“Marvel’s The Avengers” – Movie Review
Rating: 4.50 / 5.00
There is always a danger in getting caught up in the hype of some thing. This is especially true when the Hollywood hype machine gets its hands on movies. The excitement is like a blind date. You hear so much about a film, see the trailers…see how the marketing dollars are spent…so you start to allow yourself to believe in the hype. Oh but on the rarest of occasions, your blind date turns out to be amazing. With that, we have…Marvel’s The Avengers.
The Avengers brings together Earth’s mightiest heros to protect the world from an intergalactic threat. Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) round out the stellar team. The team takes its direction from S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).
I usually do not get into who directs or writes movies, but its critical to this film. Joss Whedon (Glee, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Cabin in the Woods) did a fantastic job as director of The Avengers. There was an organized chaos to the film that keeps you excited from start to finish.
What I Didn’t Like: Just a Few Things
I am not sure if it is good or bad, but I had been waiting for this movie to release for the past year. I even knew what theater I was going to. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the movie was going to be released in RPX 3D!
This brings me to my first point, and it was solely my fault. I had a fantastic time, but I think the experience may have been better if I had not seen the movie in 3D. Not only did the 3D glasses make the screen appear darker, but during some of the Iron Man flight scenes (and this could just be me) I swear he blipped across the screen a few times. It reminded me of how a cursor blinks when you type on a computer. It did not happen too much, but I noticed it.
Another item that I do not believe was explained is how Thor arrived on Earth in the film. As you may remember, in the film Thor, the Bifröst, an intergalactic bridge which connects worlds, was destroyed by Loki, Thor’s adoptive brother. Since the Bifröst was destroyed, I thought Thor was incapable of leaving Asgard. During a pivotal scene in the movie, however, there is a lightning storm and Thor suddenly appears. But hey, it’s a comic book movie–those things happen all of the time, right?
Lastly, I was not a huge Hulk fan before watching the movie. After seeing the film and the awesomeness of the Hulk, I wished that there were more scenes of him laying waste to every thing.
What I Did Like: Humor, Action, and Hulk Smash
There were several things I LOVED about The Avengers. Action is some thing everyone knows a summer blockbuster is supposed to have, and The Avengers did not disappoint. What was good about the action sequences, unlike in Transformers, is that they were not 20 minutes long. The action sequences in The Avengers were long enough for you to see amazing stunts, CGI, and explosions, but not so long that you got sensory overload.
Despite being a movie about super heroes saving the world, I would also describe the film as a comedy. Some of the more comical moments are subtle, and you simply have to know the pop culture reference to understand the humor.
For example, in one scene, Downey’s Iron Man character calls Renner’s Hawkeye character ‘Legolas’. Don’t know who or what that is? Legolas is a character from The Lord of the Rings. Legolas, a skilled fighter, uses the bow and arrow as his primary weapon.
Legolas
Hawkeye
Hawkeye, a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative/assassin, is a master marksman. His weapon of choice is also the bow and arrow.
Everyone in the theater laughed when Downey uttered the line.
Shawarma.
And then there’s the Hulk. Listen, from now on, the phrase “Beast mode” should only be uttered by people capable of doing what Ruffalo’s Hulk character did in this movie. Throughout the movie, Tony Stark (Iron Man), constantly tells Bruce Banner (Hulk) that he should let loose and embrace his inner anger. Banner always refuses because he has a fear of hurting people when he loses control. Near the end of the film, however, Captain America “orders” the Hulk to do one simple thing: smash. And…well…when he did, all hell broke loose. It was probably 5-6 minutes of the coolest stuff I’ve ever seen on the big screen. Check it out:
Throughout the humor and on-screen carnage, Whedon also did a thorough job of exploring the characters, particularly scientist/super beast Bruce Banner (the Hulk) and S.H.I.E.L.D. assassin Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow). I really got a sense of the struggle Banner has with every day life. Imagine if you’re on an important phone call, and the signal drops because you have AT&T. You get angry, and then just start tearing up your entire house. Or you get a paper cut. Any thing that sets Banner off could potentially unleash an unstoppable force. Romanoff, on the other hand, has to deal with issues of her past. Whedon briefly covers her past life and explains how Hawkeye coud have killed her, but instead recruited her.
The Avengers was amazing. Period. In fact, its the second-best CBM I’ve ever seen. Why second? Simple. The Dark Knight is still the best CBM I have have ever seen. The Avengers is not even a close second place.
You all need to see the movie. The film is that good.
Summer blockbuster season is here. I’m ready to write.
As always, thank you for joining!
4.50 / 5.00
