Just like the beginning of every Marvel movie, we see the comic book pages flip through the movie we are about to see and that’s when my heart sank and it finally hit me. After four years, the movie that was never supposed to make it to the big screen is finally here. It’s time for The Avengers to assemble. But was this cast of all-stars ready to work together and could director/writer Joss Whedon intertwine four separate stories into one that makes sense?
You bet your ass he could. I had no idea how this was going to work but dammit, it did! Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, & Captain America: The First Avenger all end with S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) attempting to recruit each of these super heroes and it was just enough of a tie-in to bring them together to save the world from Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his army as they are each given a reason to go after him. Loki didn’t seem like he would have be a strong enough antagonist for this type of movie but it took less than ten minutes to show us how evil he truly is.
I didn’t think the chemistry was going to work between these four characters because let’s face it… they all have conflicting personalities and egos. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is a “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” who is teaming up with the oldest hero of all, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans). Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a God with Shakespearean dialogue and of course Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) who isn’t known to play well with others. Hell, even Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) were able to find a way to make their presence known. With the character back-stories already set by feature four (five if you want to include Iron Man 2) films, no time was wasted on explaining unnecessary shit.
Whedon’s writing was able to mesh these characters together quite amazingly in a witty, comedic, but also a serious manner. Each character jokes with one another on their flaws and even fight at one point to show off their skill sets. Yet they’re able to put it all aside when it mattered most, the last 30-minutes of the film. And HOLY SHIT! Let’s talk about that for a minute. I really hope Michael Bay was taking notes on how to direct a LONG action sequence, because this is how it’s done. Fuck Transformers 3. The continuity with the fight scenes was on point and each hero got enough screen time to shine. While Iron Man is flying around the city, you can see Thor and Loki still fighting in the background with all kinds of shit exploding on screen. Some of the best sequences are when multiple Avengers are fighting together and are using each other’s skill set to take out the bad guys. Things aren’t blurred by fast moving cameras or hidden by buildings. We get to see these heroes do their thing in the streets of New York.
I must say though, the Hulk stole the show here. Not only was the CGI great since he actually looked like Mark Ruffalo when he’s “the big guy” but we really get to see why he’s such a badass and truly unstoppable. From the opening scene to when the credits roll, there wasn’t a second that went by where I found myself bored. However, there are three things I found ‘problems’ with. First, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) seemed useless as she didn’t do or say much. Second, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) although a great comedic relief, didn’t get enough screen time (which is explained, but still). Finally, Loki’s army, which seemed somewhat random and wasn’t explained well enough. I won’t go into detail, as this doesn’t deter from the movie, as there is so much other ‘badass-ness’ and ‘awesome-ness’ that we forget about these tiny flaws. The dialogue is great and it will take multiple viewings of this film to catch it all as they tend to get covered up by audience laugher or cheering. I know I’ll be watching The Avengers again this weekend and I highly recommend you do too. Oh and be sure to say after the credits for TWO post credit scenes. The hype and wait was all worth it. The bar has been set for The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man.
Infinite Rating: A+
-Anand
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