Avengers: Age of Ultron director and writer Joss Whedon is the talk of the town this week, now that the highly anticipated sequel is finally coming to theaters at the end of the month. But if there’s one common thread in every recent story about Whedon, it’s that making this movie has taken a lot out of him. It’s not surprising, considering what a behemoth a big-budget, superhero ensemble movie like this is, but it’s not just the work and the effort that’s making it understandable why Whedon is stepping aside after Ultron. This is a deeply personal movie for the hypercritical filmmaker.
Let’s start with the movie’s original massive run time. Whedon’s first cut of Ultron clocked in at about three and a half hours before being cut down to just under two and half, one minute shorter than the first movie. But even thinking about the cuts made to the first movie still haunts Whedon in a big way:
“When I watch it, I just see ‘flaw, flaw, flaw, compromise, laziness, mistake,’” said Whedon. “The reason I set out to make another film is because I wanted to make one that was better, and I wanted to up my game as a shooter and work harder on every aspect of it and sort of give myself up to it in a way that’s hard for me, because I have a family. I started as a writer in low-budget TV, and there was always this element of, ‘This is good enough.’ And with this movie, I never wanted to say, ‘This is good enough.’”
Anyone who knows a creative person is familiar with self-flagellating refrains such as this one; the work might be amazing, but it’s never, ever perfect. And that drives creative people absolutely crazy, all while they don’t need other people’s work to be nearly as perfect. Whedon says of Ultron:
“Is it perfect? It is not,” said Whedon. “Is it me? It’s so baldly, nakedly me. …”
And when the work is coming out of you like that, it becomes a part of you, a representation of you, and for Whedon and his very complicated villain, things became more personal than we could all imagine:
In particular, Whedon says he poured himself into the movie’s big villain, Ultron. A peacekeeping robot gone wrong, Ultron seeks to destroy his creator Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and regularly rants about humanity’s feeble failings. That sort of comic-book motivation could come off as one-note in another filmmaker’s hands, but “Ultron’s pain is very, very real to me,” said Whedon. “He can’t control the way his pain makes him behave.” Whedon pauses, his soft voice grown even softer. “And I can relate to that.”
It’s fascinating to read about Whedon’s process as a storyteller because he lays bare why his influence and direction have been received so well by a huge audience across the planet. This isn’t only about making tons of money to keep his family secure or seeing his name up in lights. Whedon is not wasting an opportunity to create highly personal art, bringing out the most human elements of fantastical characters. I think the public would totally see a Titanic-length version of Avengers: Age of Ultron, but I suppose it’s best to trim the fat a bit.
Man, Joss Whedon is going to be missed when he’s done with the Marvel universe. But I hope he treats himself to a nice, stiff drink and many, many hugs and ice creams.
Source: Vulture
