The Avengers (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
6 heroes: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, Hawkeye & Black Widow kick butt in Marvel's 'The Avengers' (directed by Joss Whedon, of Buffy, Angel, Firefly). It's the summer blockbuster I envisioned in my head when I imagined a film that brought together the heroes of the Marvel world in one enormous package. Think Transformers, but with better characters, some wit, some heart, & a sense of humor. All that said, I actually found 'The Avengers' a little flavorless (no Tim Burton or Guillermo del Toro-like stylistic panache; no iconic musical score). I also found the middle section (an overlong aircraft carrier set piece) to be a little flat. Scenes would go on a beat too long, or lack zest/interest in the dialogue. But that's nitpicking.
The threat that brings these heroes together is posed by Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the banished demigod of Asgard, who has broken into S.H.I.E.L.D's peacekeeping agency headquarters, brainwashed Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Prof. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), and stolen the Tesseract; an all-powerful blue cube. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to stop the Loki, but fails. So under threat of a planetary catastrophe, Fury has one recourse: recruit the Avengers to pull the world back from the brink of disaster ... and hope to god that they play nice {haha}.
He entices Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Capt. America (Chris Evans), & then sends Natasha, aka Black Widow (the sexy Scarlett Johansson) to bring in a secluded Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finally shows up when he learns that his adopted brother Loki is up to no good. After a huge battle aboard an aircraft carrier, Loki is captured, but appears eerily content to be held in confinement on S.H.I.E.L.D's hovercraft. He's biding his time while his alien underlings up in Asgard work hard to open a wormhole that will allow them to attack Earth. The threat of an interplanetary apocalypse ensues.
OK, the main appeal of 'The Avengers' is the gathering of these heroes. Director Joss Whedon sees the Avengers as a sort of incredible and incredibly dysfunctional family. Their powers are foreign to the normal world. And as a result, they are lonely, irritable, emotional frig-ups. One of the most interesting motifs of The Avengers relates to how these individuals must learn to let their egos go & work with each other & their differing superpower abilities for a greater cause.
As Iron Man, RD Jr. lends his usual charisma and cheeky "I rule" wit. He mocks Capt. America's costume. And he even calls the WWII hero an 'old man'. Capt. America retorts by wondering what's under his iron suit, followed by Downey's deadpan, "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Hemsworth's brawny Thor gets some laughs as he dismisses his comrades, "You're all so tiny". And everyone gets to show their crazy-ass skills, including Hawkeye, the expert archer, & Black Widow, a martial arts killer. Johansson has a fantastic opening bit; dispatching some Russian goons with her hands tied behind her back on a chair. And because she & Hawkeye are the least known of the Avengers, I really liked their subplot, & the performances from Renner & Johansson.
I enjoyed seeing Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) be overwhelmed by the presence of his hero, Capt. America. Mark Ruffalo is the newcomer here, replacing Eric Bana & Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, the nuclear physicist with anger management issues that turn him into a green hulking rage machine. Ruffalo brings a low-key warmth & humor to the role. His verbal sparring with Downey Jr. is a pleasure to watch. And it's hard not to cheer when Hulk wipes the floor with the villainous Loki. Speaking of him, a superhero film is only as good as its villain, and Hiddleston is deliciously evil. The antagonistic threat of Loki's alien army is a bit hokey. But the role of Loki demands intuition, a feral quality, a diabolical grin & some crazy daring. And Hiddleston brings all of that.
I definitely had a good (if not mind-blowing) time watching 'The Avengers'. The main plot is, as you read above, fairly basic. The most impressive thing Whedon does with the script is to give all the characters sufficient screen time & keep the film from becoming a hollow visual effects extravaganza. The dynamic, high octane finale - a climactic Manhattan battle that runs for more than 40 min. - works well because attention has been paid to the characters & we care about them. While Iron Man & the Hulk are in the sky smashing flying aliens ... Capt. America & Thor are saving people trapped on ground level. And then you got Black Widow & Hawkeye (recently returned to normal form) taking down whatever foes they can.
