Joss Whedon

We rave out about Joss Whedon's writing chops over in "Screenwriters." Now it's time to keep the love-fest going for his directorial work. Geez—we sure hope all these props don't go to his head.

Prepped for Success

Of course, it's one thing to write a multi-faceted superhero blockbuster with tons of characters and corresponding story arcs, but translating all that to the big screen is a whole other kettle of fish. (Side note: where did this expression come from? Who stores fish in kettles? Actually, don't tell us. We'd rather not know.)

When you think about it, though, Whedon's background made him uniquely qualified to meet this challenge. Sure, it was his script, and sure, he directed the first Avengers, but there's still more to it than that. As we mentioned over in "Screenwriters," Whedon had previously written the first run of issues for the comic book Astonishing X-Men. When you write a comic, you're thinking in terms of both story as well as visual shots. In that way, you have to think much like a director would think. So not only was Whedon steeped in superhero lore, but he was prepared to translate those stories to a visual medium.

You can see an example of this almost right off the bat in Age of Ultron, during the Avengers' raid on Baron von Strucker's research lab in Sokovia. It's chaos, as all the heroes are running through a wintery forest, tangling with Hydra soldiers in super-armor and dodging laser turrets. But then, for one instant, they all come together, leaping together toward the enemy. Whedon slows this down for us, framing all the characters together in an epic visual that captures the essence of what the Avengers are: a team of very different heroes, united by their resolve to rid the world of evil. Whedon's camera gets that idea across perfectly.

Remember Your Roots

But what really makes Age of Ultron worth watching is that it's about more than just pretty explosions and twenty-minute fight scenes. As a director, Whedon also zooms in, getting us closer to the characters by revealing their fears and motivations.

In that way, he's picking up from where he left off as a television director (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly). Often, a smaller screen can lend itself to a more intimate kind of storytelling, one that focuses on characters' personal interactions and challenges. Whedon's direction allow for this very thing, whether it's Tony Stark confessing his fears of failure to Nick Fury in an old barn, or Black Widow pouring her heart out to Bruce Banner in a hallway. These aren't the massive scenes we expect in a superhero flick, but they add needed dimension to the story Whedon is telling. In between all the sugary eye-candy, he's also able to sneak in food for thought, and storylines our hearts.