creation 101: a believable villain has to have at least one quality that we
deem positive. Between him and Iron Man, the film provides quite a few genuine
giggles - always a plus in my book.
One last
thing I noticed in the film is the several references to God and religion. One
is when Captain America says in reference to Thor and Loki “There is only one
God and I am sure he doesn’t dress like that”. The second more open reference
comes towards the end when we see the clips of the aftermath of the war when a
man says “it feels nice to have someone watching over us”. The Avengers are clearly not a Parthenon of
gods, but guardian angels? Possibly… It all links in to the “bit of old
fashioned” the film points out we all need some times. I don’t necessarily mean
the film is promoting religion in any way shape or form. I think the message is
that of return to what we perceive as “old fashioned values” in the face of
chaos and negativity. Things represented largely in the film by Captain America
: loyalty, obedience in a soldier, self-sacrifice… He is, in fact, a stark
contrast to Iron Man who is the flippant and egocentric millionaire at the
beginning of the film. At the end he has learnt the value of teamwork and is
even prepared to take quite a significant “one for the tem”… Heck, even the
Hulk learns to use his.. “considerable anger management issues” to the greater
good.
It is interesting
that this model of film was so popular in the time of the Second World war –
Captain America’s epoc : A disparate, unlikely crew rub each other the wrong
way at first, but learn to pull together to fight a common evil… I am not
really surprised that the theme has re-emerged in these days of economic
uncertainty…
Of course I
may be overthinking the whole thing – and I do strongly encourage you to not
think about it too much and get stuck in the movie and have a good time… But I
guess I’m saying there is interesting stuff to think about in there if you are
inclined to a bit of post-watching analysis…
Kayıtlar
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder