The day has finally come. Marvel’s most recognizable superheroes have, after years of planning, finally assembled. The result is everything you could hope for and then some. Not many films have received the speculation and hype which has surrounded this film. But now that the tickets have been purchased, the film reels have spun, and the credits have rolled, it is finally safe to say that The Avengers is one of the most entertaining superhero movies ever made.
Even the most cynical critic has to admit that the film is, at the very least, revolutionary in its approach. Never before in the history of cinema has such a cross-over between separate films been accomplished. The Avengers truly is groundbreaking (Where you at Justice League?).
But more than that, The Avengers is simply an entertaining movie. The first thing that truly makes the film stand out is how funny it is. Obviously when Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is around, you’re going to get some moments of quick wit. But the film includes moments of humor, many of them unexpected, in just about every scene. The never-ceasing comedy does take away a bit from the urgency and desperation of the conflict, but the film is careful to not allow it to take away from the action too much.
In fact, the fights are a fanboy’s dream come true. Superheroes battle supervillains. And aliens. And weird leviathan-like machines. And each other. There’s action throughout, of course, but the climactic battle is nonstop insanity and each Avenger is given amazing moments to shine. Admittedly, some moments were more over-the-top than others (the flying, invisible air-craft carrier, anyone?), but still, The Avengers avoids the Michael Bay (Transformers) trap of being all about mindless action.
Even the most cynical critic has to admit that the film is, at the very least, revolutionary in its approach. Never before in the history of cinema has such a cross-over between separate films been accomplished. The Avengers truly is groundbreaking (Where you at Justice League?).
But more than that, The Avengers is simply an entertaining movie. The first thing that truly makes the film stand out is how funny it is. Obviously when Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is around, you’re going to get some moments of quick wit. But the film includes moments of humor, many of them unexpected, in just about every scene. The never-ceasing comedy does take away a bit from the urgency and desperation of the conflict, but the film is careful to not allow it to take away from the action too much.
In fact, the fights are a fanboy’s dream come true. Superheroes battle supervillains. And aliens. And weird leviathan-like machines. And each other. There’s action throughout, of course, but the climactic battle is nonstop insanity and each Avenger is given amazing moments to shine. Admittedly, some moments were more over-the-top than others (the flying, invisible air-craft carrier, anyone?), but still, The Avengers avoids the Michael Bay (Transformers) trap of being all about mindless action.
The credit for this lies with director Joss Whedon (Serenity), the true hero of the film. Yes, The Avengers is flashy and charges forward at a breakneck pace. But Whedon wasn’t lying in interviews when he talked about how action has to be earned. Fight scenes should never be included for the sake of tossing the audience a few explosions. All struggles, internal and external, should be catalyzed by character and be driven by character.
And boy, are there a lot of characters to develop. The Avengers consists of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. It is a careful balancing act of characters, not to mention weighing the large supporting cast and the development of the villain, Loki. Whedon largely succeeds in this aspect, although Iron Man is clearly given the most screen-time – which is not necessarily a bad thing; Iron Man is actually given the best character-arch in the film – while Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is given the least (a pity considering his brother is the main villain).
However, again, each character is given moments to shine and oh, how brightly they do. We return to give credit to Whedon once more for how brilliant of a writer he is. The script is snappy and clever, totally engaging audiences even when the plot itself is struggling to find its direction. (The film’s momentum was a bit sporadic in the beginning; the film starts with an action scene, but then takes the next 20 minutes to find its footing, darting back and forth between (re)introducing so many different characters.)
But once the Avengers are assembled, the film is nonstop fun as our heroes try to prevent extraterrestrial invasion. The alien race is really just a throwaway group of villains. But then again, who the Avengers are fighting doesn’t really matter, does it? We just want to see them fight. And the film would have no room for more origin plot-lines. Besides, evil is already given a face in Loki, played by the ever versatile Tom Hiddleston (War Horse). Loki gets to continue his character-arch from Thor, but he does seem to be somewhat trivialized as the film progresses.
“For all his strength as a villain, as time wears on he tends to mainly exist to get punched in the face for a joke. Which is great at the moment, in fact it's The Avengers most memorable moment, but it also robs the film a true climax between the heroes and the villain” (Joshua Starnes).
Of course, these are really small issues with what will be one of the most fun movies you will see this summer, this year, perhaps ever. The action is enthralling, the comedy hilarious, and seeing all your favorite heroes doing battle side-by-side is mesmerizing. The film also gives us the very best Hulk on the big screen to date, as well as providing an unexpected, but interesting look into Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow character.
Ultimately, Joss Whedon finds a near perfect balance between heroes, super-soldiers, and gods, between explosions and laughs, between character and action, between emotion and adrenaline. It may have a problem here or there, but The Avengers is one of those generation-defining, watershed films you simply don’t want to miss.
The Final Word: Go buy a ticket.
And boy, are there a lot of characters to develop. The Avengers consists of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Nick Fury, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. It is a careful balancing act of characters, not to mention weighing the large supporting cast and the development of the villain, Loki. Whedon largely succeeds in this aspect, although Iron Man is clearly given the most screen-time – which is not necessarily a bad thing; Iron Man is actually given the best character-arch in the film – while Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is given the least (a pity considering his brother is the main villain).
However, again, each character is given moments to shine and oh, how brightly they do. We return to give credit to Whedon once more for how brilliant of a writer he is. The script is snappy and clever, totally engaging audiences even when the plot itself is struggling to find its direction. (The film’s momentum was a bit sporadic in the beginning; the film starts with an action scene, but then takes the next 20 minutes to find its footing, darting back and forth between (re)introducing so many different characters.)
But once the Avengers are assembled, the film is nonstop fun as our heroes try to prevent extraterrestrial invasion. The alien race is really just a throwaway group of villains. But then again, who the Avengers are fighting doesn’t really matter, does it? We just want to see them fight. And the film would have no room for more origin plot-lines. Besides, evil is already given a face in Loki, played by the ever versatile Tom Hiddleston (War Horse). Loki gets to continue his character-arch from Thor, but he does seem to be somewhat trivialized as the film progresses.
“For all his strength as a villain, as time wears on he tends to mainly exist to get punched in the face for a joke. Which is great at the moment, in fact it's The Avengers most memorable moment, but it also robs the film a true climax between the heroes and the villain” (Joshua Starnes).
Of course, these are really small issues with what will be one of the most fun movies you will see this summer, this year, perhaps ever. The action is enthralling, the comedy hilarious, and seeing all your favorite heroes doing battle side-by-side is mesmerizing. The film also gives us the very best Hulk on the big screen to date, as well as providing an unexpected, but interesting look into Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow character.
Ultimately, Joss Whedon finds a near perfect balance between heroes, super-soldiers, and gods, between explosions and laughs, between character and action, between emotion and adrenaline. It may have a problem here or there, but The Avengers is one of those generation-defining, watershed films you simply don’t want to miss.
The Final Word: Go buy a ticket.
Good review man, seen this 3 times now haha :D
ReplyDeleteCheck out my reviews sometime
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