So, is this movie perfect? No. There are those aforementioned moments in the middle that felt sluggish to me. A fair amount of setup/exposition needs to be endured (especially for those not versed in Marvel lore). And this film lacks the subversive thematic complexities of a Nolan Batman film, or even a few of the X-Men movies. But what 'The Avengers' sets out to do ... it accomplishes on a grand scale. Whedon gives us the spectacle - but with characterization, humor, & a little soul. My favorite section of the film is that intense 40 min. battle royale towards the end. I never raised out of my seat with spontaneous excitement (was looking for that). But every hero gets their time to shine. And that is what I'll remember most fondly.
The threat that brings these heroes together is posed by Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the banished demigod of Asgard, who has broken into S.H.I.E.L.D's peacekeeping agency headquarters, brainwashed Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Prof. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), and stolen the Tesseract; an all-powerful blue cube. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to stop the Loki, but fails. So under threat of a planetary catastrophe, Fury has one recourse: recruit the Avengers to pull the world back from the brink of disaster ... and hope to god that they play nice {haha}.
He entices Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Capt. America (Chris Evans), & then sends Natasha, aka Black Widow (the sexy Scarlett Johansson) to bring in a secluded Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finally shows up when he learns that his adopted brother Loki is up to no good. After a huge battle aboard an aircraft carrier, Loki is captured, but appears eerily content to be held in confinement on S.H.I.E.L.D's hovercraft. He's biding his time while his alien underlings up in Asgard work hard to open a wormhole that will allow them to attack Earth. The threat of an interplanetary apocalypse ensues.
OK, the main appeal of 'The Avengers' is the gathering of these heroes. Director Joss Whedon sees the Avengers as a sort of incredible and incredibly dysfunctional family. Their powers are foreign to the normal world. And as a result, they are lonely, irritable, emotional frig-ups. One of the most interesting motifs of The Avengers relates to how these individuals must learn to let their egos go & work with each other & their differing superpower abilities for a greater cause.
As Iron Man, RD Jr. lends his usual charisma and cheeky "I rule" wit. He mocks Capt. America's costume. And he even calls the WWII hero an 'old man'. Capt. America retorts by wondering what's under his iron suit, followed by Downey's deadpan, "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Hemsworth's brawny Thor gets some laughs as he dismisses his comrades, "You're all so tiny". And everyone gets to show their crazy-ass skills, including Hawkeye, the expert archer, & Black Widow, a martial arts killer. Johansson has a fantastic opening bit; dispatching some Russian goons with her hands tied behind her back on a chair. And because she & Hawkeye are the least known of the Avengers, I really liked their subplot, & the performances from Renner & Johansson.
I enjoyed seeing Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) be overwhelmed by the presence of his hero, Capt. America. Mark Ruffalo is the newcomer here, replacing Eric Bana & Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, the nuclear physicist with anger management issues that turn him into a green hulking rage machine. Ruffalo brings a low-key warmth & humor to the role. His verbal sparring with Downey Jr. is a pleasure to watch. And it's hard not to cheer when Hulk wipes the floor with the villainous Loki. Speaking of him, a superhero film is only as good as its villain, and Hiddleston is deliciously evil. The antagonistic threat of Loki's alien army is a bit hokey. But the role of Loki demands intuition, a feral quality, a diabolical grin & some crazy daring. And Hiddleston brings all of that.
I definitely had a good (if not mind-blowing) time watching 'The Avengers'. The main plot is, as you read above, fairly basic. The most impressive thing Whedon does with the script is to give all the characters sufficient screen time & keep the film from becoming a hollow visual effects extravaganza. The dynamic, high octane finale - a climactic Manhattan battle that runs for more than 40 min. - works well because attention has been paid to the characters & we care about them. While Iron Man & the Hulk are in the sky smashing flying aliens ... Capt. America & Thor are saving people trapped on ground level. And then you got Black Widow & Hawkeye (recently returned to normal form) taking down whatever foes they can.
So, is this movie perfect? No. There are those aforementioned moments in the middle that felt sluggish to me. A fair amount of setup/exposition needs to be endured (especially for those not versed in Marvel lore). And this film lacks the subversive thematic complexities of a Nolan Batman film, or even a few of the X-Men movies. But what 'The Avengers' sets out to do ... it accomplishes on a grand scale. Whedon gives us the spectacle - but with characterization, humor, & a little soul. My favorite section of the film is that intense 40 min. battle royale towards the end. I never raised out of my seat with spontaneous excitement (was looking for that). But every hero gets their time to shine. And that is what I'll remember most fondly.