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| Marvel's superhero "dream team" defend New York from the villainous forces of Loki. |
Very few films have been able to come close, let alone match
the hype factor that’s been gradually brewing throughout the past four years
for Marvel’s superhero dream team to assemble onscreen. Since 2008’s Iron
Man, Marvel has systematically been laying their cards down one by one,
revealing subtle clues about what Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury describes as
the Avengers Initiative. Die-hard comic book fans know exactly what’s about to
happen and if you’ve seen Iron Man or Thor or any of Marvel’s other recent
superhero movies in the theaters and you’ve seen moviegoers glued to their
seats during the credits, they’re just anxious for the next little piece of the
greater picture.
In The Avengers, the world is threatened by the devious Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the exiled prince of Asgard who’s driven to redeem his defeat in last year’s Thor by conquering Earth once and for all. Loki isn’t alone in this conquest; this time he commands an army of Chitauri, a formidable alien force with its own agenda. Being that this is humanity’s largest threat to date, Fury assembles the Avengers composed of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to defend Earth.
At 142 minutes, The Avengers speeds by going from one action sequence to the next, leaving little breathing room in between segments. The first thirty minutes are the slowest as Whedon reintroduces the members of the Avengers one by one after an opening attack that sparks the reason for Fury to assemble the team. The initial act substantially hinges on Tom Hiddleston’s villainous Loki, who amps up his icy and calculating persona from the last time we saw him in Thor. If it weren’t for Hiddleston’s stellar performance, Loki could easily be written off as just another thin villain in a cheesy costume bent on universal domination. Hiddleston plays off all of his heroic adversaries quite effectively, becoming a thorn in everyone’s side. Whedon slips him in the last two acts, playing our heroes against each other as the voice of deception. Nobody said bringing six fantastic individuals together would be some walk in the park. But when it’s all said and done, the final confrontation over New York City is worth the previous 90 minutes of buildup. Yes, New York City is threatened once again, even though it miraculously looks like it hadn’t been touched from destruction in Iron Man 2. Additionally, Alan Silvestri’s score sounds awfully familiar to that of John Debney’s from Iron Man 2. Those are just a few minor bumps into the road to give die-hards and casual fans alike the new benchmark for popcorn superhero movies.
Even though Marvel has released countless quality superhero films in the past, Joss Whedon has managed to surpass every single one of them with The Avengers. Leading up to The Avengers, there was always this worry even with Whedon at the helm that the movie could very well turn out to be another overhyped, overstuffed abomination like Spider-Man 3. When too much is crammed into a film, particularly a movie like this, it has the tendency to collapse under its own shortsightedness. The Avengers never feels this way, even with a handful of characters barely gunning for the spotlight but united as they should be, as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
In The Avengers, the world is threatened by the devious Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the exiled prince of Asgard who’s driven to redeem his defeat in last year’s Thor by conquering Earth once and for all. Loki isn’t alone in this conquest; this time he commands an army of Chitauri, a formidable alien force with its own agenda. Being that this is humanity’s largest threat to date, Fury assembles the Avengers composed of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to defend Earth.
The Avengers is undoubtedly any fanboy’s wet dream, interconnecting Marvel’s rich mythology together with a spectacle that transcends the ordinary summer tent pole. Director Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly,) whose cult status amongst sci-fi and fantasy fans, proves himself to be the right director for undertaking this massive project. Whedon doesn’t submit audiences or his film to a string of fan service moments, but rather polishes this action-packed paradigm with scenes of purpose and development. Granted, The Avengers isn’t allotted time to advance any individual character arcs, but that’s more than reasonable with five movies of back story already in place. If you’re fairly new to or haven’t being keeping up religiously with the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), the minimal advances in characterizations may seem more like a handicap in Whedon’s storytelling. It’s not impossible to piece together what is going on, but it’s like going into the final Star Wars or Harry Potter movie without seeing the previous installments.
Where The Avengers succeeds best is in its chemistry and stellar action set pieces. Past MCU films have only had minor cameo crossovers, predominantly from Nick Fury, but in The Avengers, it feels as if we’re watching a bunch of experienced colleagues working together as a cohesive unit, though in truth it’s the first time. Robert Downey Jr. downplays his over the top narcissistic tendencies from Iron Man 2, still relishing every moment in the role that reinvigorated his career. Last year’s newcomers, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans have quickly grown accustomed to being the God of Thunder and the time displaced Star-Spangled Man. But the greatest addition to the cast happens to be the most recent recast as Mark Ruffalo portrays the third iteration of the beast with anger management issues, the Hulk. Surpassing previous Hulk portrayers Eric Bana and Edward Norton, Ruffalo enters into the MCU with the least franchise experience yet manages to capture the spirit of both the bookish Bruce Banner and his bulking green counterpart. Banner’s consistent suppression of his Hulk persona limits the appearances to a minimum, but the for the few times that do get to see a fully-realized Hulk, the build-up is genuinely paid off. Together, the Avengers are a team that Marvel fans have been waiting far too long for. Sure we’ve had a ever-rotating squad of X-Men favorites and a Fantastic Four that fails to live up to its name, but with The Avengers, Whedon only needed one chance and hit the mark right on the first attempt.
At 142 minutes, The Avengers speeds by going from one action sequence to the next, leaving little breathing room in between segments. The first thirty minutes are the slowest as Whedon reintroduces the members of the Avengers one by one after an opening attack that sparks the reason for Fury to assemble the team. The initial act substantially hinges on Tom Hiddleston’s villainous Loki, who amps up his icy and calculating persona from the last time we saw him in Thor. If it weren’t for Hiddleston’s stellar performance, Loki could easily be written off as just another thin villain in a cheesy costume bent on universal domination. Hiddleston plays off all of his heroic adversaries quite effectively, becoming a thorn in everyone’s side. Whedon slips him in the last two acts, playing our heroes against each other as the voice of deception. Nobody said bringing six fantastic individuals together would be some walk in the park. But when it’s all said and done, the final confrontation over New York City is worth the previous 90 minutes of buildup. Yes, New York City is threatened once again, even though it miraculously looks like it hadn’t been touched from destruction in Iron Man 2. Additionally, Alan Silvestri’s score sounds awfully familiar to that of John Debney’s from Iron Man 2. Those are just a few minor bumps into the road to give die-hards and casual fans alike the new benchmark for popcorn superhero movies.
Even though Marvel has released countless quality superhero films in the past, Joss Whedon has managed to surpass every single one of them with The Avengers. Leading up to The Avengers, there was always this worry even with Whedon at the helm that the movie could very well turn out to be another overhyped, overstuffed abomination like Spider-Man 3. When too much is crammed into a film, particularly a movie like this, it has the tendency to collapse under its own shortsightedness. The Avengers never feels this way, even with a handful of characters barely gunning for the spotlight but united as they should be, as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
GRADE: A (10/10)
This review is also available on Blu-Ray.com
Nice review. I had such a great time with this flick and definitely think it's one of the best superhero flicks since Spider-Man 2. Hopefully, Whedon will return for the sequel and makes it even better than this. Best way to kick off the Summer!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with everything you said. I really can't wait for the rumored 3-hour version to come out on Blu-Ray. Whedon delivered more than we deserved.
ReplyDelete