So, like millions of other people in the world, I went and saw Avengers: Endgame. I was super excited to see how Marvel would capstone their remarkable achievement of 22 films that all built up to the moment in which they take down the big bad. Going into it, I also knew that several "real world" contracts were up, namely Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. among others of the "original" Avengers that have appeared in separate films for many years now. So you can say that I expected there to be a fond farewell to these characters. What I wasn't expecting was for it to be so realistic in showing the horrible consequences of what we now call, post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Honestly, it felt a lot like the aftermath of a very violent rape, wherein we spend three hours dealing with the emotional trauma and whatever amounts to healing in a comic book world.
I watch the Avengers to be entertained. But the Avengers were emotionally broken, and for me, it wasn't entertainment. It felt like suffering...beautiful...agonizing...suffering. Black Widow...Natasha Romanoff was so incredibly and emotionally destroyed that she committed suicide so that her life would mean something. And she had to fight for that right...she fought for that "relief" with her best friend in the whole world, Hawkeye, who also had nothing to really live for as his whole family was taken in the snapture. That scene on the cliffs of Vormir to see who would die to retrieve the soulstone was gut-wrenching for me, watching these two fight each other for the right to end it all so that the other person could go on and have a chance at a happy life.
If that wasn't enough, Thor was completely destroyed too. He was so emotionally broken that he didn't even leave his house for five years unless it was to get more drugs to drown his sorrows in. This all came as a surprise to the friends that went to get him, because, guess what? None of them checked up on him in FIVE years. No one. This whole movie was spent trying to pull Thor (and others) back from the brink, and only at the end is something...some semblance of the hero we've gotten in other movies...finally there to put in an appearance when the last battle with Thanos had become inevitable. Captain America was probably the most untouched for some reason, attending therapy and encouraging others in their path to overcome the losses of their loved ones. But Tony Stark? He was pretty much ruined emotionally...broken...unable to see any way forward and probably suffering from a lot of survivor guilt for a long time. But because his partner survived and they had a kid and he was essentially happy while everyone else wasn't, he decided he could live with that until information arrived via Ant-Man that proved he didn't have to any more.
I recognize that maybe all the PTSD on the screen affected me so much, because I deal with it in my every day job helping clients with disabilities (many of whom have PTSD from sexual abuse and other such things). However, I guess in my naivete I expected this film to be an ass-kicking machine in which the Avengers wasted no time in setting things right again. And maybe my kind of film would have so completely failed at the box office, because it isn't realistic.
But you know what? F*ck realism. Why the hell are these comic book films trying to be so realistic when the powers that they wield are anything but realistic? Why is there such a push to go dark in these tales? Why am I (a self-professed nerd) so out of touch with what nerds really want these days? Watching an emotionally broken superhero try to find meaning in a world where all of her meaning is lost only to have her suicide out is not what I call entertainment. I am not entertained. This isn't fun anymore, or if other people are calling it fun...then I don't know what fun is. I paid to have a great time, not to watch 13 Reasons Why (a Netflix film wherein a girl commits very realistic suicide). I don't want to see that.
Look, I get it. Avengers: Endgame is an epic story that is a perfect capstone to 22 films that built up to taking on the ultimate villain. It's perfect because it ties everything up in a neat little bow. Iron Man gets a glorious death, and so does Black Widow. But am I the only person sitting in my chair asking why that was even necessary? Did the writers need to go there? I felt depressed when I left the theater, because Iron Man and Black Widow did not get a happy ending. Captain America did. Why couldn't they have found a way to do something like that for these characters? Probably because it wasn't "realistic" and fighting a villain of the likes of Thanos has got to have "consequences," because...you know...that's what passes for a good story these days. Thank you so much George R.R. Martin (that's sarcasm folks).
This whole experience has made me question whether I'm really cut out to be wishing for epic showdowns on the silver screen. I'm a huge fan of comic books, and I've wanted to see the likes of Galactus, Dormammu, the Beyonder, Darkseid, and Dark Phoenix for a long time. But if it means I have to watch favorite characters become emotionally broken, commit suicide, and suffer through self-wallowing PTSD for three hours...maybe this isn't what I signed up for? Maybe I should be more thankful for the smaller villains like the Vulture taking on Spider-Man in his debut movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming. I thought that was a great and funny movie. It's one I'd go to with friends after a day of fun. I would never ever watch Avengers: Endgame as something "fun to do" any more than I'd watch Schindler's List as a great way to unwind at the end of a really fun day.
So yeah...Avengers: Endgame was a great movie that I don't really like all that much. What say you? Is it such a great movie that you can't wait to watch it with your kids right after a birthday party with balloons and cake? Who doesn't find funerals fun?
Me, I guess...just me.
