I purposefully did not read reviews of this movie. Knowing the franchise and its purpose and quirks, I was satisfied to let the film serve what I had come to expect, plenty of action and a side of morality. However, Joss Whedon served me more. Much more, and I should have expected it (Firefly, Serenity, anyone?). For more on the film here is a great review at Christianity Today*.
Spoiler Alert You've been warned
At this point, I'll only add two thoughts to the review. Whedon, scriptwriter and director, deftly portrays the role that fear plays in paralyzing and enslaving us . He subtly crafts how the power of individual and collective fears grows by feeding on the denial of and the effort to outrun and outgun those fears. Each character has abilities and skills that set them apart for unique service; family, intelligence, wealth, power, time, speed, patriotism, morality, physical strength, agility, birthright. However each has their own fears for themselves and society that will drive them foolishly and recklessly, unless, like their abilities, which can be used for good or evil, they choose to address and direct wisely. Whedon incarnates the result of allowing fears free reign in both the creating and creation of Ultron. In the biblical parlance, the characters use their skills and abilities to create idols in order to control chaos, to control their fear and what they fear. We see in this movie how such a response does not alleviate the fears but instead causes those fears to take over their lives and take on bodies of sort. Fear becomes incarnate. And the life that is created in and from fear that seeks to control will eventually dominate life. However, because this is Whedon's universe he doesn't leave us without alternatives.
Just like the taste of what is to come embedded in the credits of each movie, Whedon embeds within this movie better motives to direct the abilities, fears, and lives of our super-heroes. We see this most clearly not in Vision but Hawkeye. A quiet character who is often on the periphery of these movies, whose ability to see clearly and accurately saves the lives of his fellow Avengers. We know little about him except what has been revealed in previous movies. In The Avengers, Hawkeye is under the mind control of Loki and says to Black Widow about the experience, "Have you ever had someone pick your brain and play? Pull you out, stuff something else in. Do you know what it's like to be unmade." Well, yes, in fact, she has we find out in this second Avengers movie, but I digress. Keep this scene in mind, because blink and you'll miss what I consider to be the crucial statement and turning point of the movie. During a fight scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron, we see Scarlet Witch using her ability to control the minds of the Avengers with each hero's fears. As she tries to do so with Hawkeye, he uses a paralyzing arrow, on her forehand no less, to stop her and says, "I've done the whole mind control thing, not a fan." What might be seen as just another witticism of Whedon, I think is more.
That more is Hawkeye's reason for fighting. Having his mind controlled once before he knows to guard against mind control, aka fears, and uses his past experiences, abilities, and tools to thwart the attack on his mind. He directs his efforts not to controlling fear, or to attempt to eliminate fear, but to fight wisely for something. And that something is family, place, and a way of life. He harnesses his fears and redirects them to fight for the good of others. To choose not to be driven by his fears or anger, but to use them to see what is truly good, beautiful and true. What is that good, true ,and beautiful? Sometimes it's envisioning in the midst of battle the conversion of your dining room into a work space for your pregnant wife. And to understand that you will need to see the movie. Maybe more than once.
*this magazine has stepped up it's review game in the last year
UPDATE: Feeling validated about the key theme of marriage and family by this from Alan Jacobs
