The Avengers
(2012) was a breakout hit because it successfully combined the many elements of
the preceding solo superhero films in phase one of Marvel’s grand design. Now
the sequel The Avengers: Age of Ultron
will premier internationally on May 1, 2015. I liked the entertainment value of
The Avengers but was overwhelmed by
its grand superficiality which stemmed from its comic book conception and a
weak villain, Loki, which barely provided a sufficient test. Qualitatively the
strength of The Avengers rested on
the ability of these diverse so called heroes to fit in to a unit controlled by
the international government organization, SHIELD. The
Avengers also touched on issues related to the underhanded role of the
government which were later developed, successfully, in Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014) where it was discovered that
the HYDRA element had infiltrated the infrastructure of SHIELD. The Winter Soldier along with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World are the main films so far of phase two which
also included the otherworldly The
Guardians of the Galaxy. Now comes The
Age of Ultron to wind up everything
and so begin a new phase. There is no doubt that The Age of Ultron will be a box office success but will it make The Avengers a transcendent film i.e.
will it transcend its comic book limitations?
I cannot say because the film has not been released but I
just hope that the film addresses certain issues which will make it transcendent.
Firstly, I hope the film does not stick to this episodic aspect that comes with
the Marvel films. This episodic quality diffuses the core and the focus should
be on the core that reinforces the overall objective or its philosophical
dimensions. Although the marvel films are entertaining they lack a definitive
objective or overall philosophical approach apart from the introduction of
several comic book characters. I thought that The Avengers was merely episodic when I first watched it in the
cinema but, then, I did not stick around for the epic Thanos reveal. After
seeing that post credit scene I thought that he would be the primary villain
but he seems to have taken a back seat to Ultron until The Avengers: Infinity Wars. If Thanos is the major driving force
then why is this not elaborated on? What does he represent? He keeps being
mentioned briefly in a grand manner but it is not clear how everything fits
unless you take in this episodic approach which does not seem concrete apart
from the introduction of many comic book characters. His movements must also
correspond with the movement of the avengers and we probably won’t know the
full story until they actually have to develop Thanos as a character. It is not really clear what the Marvel films
are all about because of the episodic quality that only mentions certain
elements in order to push a particular story but does not necessarily stick to
them. You do expect villains to come and challenge the avengers but what is the
point of introducing all of these villains. What do they represent apart from
the part they play in the Marvel universe?
Based on what I have heard from Ultron his objective is to bring peace
by destroying humanity and I am sure issues related to A. I will come up. There was hardly any suggestion before that
Ultron would emerge or that his character was tied into the whole thematic
structure. We do learn in the trailers that Tony Stark/Iron Man created him at some point. The
point here is why was ultron not featured earlier as part of the whole in order
to make him seem organic for the series?
In order to make him relevant thematically he must have been mentioned
earlier in order to make the character a major driver of the series as opposed
to being just another appearance of a major comic character. This is the
episodic quality that has the potential to make the marvel films successful
from a superficial perspective but underwhelming because it cannot transcend
its comic book origins. This means that it cannot transcend it’s the source and
so, merely, just plasters famous comic
book characters on screen. The Age of Ultron will do well from a
superficial basis but if it is just another excuse for these comic book
characters to appear on screen and demonstrate their overwhelming powers then
it will begin to magnify the weaknesses inherent in the marvel films.
Secondly, I hope that The
Age of Ultron provides a more challenging villain that can really rock the
team. It does seem that Ultron will be
such a villain but the extent that he can really wreck the avengers remains to
be seen. Loki was an inferior villain and when he was smashed by the hulk that
more or less wrapped it up. I was not impressed and I hope that Ultron provides
more scale to the challenge he is supposed to bring. In The Avengers Loki decided to conquer the earth with an alien army
given to him by Thanos. The battle, however, was contained in Manhattan, NY and
was actually pretty small and insignificant apart from the alien fighters
zipping through the air. There were a lot of explosions but it never felt like
much was happening because it took place in a small section of America. In
order for these battles to be significant the scale must be sufficient to make
it seem worthwhile or relevant apart from the usual ranting villain who is out
of touch. Ultron must be more entrenched and provide a larger scale for battle
with the avengers. The world must get involved at some point particularly as
the earth is part of a wider universe of alien beings.
Thirdly, the introduction of new characters like the Vision,
Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver must be relevant and not just appendages. Seeing
their powers on display will only be superficial entertainment. If it’s just a
case where they utilize their powers in battle to defeat Ultron then it will be
typical comic book fare and will not demonstrate anything new thematically.
Each character must be relevant or represent something essential to the growth
of the series. If not then it will just be a case where we only see them again
when the next avengers film comes around. If this is the case then the quantity
of the avengers films will eventually place a burden on the quality and this
normally spells the doom for many franchises at the core even though,
superficially, a lot of money is being made. The superficial element becomes
static or formulaic as a result even though the core can no longer sustain the
weight and will require a new qualitative element to absorb the pressure. It is
pretty clear that by The Infinity Wars
there will be a lot of characters battling a mighty villain but what this
battle represents remains to be seen. I
just hope they get it right here so that each character represents something
significant. If this is the case then they will expand the qualitative
element. If not then it will be just more
characters with fancy powers or a case where a couple heroes will fight each
other (Hulk vs. Hulk buster iron man suit)
Lastly, I hope that the film challenges the team by
emphasizing some sort of break up. Two great trilogies come to mind here. The Lord of the Rings and The Dark Knight Trilogy. These two
series of films had moments when a particular team was broken up in a dramatic
manner but left room for reconciliation later on. When this was done it
represented a decisive shift for better or worse and altered the film
dramatically and made it transcendent because the overall objective was
significantly challenged. The marvel films do not seem to have an overall
objective and so even if there is a break up it will be self contained or
limited to the film itself. It will not stretch to the next phase unless some
bold decisions are taken. The death of a character does not mean there will be
a decisive break up it just means that Ultron is a very effective villain. If
there is a break up it should represent a decisive shift. A shift that will
probably change the whole conception of the avengers team and what they
represent although it is difficult to grasp what they represent apart from the
comic book element. This has already been suggested in the trailers when Black
widow keeps saying that ‘nothing lasts forever’. Let us hope that it is a
definitive shift dramatically. Not just self contained but a shift that will
resonate and make the marvel films transcendent. The two marvel films that have
come really close to making these series of films transcendent are Iron Man (2008) and Captain America: Winter Soldier. The
episodic nature of the marvel films limited the development of the significant
themes present in those films.
Well I hope that The
Age of Ultron will live up to the hype from a qualitative point of view
although it is guaranteed to reach its superficial target: box office success.
The superficial target is only a reflection of quantity and not quality. It is
important that this film meet its qualitative targets.
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