While the deaths were hard and some scenes emotionally draining, I did really enjoy it and plan to see it a second time to catch all I missed. My wife's only complaint was not getting to see so many of the characters until the end, and it was hard to see Thor such pathetic mess. But we are still talking about it speculating all that will happen next. After all, Loki is still out there. And Quill has to make Gamora fall in love with him again. The next movies will be interesting.
ReplyDeleteUm... wow... I can see you're really upset.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason that Marvel has done so well with their movies is that they've treated their heroes as real people. Real people first who happen to also be superheroes. To have had the movie not having them respond as real people would have been disingenuous at best.
I disagree with you about Natasha. She didn't commit suicide. Yes, she sacrificed herself, but she did it to prevent Clint from committing suicide. She wanted him to find redemption and to get his family back. She did it for love. He was just trying to drown his guilt. Heck, it might not have even worked if it had been him.
But I'm not trying to change your opinion or anything.
LOL, thanks Andrew. I'm not like physically angry or upset or anything like that. I'm just super disappointed. But what does it matter when so many others in the world got their money's worth? Maybe I'm just not cut out for storylines of these incredible heroes going through real life problems. I legitimately don't want to see storylines of Captain Marvel dealing with severe drug addiction or with Spider-Man dealing with the aftermath of a violent rape. I realize that these are fictional things I'm making up, but they could (just like this thing with Thanos) be written down and filmed. Sure, I bet there'd be some great acting chops playing those roles. I bet people would praise Brie Larson's performance for overcoming a drug-crazed addict that sold her body to pay for the next fix to once again don the mantle of "Captain Marvel." The thing is...I DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT. And I'm wondering why the hell there are so many people in the world that do? Why am I so different?
DeleteI don't think it's that people -want- to see that. I think that those stories, stories of heroes overcoming adversity, give people hope. If Spider-Man can overcome that, so can I, because he didn't overcome it because he was a hero; he overcame it because he was a person.
DeleteI don't know how many stories like that I've heard from people through the years, but, then, I spent a good portion of my life working in comic shops where I had access to those stories.
Well...I guess there's a lot of stories out there that I don't see the marketability in (if people desire others overcoming regular every day adversity to give them hope). I guess this is why I'm not in marketing, and it's probably a good thing. Let's make way for all the stories of heroes with emotional baggage and let them air it all out on screen for hour after hour before any actual ass-kicking takes place, with the caveat (of course) that some of these characters could just choose to end it all as long as it makes it so another person they love can have a chance at some shred of happiness.
DeleteHaven't seen it. I hope Wednesday you talk about GOT because there's a lot to talk about.
ReplyDeleteOh I plan on it. We can talk about it some here if you like. My big complaint was that it was very hard for me to see anything. They built this episode up to be better than anything that has ever been filmed, and it simply wasn't because it was a battle in the dark in a snowstorm. The writers didn't have to make that choice, but they did, and so I didn't get to see hardly anything. Is that Jaime? Is that Grey Worm? Did I just see Lady Mormont get hit by a giant? I understand they wanted it to be realistic. I guess there's just a huge push these days to make entertainment have consequences and for things to be as realistic as possible (even if that means that darkness is actually dark and you can't see anything).
DeleteI hated the murk too but it did help add to the suspense like when the cavalry rode out and you saw their swords wink out one by one.
DeleteIt seemed like the whole point of the episode was that when fighting death all heroics were pretty much useless. By the end the Dragon Queen was brought down to earth, Jon Snow was trapped by the undead dragon, and most of our heroes like Jaime and Brienne were just desperately trying to survive. The dragons, magic, and dragon glass in the end was about as useful as Sansa and Tyrion in the crypts. In the end they only won by the Night King acting like a stereotypical villain and taking too long to play with his enemy.
DeleteBTW, Arya made the same mistake as Thor in Infinity War: if you're going to jump down on the bad guy from behind, maybe don't give him warning by screaming at him. But lucky for her all she had to do was stab him and he died, unlike Thanos.
I think I agree with you. I haven't seen this yet, but I haven't seen the one before, either. And I like happy films. Sad films just don't do it for me.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this, I'm relieved I likely won't be seeing this movie since superhero movies don't do much for me, with a couple of exceptions. But your point about happier tones and endings is one reason I want to see Shazam. There warmth and humor in it--and yes, that's what I need, especially right now in my life.
ReplyDeleteI finally watched the movie so now I could read your review. I hadn't really thought of it in terms of PTSD but I guess that makes sense. I was reading my frenemy Tony Laplume's comics blog and he was talking about how writer Tom King has used his experiences with PTSD from Iraq in comics like The Omega Men and Heroes in Crisis. It's a reminder of how 2 decades of war can affect us covertly and overtly.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it was an ok sendoff but it seems kind of ridiculous that 3.5 billion people got Flight of the Navigatored because Tony Stark didn't want to lose his daughter. I kind of feel bad for the filmmakers of the standalone movies who have to pick up the pieces from the snapture and five year jump.