As devoted friends of the blog may remember, one of my earliest posts was a head-to-head comparison of two somewhat related yet very different movies. I think we are long overdue for another such post.
Today's opponents:
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015)
vs.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015)
Common elements:
- Both movies are utterly ridiculous and so packed with action as to be totally absurd. To say either fully has a plot might be a bit generous.
- Both movies are nevertheless very fun. Spectacle! Explosions! Fighting and stuff!
- Both movies involve women and men fighting a common enemy side-by-side.
Major differences:
- "Mad Max" is a fucking awesome feminist film, and is fun for all genders. It made me feel like this:
- "Age of Ultron", on the other hand, made me feel like this:
To back up, lest I appear to be taking myself too seriously or something: Yes, I know both of these movies are completely stupid, fluffy, explode-y fantasies. Maybe holding them up to any even barely substantive analysis is therefore unfair and/or silly.
However, a) it's goddamn 2015 and b) there is literally zero harm in adding a little gender equity into a narrative--unless, of course, you ONLY want misogynist dudes for an audience. I therefore can't help but be exceedingly annoyed when moviemakers appear to thoughtlessly, or worse intentionally, choose the same boring and stereotyped gender roles over and over for female characters.
Allow me to explain.
There are basically 2.5 lady characters in "Age of Ultron". Here is what two of them look like:
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| I know, she's mostly covered, but at least they added light-up striping to accentuate her hourglass figure! |
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| Nice modified schoolgirl, complete with a glimpse of red lacy bra. |
There were six significant lady characters in "Mad Max", and the main lady character looks like this:
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| Yes, the belts are a bit corset-y, but I'm digging the overall functionality, mild griminess, and robo-arm. |
Also, I'm minorly distracted by naming choices for female characters. In "Age of Ultron", the naming formula for women is apparently "color + gendered w-word." Black Widow. Scarlet Witch. Not so much with the dude-bro characters (e.g., Could they be Green Angrybro? Red Metalguy? Blue Armyman? Blond Hammerdude? Oh god the men so outnumber the ladies, I think I forgot someone. Oh! Bruised Archer?). In "Mad Max", Charlize Theron is Imperator Furiosa. Her name alone conveys formidability and awe, whereas her "Avengers" counterparts conjure bugs and Halloween costumes.
Point: "Mad Max".
In "Age of Ultron", all the goddamn dudes have powers that are badass as shit (with the exception of Hawkeye... poor, lame Hawkeye). Some of them are powerful enough to literally tear cities apart.
Black Widow's power is essentially giving assists to her male counterparts.
 |
| "You dropped your shield, Blue Armyman!" |
Alternatively, the Scarlet Witch is actually insanely powerful. It's not 100% clear exactly what her powers *are*, but it's some kind of red lightning-y telekinetic mind control?
Anyway, so they were starting to win me over a little, and then this fucking line. This fucking line, from the LAMEST, most injury-prone character in the movie to arguably the most powerful, happened:
"I'm not here to babysit."
 |
...Excuse me??
Wait for it.
...................
Wait.... for it.....
Anddddd I'm done with this fucking movie.
In "Mad Max", to the contrary, Furiosa easily steals the show from the film's namesake.
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| Oh hey. |
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| Don't mind me. |
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| I'm just righteously owning the apocalypse. |
As if that gratifying, exhilarating reversal weren't enough, there's this counterpoint to the above never-to-be-mentioned-again line. Max, played excellently by the incredibly watchable Tom Hardy, hijacks Furiosa's rig, which is filled with women she's trying to liberate from sexual/forced childbearing slavery. He starts commandeering all their weapons and demands that one of the women pass a gun to him. One of her female compatriots says to her,
"You don't have to just because he tells you to."
Okay, it might seem like a little thing. But instead of cowering in front of an aggressing man, despite having spent God knows how long in the captivity of men, the women of "Fury Road" don't forget their agency. They are essentially stating, "If we allow you to wield power in our midst, it's with our agreement. Because we have power too."
To clarify, "Mad Max" is hardly a ball-busting estrogen romp. It's simply a story in which women are powerful *too*. (God I can't tell you how annoying it is that this is remarkable.) Furiosa, Max, and their motley assortment of co-warriors, men and women alike, ultimately make an excellent team--a team in which the heros don't compulsively and constantly attempt to oppress the heroines by invoking their femaleness as if it constitutes some kind of weakness. In "Mad Max", that's what villains are for.
Are you catching the hint, "Avengers"?
Again, point: "Mad Max".
Ultimately, my extreme frustration and exasperation with the gender dynamics of a movie like "Age of Ultron" is this: would it *hurt* for there to be gender equity in these films? Why *not* make that choice? Do you not trust your audience to watch a movie in which women aren't fetishized and demeaned? Do you not think there are any men who find powerful women appealing? Do you not care whether women buy tickets to your film or feel empowered watching it?
Although I'm currently focusing on the gender dynamics of these films, I'd be remiss if I didn't also note the completely infuriating lack of diversity in "Age of Ultron". All minority characters have been so pointedly relegated to sidekick status that it's frankly bizarre.
To follow my line of inquiry, why *not* diversify the cast of these films? Why not cast a Latino Ironman? Or an Asian Thor? (The white people can keep Hawkeye... no one wants Hawkeye.) I've heard tell that they're finally ethnically updating Captain America, but fuck you. You've taken too long. There is no reason a cast of *eight* characters should be comprised of only white people--especially eight *imaginary* characters, where you can choose any and all features and traits you see fit. God forbid the movie's cast show diversity that is at least attempting to be commensurate with the actual population of the country that created the film. Or do you not trust your audience to watch movies with casts that actually fully represent us?
So, clearly, if you were to choose between these two completely absurd but nevertheless fun movies, I would strongly recommend a ride down "Fury Road". Think of it as a vote for cinematic progress.
In closing, my ratings were as follows:
"Avengers: Age of Ultron" (3)
"Mad Max: Fury Road" (4)
Thanks for reading!
{Heart}
