As our nation lurches into another general election cycle over what has become an extremely volitile, shifting political and demographic landscape, the wild, often times irrational swings have become as nauseating as they have filled many with severe aprehension and angst. It's hard to imagine Obama's repeated 2008 references to his imagined ONE America given these passed three and a half years of polarization and even suicidal partisan hatred and zealotry.
Are we as a nation just having gone through our ten year aniversary of 9/11 with another coming up again just before the Presidential election "squandering our economic future and putting ourselves at risk because of an inability to govern...”? Or will we be able to come together and Avenge the injustice that's already been done from beyond ground zero to Wall Street?
If we were able to come together as one united front, putting our differences aside just long enough to effectively overcome this nation's economic challenges, the constant threat of endless war beckoning from Syria to Iran, or the ecological apocalypse laying on our doorstep, can we rise as one somehow to overcome the forces that continue to assault Post-9/11 America, or are we fated to fight amongst one another even as other evils assault us?
Surprisingly, Hollywood, wittingly or not, seems to have taken all these issues on in their current what they hope will be a blockbuster release "Marvel's The Avengers".
"Marvel's, The Avengers" 2012
Photo - Actor Robert Downey, Jr. (Ironman) along side of New York first responders from the NYPD and NYFD. Other service men and women from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard were also present at the Tribeca Film Festival premier April 30, 2012.
Approached through these lens the film really is a hoot only once you can get beyond the opening jolt, that is. One where some pronounced though clouded demonic voice is proclaiming an age of divine theocratic rule through mass destruction and the peace that only complete annihilation brings. A world "free of freedom". The graphic arts gone wild through CGI manipulation only adds layer upon layer of multiplied recreations of the kind of imagery that's still too gruesome to really want to recall too exactly for too many of us still.
The film when applied most strictly along the lines of our past experiences of that initial 9-11 terrorist sucker punch might be considered what Americans would have liked to see happen to the original 19 hijackers while the planes were still in the air. But we must remember that that atrocity was over ten years ago now and we as a nation must move forward to confront the challenges of today: Global economic and political instability, the disappearance of the middle class, financial disparity, bigotry, hatred and contempt.The hoot part comes only when you try to figure out which slice of the American demographic each particular Avenger is standing in for today rather than placing the action in the then and there. Further consider how each group might or might not contribute their own special "talents' to overcoming the most heinous evils confronting us now. So, when you watch the movie, pick you own Superhero representing whomever, but here's my own personal take on the socio-demographic cluster pluck (in no particular order)...
Ironman, played extremely well by Robert Downey, Jr as one might imagine from Downey's history beyond obnoxious Marvel Superheroes of fine cinematic portrayals in his filmography seems to call out Silicon Valley and Steve Jobs' Apple particularly. Tony Stark's Research and Development Department 'takes up the top ten floors" in his new central Manhattan skyscraper and he's all about pushing the envelop on the technology he develops as a self proclaimed billionaire genius. But don't confuse this guy as standing in for Wall Street, that's one demographic that I'm afraid falls into to the evil villain category.
Now the Hulk also seems to be standing in for Silicon Valley though he may perhaps represent the broaded application of science and rationality. The Hulk is very much the Jeckle and Hype kind of character howsoever. Once he finally gives into his anger over the whole global situation (which leads to nothing but uncontrollable rage) he's all Tea Party! But even the Tea Party proves not to be so awfully bad as it was the Hulk who finally caught up with the invading Loki and beat the evil doer unconscious. Being unconscious and the Tea Party are pretty much compatible you'd have to admit.
Captain America is a central figure of course in this ensemble. He's the Superhero from World War II brought back from a long self-induced coma into a strange new world where, as he puts it, "the stars and stripes are no longer so fashionable". He gets with an updated costume though sheds his mask for much of the movie. He is still the back bone of America; what built this country. Captain America is organized Labor, pure and simple. During the decade following WW II union labor made up two of three blue collar jobs. Made in America was a proud label you don't find any longer in your underwear or on any thing else since today we've shipped the bulk of our manufacturing overseas while today organized Labor only accounts for 7% of the nations workforce. Captain America has been dissed and dismissed by the big wigs of today, but brother, are these guys ever able to organize. There's a great scene where Captain America spots a bunch of cops on the street and starts barking orders, laying out a strategic logic for combatting the invading force.
