This past Saturday I went with some friends to see a movie about which much ink has already been spilled: The Avengers, a superhero movie of epic proportions. Since reviews of the movie are already plenteous, I will be brief.
plot
The story revolves around six Marvel Comics superheroes–Ironman, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. Their mission is to save the world from the diabolical Norse god Loki. For a movie that blends many disparate elements the film is surprisingly cohesive. In what other movie can one find a Norse-armor-clad hero wielding his hammer alongside a very hip inventor in a robotic exoskeleton, both on the same mission as a patriotic, clean-cut World War II super-soldier? All in all, the mish-mash turned out better than I expected.
Conclusion
Content-wise, the movie is full of comic-book violence–punching, kicking, stabbing, etc., but manages to keep from being very graphic. There is a small amount of profanity–I can only remember one instance, but surprisingly not a one of the characters takes God’s name in vain.
The action sequences are fabulous, if perhaps a bit drawn-out (but after all the hype, would I have been satisfied with a shorter concluding action sequence?….nah). Visual effects are top-notch. Lots of big orange explosions. Acceptable plot, interesting characters. Though I doubt anyone could dig up an overarching message for The Avengers, there are some good sub-themes about courage, self-sacrifice, etc. We see the heroes of the movie putting themselves at risk to save others. What’s more Christian than that?
So here’s a question I’ve been chewing on: could a Christian, in good conscience, have made a movie like this? If not, why not? If so, is there anything a Christian screenwriter/director might have done differently?
Input welcome,
Jack
If the movie had been written by a Christian:
Black widow would have realized that there was no way for her to do penance for her sins.
Rather than aliens, the enemies that the heroes fought would have been terrorists.
Bruce Banner would not have said “I’m always angry.”
Natalie Portman would have been terminated.
There would have been more stabbing.
Instead of the New York Stock Exchange, the main fight would probably been fought around a church. Though I am speaking merely hypothetically not from my own values on the last one.
What’s wrong with aliens in Marvel’s fictional universe? What makes terrorists a more “Christian” choice than aliens?
Quizzically,
Jack
Actually I take that back – when you place aliens as the enemies you increase the chance your audience will fail to perceive the veiled allegorical elements of pro-American nuclear armament. On the other hand – when you place aliens as the enemies you increase the chance that people will take that as an allegory of rage against the heavens. I have seen the correctness of Pastor Bennett’s explanation of the strange tendency for people to worship aliens and/or hate them in place of God.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RageAgainstTheHeavens
Again, this is all highly speculative – except for the nukes.
Also, they should have had more classical music… and helicopters. Things tend to get dumber more detached from reality the more advanced technology (laser guns, jet fighters, flying fortresses of death) S.H.I.E.L.D. has.
By the way, did you know that the ultimate (newer comic line) version of nick fury was modeled after Samuel L. Jackson?
love,
All valid points I think, but I have one further question: why could a Christian in good conscience not have made a movie with elements like this? Is there something wrong with these elements themselves, or is the problem more with what the writer chooses to say about these elements–such as aliens, for instance?
Just speculative ramblings…no larger purpose or argument I’m developing…-Jack
Black widow presents a theological opportunity, otherwise no ethical problems are detected by me. Norse mythology is demytholigized by science, everyone knows Tony Stark is selfish, but I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the idea that the actor who played the human torch played Captain Amurikah.
Right, but here’s a further question: if presented with the script for The Avengers, is there anything that a Christian director would have said “We’ve got to change that,” ‘that’ being a line of dialogue, a character, a scene?
Curiously,
Jack
I told you what I would have changed. I have trouble knowing what others would have changed. What would you have changed?
Hmm…what would I have changed? Perhaps the only thing would be to remove Captain America’s comment that “There’s only one God ma’am, and I’m pretty sure he does not dress like that,” not because I didn’t like the line, but because a direct reference to (presumably) Christianity in a movie as fanciful as this seems to reduce the impact of that reference in my mind…it would be similar to a character mentioning God in The Lord of the Rings to me–quite out of place.
Again, just ramblings…thanks for discussing! -Jack
I think the captain’s line shows the average World War II era american citizen’s worldview in counter-distinction to the present average american citizen’s worldview. The reality that the line expresses is disconnected from its time and therefore must strike us as out of place.
also Thor’s buddies should have come back to earth.