Down & dirty: The second superhero reunion is a hollow joyride - fun and disposable.
Director: Joss Whedon
Big Names: Seriously everyone...RDJ, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, ScarJo, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, the cast of Pitch Perfect, my dog, Obama, just everyone ever.
Do you remember eating Dunkaroos back when you were a kid? I recognize this reference panders to 90’s babies but bear with me. Dunkaroos were great. Endearing kangaroo mascot, chocolate cookies with a little bucket of vanilla frosting you could dip them in! What’s better than that? The problem was that there were about four tiny cookies per pack. It just wasn't satisfying…even as an 8 year old. Eventually people caught on and realized they were an overpriced, unfulfilling sugar bomb.
That’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Four chocolate cookies with delicious vanilla frosting and a feeling of ‘but I wanted more!’ upon its completion. Every single person I've spoken to has said they enjoyed this film. I get it. There is a lot of action, funny moments, recognizable superheroes. It is enjoyable. But it could have been so much more.
Maybe I’m being pretentious – I accept that is entirely possible. But when I say more I don’t mean more explosions, more robots, or more infinity stones (certainly not more infinity stones). I mean more depth. This film has already made more money than the GDP of a small nation so I’m not questioning it’s marketability or its basic entertainment value. I’m talking about humanizing the film: moral code and familial obligation. Let’s take those one at a time.
Morally the film tries to tackle the idea of artificial intelligence and the problems it creates when we get too close to creating life. I guess I was hoping for more ‘Ex Machina’ and less ‘iRobot’. More nuanced arguments and less total destruction. It felt like ground that had been tread on so many times before that I already knew exactly how it would end. I won’t spoil it for you but I’d bet my salary that you could guess how the final battle unfolds (See: The Avengers). What if the filmmakers had utilized this massive platform of film distribution to seriously ask a meaningful question like ‘is an intelligent and unemotional machine better suited than us to be judge & jury?’ instead of just showcase said machine as a furiously blind executioner.
In terms of familial obligation I appreciate the effort the filmmakers put into trying to humanize Hawkeye. Guess what? That still fell flat. I’ll give you a tease of a spoiler here: you are introduced to Hawkeye’s family. Implemented as an interesting aside to the major story line, it is completely disposed of when the plot device has served its initial purpose as if to say “Look! Real life! We included it! – Now let’s get back to laying waste to everything.” Again, I’m not asking a superhero movie to be a Shakespearean exploration of human interaction but come on - if you’re going to include real family dynamics at least make it honest.
Those are my gripes. I accept the title of 'only person who didn't love it'. Again, it was still incredibly well made. It’s worth watching. I just thought they missed an absolutely monstrous opportunity to say something meaningful. I enjoyed the film and I enjoyed Dunkaroos…while they lasted.