"Why the hell should we listen to you?" the nearest cop barks back just as Captain America destroys three aliens in as many seconds. Labor knows how to get the job done.
Thor and his evil brother Loki the evil arch-villain of the film, are interesting reflections of the split in American Christianity today with both characters taking on aspect of either Left leaning Progressive Christians versus the Conservative Religious Right. Loki, like the radical fringe conservative RR has a vision of a divinely based theocracy with him at its head but is as incompetent in seeing anything through to a sucessful completion much like the Religious Left. Thor takes on the role of Jeezus, Son of God, and like the Christian Left pretty much sees himself as a stranger in a strange land. A land that he must respect and do all he can to protect, like the Left, but, like the Right, he's mush more into Shock and Awe with his thunder and lightning strikes than mercy and forgiveness. But, again like the Left, Thor is willing to take a beating and go without his power for awhile if it means getting closer to his ultimate goal.
Scarlett Johansson (the superspy Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow) does a great job standing in for women and the LGBT community. As a matter of fact, you might say Scarlett portrays Rachel Maddow in Rachel's recent confrontation with Alex Castellanos, Republican strategist on Meet the Press. We first met Natasha as the camera pans in askew on a large, dark and ominous room where we see her in the center chained by her hands and legs to a chair surrounded by several black suited henchmen to a fat, gloating chief interigator pumping her for details on a counter-intellegence operation. She's interupted in her exchange to take a phone call from the target of her captors designs following which she breaks loose of her chains and the chair in under fifteen seconds taking out each mobster in turn. Finally she turns toward the shocked and dismayed mob boss only to thank him sarcastically for all the new information saying he'd been very cooperative in her interigation. It was a cinematic deja veiw of Meet the Press all over again. Ha!
Played by upcoming actress Cobie Smudlers, Agent Maria Hill also does a welcome job portraying an awesomely competent female character, third in command of SHIELD, the interplanetary defense organization, who should be the Director for all her savy and intellegence. The Avengers definately could use a few more strong women to take on their rightful role as Superhero. The job of Director goes instead to Samuel L Jackson, Nick Fury, who represents Samuel L Jackson like only Samuel L Jackson could.
Directed by Joss Wheldon, "Marvel's The Avengers" is being released nationwide on May 4th, 2012.
Calling it “a drama about people who save the world and how unbelievably unhappy they are,” Mr. Whedon worried — up to a point — that its rougher edges could alienate even his dedicated fans.
“It’s very dark and very grown-up,” he said. “But it’s the next thing that I want to say, so I can’t worry about ‘Well, where’s the empowerment narrative that people love?’ ” - A Film’s Superheroes Include the Director, The NYTimes
The empowerment can only be found in the many and various people these Avengers attempt to represent. Perhaps when Main Street taps into the rage of The Incredible Hulk Wall Street will
pass out in fear. Perhaps we will need to fight using our ballots as the super powers we all have been given though have not used wisely or to our own best ends over the course of too many elections to recall as this one lurches to the left, then the right.
End Credits / Closing Remarks:
Given that the greater part of our site's purpose here on the Street of Prophets is to provide a place where people who might describe themselves as faithful progressives can come together to explore not only faith but the larger questions that revolve around it and our hopes of impacting the world in a positive, progressive way, I am providing these sometime weekly film reviews (whenever). I thought that submitting reviews of controversial or off-the-beaten-track films that often nudge this kind of thought and discussion might be a plus. I'll be offering this each week on Fridays (as the Spirit moves me) and would happily entertain recommendations for future reviews. Feel free to post comments about the films reviewed here today as well as your own recommendations of films you feel may fall along these lines.
My religion is to seek for truth in life and for life in truth, even knowing that I shall not find them while I live. Miguel de Unamuno