The politics of big fantasy: the ideologies of star wars, the matrix and the avengers

231 Pages·2014·1.545 MB·English

by  McDowell, John C

THE POLITICS
OF BIG FANTASY
This page intentionally left blank
T P
HE OLITICS
B F
OF IG ANTASY
The Ideologies of Star Wars,
The Matrix and The Avengers
John C. McDowell
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Jefferson, North Carolina
LIBRARYOFCONGRESSCATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATIONDATA
McDowell, John C.
The politics of big fantasy : the ideologies of Star wars, The
matrix and The avengers / John McDowell.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
♾
ISBN 978-0-7864-7488-2 (softcover : acid free paper)
ISBN 978-1-4766-1820-3 (ebook)
1. Star wars films—History and criticism. 2. Matrix
(Motion picture) 3. Marvel’s The Avengers (Motion picture :
2012) 4. Fantasy in motion pictures. 5. Myth in motion
pictures. 6. Motion pictures—Philosophy. 7. Motion
pictures—Political aspects. I. Title.
PN1995.9.S695M47 2014
791.43'75—dc23 2014016952
BRITISHLIBRARYCATALOGUINGDATAAREAVAILABLE
© 2014 John McDowell. All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover illustration by Mark Durr (based on the 1942 "We Can
Do It!" poster by J. Howard Miller for the War Production
Co-ordinating Committee)
Printed in the United States of America
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640
www.mcfarlandpub.com
To the memory of my late grandfather, Thomas Manson (1920– 2013),
to whom I owe a considerable debt of gratitude
To Sandra and my children: Archie, Jonathan,
Joseph, Margaret (Meg) and Robert
And to the most excellent of doctoral students,
Ashley Moyse and Scott Kirkland
This page intentionally left blank
C
ONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
Abbreviations 4
Introduction: Why So Serious? 5
1. The Super Body- Politic: Nationally Assembling
Joss Whedon’s Exceptional The Avengers
25
2. “He was deceived by a lie”: Tragedy and the Dark Plague
of the Politics of Fear in George Lucas’ Star Wars
67
3. Dystopian Polyvalence: Emancipating the
Mediated Life from The Matrix
132
Chapter Notes 179
Bibliography 197
Index 213
vii
This page intentionally left blank
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
A constant source of stimulation has been two of my very best doc-
toral students, Ashley Moyse and Scott Kirkland. Not only have they
been excellent partners in the process of conducting sophisticated reflec-
tions on popular culture, but they have deepened my insight into the
cultural and religious significance of the likes of The Walking Dead,
Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man,
and Ridley Scott’s Alien and Prometheus. This extraordinary pair has
been an intellectual light and has kept hope alive. On saying that, Scott,
I would like to encourage you to develop a greater appreciation of Jar
Jar Binks’ characterization! Ash Cocksworth has not only flourished
intel lectually almost in spite of my obsession with popular culture, but
has contributed to my appreciation of The Dark Knight. My Newcastle
colleague Dr. Kath McPhillips has provided the opportunity to enjoyably
lecture for the past four years on “The Ideology of Star Warsas Modern
Myth” in her Sociology of Religion class. Dr. Chris Falzon has graciously
given me a copy of a recently delivered seminar paper on “The Limits
of Film as Philosophy.”
The various studies in this book are indebted to the practical sup-
port of my family. My five children have followed my delight in all things
Star Warsand superheroic, and are now themselves beginning to appre-
ciate the need to investigate and interrogate deeper cultural resonances
of the “entertainment” they consume. Archie McDowell significantly
helped guide my reading of the history and development of Marvel’s
Avengers, and is always a good source of conversation regarding the
various Marvel and DC universes as well as the Star Warsuniverse. My
long- suffering wife’s task is now one of even more intensely heroic
endurance! It is my father whom I thank for encouraging my fascination
with popular culture, science fiction and superheroes in particular. Yet
ix