Marvel's The Avengers
Marvel's The Avengers is quite simply put, the best superhero movie ever made. OMG!
That's my acronym to describe my excitement over the film Marvel's The Avengers! Let's put it this way: some people's memorable leisure experiences are defined by a certain game they went to or a special moment they witnessed that exceeded their expectations. In my lifetime, few movies exceeded my expectations. They were Superman, Star Wars: Episode IV and V and now The Avengers!
I totally agree with fellow Starlogger José Soto's review of the film (posted on the Starloggers blog), so I'll try not to be repetitive, and I'll add some of my own personal observations. When it comes to super hero movies that missed the mark, you have either 1) low-budget or direct-to-DVD works (such as early '90s film versions of Captain America and the Punisher), 2) low-budget box office bombs (i.e. Elektra) and 3) big-budget box office bombs (Green Lantern).
Marvel's The Avengers is not in any of the above categories! This is the first full blown super hero team movie with an integrated, shared universe. I'm sure the fan base for these heroes have increased, bringing in newcomers and one-time fans worldwide. When it comes to super hero movies that fans, audiences and critics all liked, we have a list of past favorites like The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger and so on. Marvel's The Avengers should not only be included with those films but it deserves its own category: the best integrated, multi-picture franchise/super hero universe. What Marvel Studios has done is unprecedented in movie history. They’ve taken four successful movie franchises –featuring Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and Hulk – and made the setting of these movies in a shared universe, creating a movie called The Avengers that teams them up. It clearly sets a new benchmark for super hero movies. Not to exaggerate too much but Marvel's The Avengers has changed super hero films in a way that can only be compared to how Shakespeare changed playwriting.
Comic book fan Joss Whedon is a true unsung hero here. He co-wrote a fantastic screenplay filled with witty banter and directed this movie in a way that made me feel like I was picking up a favorite issue of The Avengers comic book. Whedon understands the dynamic of the group and their history. This film combines the best parts of the mainstream Avengers comics and The Ultimates. In a nutshell, the evil demigod Loki (Tom Hiddleston) arrives on Earth and steals this powerful object called the Tesseract from an international spy agency called S.H.I.E.L.D. to spearhead an invasion on our world. The only way to stop him is by assembling a group of super heroes who don't get along with each other. The first part of the movie has all the main characters bickering and yelling at each other like an intense scene from Glegarry Glen Ross, and at times coming to blows in an earth-shattering, jaw-breaking, nuke-'splodin' manner! The battle scenes are inspired by the dynamic sequences drawn by the late co-creator of the Avengers Jack "King" Kirby.
Everyone from Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Hiddleston deliver pitch-perfect performances. They perfectly personify their comic book characters. Everyone was a star and get adequate screentime with distinct personalities. For instance, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Downey, Jr.) is an agitator, he likes taunting Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Evans) but becomes a team player. Captain America is a fish out of water but emerges as the leader in the best possible way. And the Hulk! If there is one breakout star in this movie it's him, he's the most unexpected, crowd-pleasing hero! This movie makes it clear that the Hulk is the most powerful force in the Marvel universe. As for Ruffalo's performance as Hulk's alter ego, Banner, he is better than Ed Norton and rivals Bill Bixby. And what team ups! Once these disparate S.H.I.E.L.D.-recruited individuals learn that they have to work as a team in order to win, at that moment, the Avengers were born.
The story, direction, cast, costumes, production, music and f/x are all very well developed. This film had some of the best fight scenes ever done. At one point the Avengers are fighting Loki's alien forces all over New York City. We are actually given a 360 degree view of the battle that takes place over a few miles and shows us what each team member is doing. It really draws audiences into the battle and gives the sense that the super heroes are fighting as one unit. My only complaint about is that Avengers 2 can't come soon enough!
I give this movie a 10 out of 10! Don't wait for DVD, get your tickets and see Marvel's The Avengers! Oh and, as many know, stay seated during the final credits--there's not one secret ending, but two.
GEO