Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron Adoption Movie Review
The Avengers are raiding a base in an Eastern European
country where the villainous Baron von Strucker is using a powerful artifact to
experiment on two orphaned twins, Wanda and Pietro. In the course of the raid,
the Avengers obtain the artifact, and some of the Avengers begin some
experiments of their own. These experiments bring great peril that threatens
the entire world, and threatens the cohesion of the Avengers themselves.
**SPOILERS AHEAD THE REST OF THE WAY**
The Adoption Connection
Wanda and Pietro were orphaned during a military conflict.
They have a strong bond with each other, and the person that they hold
responsible for the loss they have experienced.
One character presents an interesting view of the function
of children, “People create children to support them, to help them end.”
Two characters reveal to each other that they are infertile.
One was sterilized as part of her spy/assassin training; she explains that her
trainers believed the infertility “makes everything easier” because children
would be too important to the operative.
Strong Points
The recent Marvel films are studies in motivation – what motivates
people to act? Wanda and Pietro are motivated by vengeance. Wanda is able to
manipulate others’ thoughts. She makes the Avengers see and confront their
deepest fears, and the fears motivate them to action. Another character
suggests that calamity happens when nations act out of fear, “Every time
someone tries to end a war before it starts, innocent people die.” Examining
our motivations is worthwhile, because the reasons we do things impact the way
in which we do those things. Actions done out of fear or anger will be carried
out differently than the same (or similar) actions done out of concern or
rational thought or love. It’s true about adoption, too – the motivation behind
an action, whether a decision to pursue adoption, or a decision about whether
to keep an adoption open, or even a decision about whether to maintain a
challenging foster care placement – the motivation propelling the action is
very important, and worth examining and challenging.
The twins eventually realize the potential cost of their
thirst for vengeance, and seem to have a change of heart.
One character (Scarlet Witch) provides an interesting
example of an obviously manipulative person; I always think it’s worthwhile for
parents to talk with teens about how peers can be manipulative.
The Avengers show that friends can stick together in spite
of hard times and hurt feelings.
Challenges
Some viewers may be shaken by the twins’ story: they lost
their parents traumatically, in a situation which also threatened the kids’
physical safety. That captures, in a nutshell, the stories of some kids who
have come into foster care, and I could imagine this scene being a trigger for
some of them.
Scenes of general, large-scale peril may also disturb some
viewers with sensitivity to violence.
*BIG SEMI-SPOILER* One
character dies on screen after being shot. That could be hard for some viewers.
Recommendations
Avengers: Age of Ultron is an enjoyable movie with action,
humor, and opportunities for real life reflection. Some violence,
discussion of parents dying, and the on-screen death of a character could be
jarring for some viewers, but overall this should be a good choice for most
viewers 12 and up, and their parents.
Questions for
Discussion
What’s usually more important – what you do, or why you do
it?
Do you tend to plan for the worst case or for the best case
scenario?
One character says, “Everyone creates the things they dread.”
Do you agree?
What are you most scared of? Is it a helpful or unhelpful fear?
Have you ever found order in chaos?
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Some of the past Marvel movies have had some negative adoption talk regarding Loki. Is there any of that in this movie?
ReplyDeleteHi Merry! Great question. Although Loki's staff plays a role in the film, Loki himself does not. I didn't catch any negative adoption talk this time around.
DeleteThanks, Addison!
DeleteYou're welcome! Thanks for the good question!
Delete