Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Religious Music & Entertainment
American Ultra: Monkeying Around With Free Will

American Ultra: Monkeying Around With Free Will

Last updated on: August 24, 2015 at 7:00 pm by Paul Asay

American Ultra: Monkeying Around With Free Will 2015-08-24T19:00:22-06:00 Paul Asay

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

You can count the things that *American Ultra’*s Mike Howell loves on three fingers: his girlfriend (Phoebe), his drugs (marijuana, mostly), and Apollo Ape.

Sorta like Athena, Apollo Ape sprang from Mike’s fertile, somewhat stoned mind. Every spare minute he’s got (and he’s got plenty), Mike (Jesse Eisenberg) draws his prime primate and sketches out Apollo’s madcap adventures—on a spare napkin, in a notebook, on the wall. You could argue that Apollo’s life is more fulfilling than Mike’s own.

Well, except that their lives turn out to be disturbingly similar. Apollo Ape was once a NASA employee/ experiment. And, as it turns out, Mike was a bit of a governmental science project, too—not for NASA, of course, but with the CIA. Unbeknownst to him, Mike has been trained in all manner of assassinry but, like a stoned version of Jason Bourne, forgot all about it. Mike’s so secret a secret agent that he doesn’t even know it.
Except that he does. Because, well, Apollo Ape. It’s Mike’s very own, hand-drawn repressed reality, and these graphic stories are where Mike’s alter ego goes to frolic. At least until Mike’s skills are re-activated, that is, and he must defend himself against another batch of the agency’s killer experiments.

But not all government-created assassins are created equal. Whereas the CIA’s “Wise Man” program was shuttered for driving Mike and others a little crazy, the agency’s new program seems to select killers who are bonkers to begin with. A guy named Laugher (Walter Goggins) is the program’s most obvious psychopath, but everyone seems to be a few bananas shy of a bunch. They’re also completely under the control of CIA lackey Adrian Yates (the cherubically villainous Topher Grace).

american ultra 2 Near the end of the movie, Laugher and Mike sit across from each, each utterly exhausted and gushing blood from a plethora of perforations.

“Who tells you what to do?” Laugher asks.

“Nobody,” Mike says, a little surprised by the query.

“That must be nice,” Laugher says.

Let’s unpack that exchange a bit. Throughout American Ultra, we hear the constant thematic drumbeat around the subject of free will—who has it and who doesn’t. Adrian spreads rumors that CIA agent Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton), who’s trying to help Mike, has had “inappropriate contact” with monkeys—an echo of Apollo Ape, but these monkeys lack the ability to zip off on their own adventures. Adrian treats his “Tough Guy” assassins no better than dogs. Mike, as he discovers his assassin super powers, wonders aloud whether he might be a robot.

Even some characters that apparently have free will are being forced into positions of abject sublimation, and their ability to choose is ripped away from them. Victoria’s old assistant Petey (Tony Hale), for instance, wants to help his former boss, but Adrian threatens his job and even his life to make him knuckle under.

Who tells you what to do? A lot of people are told what to do here, and the results are never good.

In contrast, the movie’s heroes feel a different sort of pressure—a desire to help the people they love or care for. Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), we learn, sacrificed a promising career in the CIA to be with Mike. Victoria risks her life to save him. Both acts were well off script, really—and explicit uses of free will. And when Phoebe’s imperiled, Mike pulls out all the stops to rescue her.

American Ultra’s good guys sacrifice a great deal for others. But they make those sacrifices through their own initiative. No one’s telling them to do anything.

There are those who don’t believe there is such a thing as free will—that all of us are slaves to our biological and psychological programming. But for those who are Christian, the concept of free will—of having the right and ability to choose—is absolutely critical to our faith. God loves us and wants us to love Him back. And while he could’ve made us love Him, that wouldn’t really be love, would it? It’d be more like a very affectionate form of Siri. And while that free will has proved ever-so-troublesome down through the ages, it’s what sets us apart from God’s other—and our own semi-intelligent—creations. Robots don’t have free will. Animals don’t have it. Adrian’s Tough Guys don’t have it. But our heroes do. They choose to sacrifice for others, and that choice makes all the difference.

To me, Apollo Ape offers a nod toward what scientists say would be our evolutionary roots. He is a primate—an animal in some respects. But yet, he is something more. Something closer to us. He has free will. He has the ability to choose his own destiny. Just as we all do.

movies

American Ultra

freedom

Previous Post

August 19, 2015

Remembering Robin (Part Two)

Next Post

August 26, 2015 A Peek at the Christian Movie Woodlawn

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category books celebrities Editor's Choice games movies music news sports superheroes television Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 December 2025 October 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 September 2023 March 2023 February 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 December 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the occupation of Lydia, Paul's first convert in Philippi?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Dealer in purple cloth Tentmaker Tax collector Fisherman

Books by This Author Books by Paul Asay

See All Titles »