Robots Fighting- Who Gives a Shit?
Some years ago, I was out on a date with a girl that I knew from work. She had sent a text asking if I'd go see Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon. At first I hesitated at the mention of Transformers, as I really had no desire to enable Michael Bay in his non-stop mission to cinematically ruin everything that was amazing about my childhood. But, seeing as how said girl was a petite blonde with a beautiful smile, I immediately relented and said that yes, I'd be quite interested in going.
The movie started and there was the typical overcomplicated plot that tries to lend some gravitas to a movie that's essentially just about buildings being smashed for an hour and a half. Something about the moon, and Decepticons, and…whatever. Buzz Aldrin was there, I think.
And then I fell asleep.
As I regained consciousness at the conclusion of the movie my date turned to me in amazement. "I can't believe you slept through that!" she gasped, referring not the twisting and turning plot, but to the fact that the constant metal on metal scraping for two hours was quite loud, and would be difficult for someone to sleep through. Trying to save face, I said a line that I thought was somewhat clever at the time- "To me, robots fighting is very soothing"
We didn't go out again.
Which is fine, I suppose. Each person has their own tastes when it comes to the movies, and I didn't really have any desire to go see another movie with transformers punching each other again.
Because what I really meant to say was- "Robots fighting- who gives a shit?"
I encountered this again with The Wolverine, which I saw this past weekend. I generally don't get excited by comic book movies anymore- it seems like the majority of them are style over substance, and are concerned far more with cramming as much CGI effects as possible into a two hour time frame. From what I've heard about The Man of Steel the final sequence of Superman and Zod fighting in Metropolis is so concerned with wanton destruction of the skyscrapers that it loses all emotional impact.
But Wolverine is different. He's a character that I've loved ever since I began watching the X-Men television show when I was a child. He's a short but wily little bastard of a character who was one of the first anti-heroes to emerge after the Vietnam War in comic books- a character who was less concerned with spouting rhetoric about "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" and instead concentrated on going berserker all over the asses of anyone who got in his way- and then not apologizing for it later.
And the first two-thirds of the movie portrays that and also makes you empathize with the character as he loses his super regenerative powers. Logan falls in love, is tormented over the loss of Jean Grey, and struggles to come to terms with his own mortality.
And then there are robots punching.
Not just robots. Samurai robots. With glowing swords. And adamantum exoskeletons.
Granted, inside of the robot is a character from the beginning of the film who i using the robot to gain immortality. But I was already out. When metal clashes metal, it seems like the stakes are lowered. I I stop caring, because that sense of jeopardy is removed.
I've been watching The Sopranos recently, because I've never seen it, and feel like I owe it to myself to watch the granddaddy of all of the "male anti-hero" shows that are now flooding the cable airwaves. There are dozens of things to love about the Sopranos- the music that's so seamlessly integrated into the situations, the one liners from Paulie Walnuts that reveal his ignorance about most things, and the acting chops of the principal players.
But one of my favorite things about the show are the fights. Not the various wackings of different mob characters (although those are pretty amazing too). I'm talking about the brutal mano-a-mano showdowns between members of the families. They're absolutely brutal- from the Ralphie and Tony showdown over a dead horse in season four to Adriana's strangulation by Christopher in the penultimate episode of season five, it's visceral and wrought with emotion.
And that's because it's earned. Television is a writer's medium, where characters development wins out over elaborate set pieces and special effects. Part of that is practical- a television series just doesn't have the budget that a blockbuster movie has. But that's what makes the fights even more memorable- that buildup and release of conflict like a volcano. Those fights feel earned. We care. And it's not just the Sopranos that has done this- look at Walter and Jesse's brawl in Breaking Bad or even Lane's somewhat silly fight with Pete Campbell. Granted I'm comparing apples and bowling balls when looking at a period piece about advertising and a movie about mutants in Japan, but still, I'd love to see a movie where I care and am invested in all of the characters who are punching each other on the screen.
The comic book movie deluge is clearly here to stay. That's not a bad thing- from Batman to Wolverine there are great and deep stories to be told. But we need to stop playing into this fanboy-ism that plagues these types of movies- where audiences are simply satisfied because a character that they've always loved is now represented in celluloid. There are amazing stories to be told, and we need to stop settling for robots fighting each other.
