I went to see the new "Captain America" film this past weekend. While I wouldn't put it in the same league as "The Avengers (no pun intended)," I thought it was a good film. It was technically well done. The acting was solid. I thought the overall plot was worthwhile as well, though that's where things began to get shaky for me.
(Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!)
It wasn't too long before the camaraderie and cohesion of a Mr. Fury's organization was revealed to be nothing more than a facade. From there, most of the suspense of the movie was gone, as it was easy to guess who the masked villain was, who was in charge of the big conspiracy, and what the overall goals were. From there, it was simply a matter of counting how many explosions until the bad guys were done in.
As I said, it was still an enjoyable ride, but it shouldn't have been that easy to figure out. It would not have been that easy to figure out had I not seen the same basic plot structure. I'm not talking about in other spy movies, or even in other super-hero movies. I'm afraid that I seem to be referring to most everything that Joss Whedon has been involved in lately.
I began to notice the trend in earlier movies. The same themes were being repeated - general conspiracies at high levels of power and / or outright incompetence by authority figures. The basic given that no matter how professional or selective an organization may be, you can trust no one outside of your tight little group. Everyone else has somehow been co-opted or corrupted (though how the group that you happened to make it into escaped this dire fate will always remain a mystery.) When the series came out this year (Marvel's Agents of SHIELD), that began the end of the government spy organization as any kind of force for good. "Winter Soldier" just finished off the job.
Now, with all due respect to Nick Fury, I can't really say that I'm sad to see SHIELD go. It was being run pretty much as a private army during The Avengers. The way the plot was arranged, it made it look as though that was the best way, but it really isn't. That's how rebellions get going. It was with great wisdom and forethought that the framers of the Constitution put elected civilian authority at the head of the military. That's where it needs to stay. And, while you can hardly have a completely transparent spy network, for any kind of organization armed the way that SHIELD was, you better have a lot more accountability than a few shadowy members meeting on secure video lines. The organization had to go. I get all that.
Here's what I don't get: The man behind the scripting for much of the last few Marvel movies, while sounding the alarm about shadowy organizations in "comic book" America, has consistently supported a similar administration in the America that we live in. The man who once complained that America is turning into "Tsarist Russia" has no trouble lending his vote to the President who has done more to reduce the liberty of Americans than any other president I can recall.
I'm baffled.
People are complex, or so I am told. Personally, I think that I am rather on the simple side, at least when it comes to politics. When in doubt, I choose to err on the side of freedom, mostly because I don't even like to think about what's on the other side. I believe it can take any number of forms, but all are dark and unpleasant. And some of them seem to be getting pretty close. That's why I would like to understand what it is that so many others appear to find appealing about giving their freedom away, even as they call for it to be guarded, even as they warn it can be lost.
It can be lost.
Captain America isn't coming. Neither is Thor. Nor Spiderman. Nor Black Widow. This battle is up to us.
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