I took a chance on The Avengers in that I thought my eight-year-old daughter was old enough to not be disturbed by the action or imagery in the film. I had read quite a few postings at commonsensemedia.org and carefully evaluated a variety of parents? opinions and ultimately felt comfortable with the choice. My goal was to share the awesomeness of a well-executed superhero movie with my family. My daughter lasted an hour. Nothing to do with the action (if anything the movie was a bit boring for her), but when my wife (who was more concerned than I about the movie?s impact on our child) whispered an invitation to the mall in our daughter?s ear she jumped at the chance. So the Mighty Avengers vs. Shopping? well, it was no contest for my family, they hit the mall and left me to the movie. (Maybe the Spider-Man reboot will be the ticket.)
I may not have to tell you, but I will: ?The Avengers is a great movie. ?It was made by a fan for fans. Although it lives firmly in the ?action? category, the story was propelled by strong characters, accomplished actors, and an outstanding script.
Since fans of the Marvel movies have met almost everyone else, the most prominent newcomer is Mark Ruffalo who takes Ed Norton?s place as Bruce Banner. ?Ruffalo?s Banner was no less intense or tortured than Ed Norton?s, but Ruffalo added a reluctant applomb and brilliantly managed to communicate a well-capped but seething underlying anger at himself and at the military. Bolstered by some powerhouse lines, Ruffalo?s scenes were among my favorites of the film.
The award for best fight choreography goes to Captain America, played by Chris Evans. Killer aliens with fancy weapons are about the same as Nazis with machine guns to Cap. From a character perspective, I appreciated how Steve Rogers evolved from dutiful order-taker to thoughtful hero, finding and walking the line that all comic heroes walk, the one that leads them outside the letter of the law but straight into its spirit.
The only ?sidekick? of all the prior films to make an appearance was Gwyneth Paltrow?s sultry and super-sharp Pepper Potts, Tony Stark?s babe Friday. Having screen time in both Iron Man movies has certainly made her the most familiar of the heroic support teams (and let?s face it, Cap?s support team are all at least octagenarians). Paltrow was as convincing as ever, but I must admit I found myself amused that they kept her barefoot in her scenes with Mr. Downey so she wouldn?t tower over the iron hero.
Downey?s work might have been his best yet as Iron Man. He has the role down pat now (which admittedly at times seems like ?what Tony Stark would be like if he were just like Robert Downey Jr.?). ?In Avengers Tony keeps the humor flowing and promotes a could-care-less attitude yet finds himself the hero best positioned to save the day on more than one occasion and rises to the challenge each time.
Jeremy Renner?s Hawkeye played a pivotal yet understated role in the film. Hawkeye?s character was used to give the enemy an advantage which in turn allowed the plot to relentlessly move towards a seemingly inevitable end for the world. Samuel Jackon?s Nick Fury was as gruff and Machiavellian as ever, to the point that I have to wonder if Nick lied about the death of a character simply to ignite the passions of the not-yet-assembled Avengers. (Still, long-time fans of director Joss Whedon know he is quite capable of killing characters in the name of a good story.) ?Chris Hemsworth continued his good work as the quick-to-temper thunder god Thor, and as in recent Thor comics canon, big-screen Thor shows a deep loyalty to family values by offering brother Loki a perhaps ill-advised chance at redemption. Tom Hiddleston?s Loki, in response, was of course as driven and resourceful as a villain can possibly be, but in truth Loki did his best evilling in the Thor movie, where he was even more subtle and scheming, the trickster god we know him to be. Still, it was fun to see him lose it a bit in this one at the hands of a rather devious Black Widow.
Scarlett Johansson?s Black Widow is the single character I think might be miscast. Voluptuous though she is, I don?t look at her and think ?super spy.? (I suppose that same logic would make her a perfect spy.) What she does, however, is bring her considerable acting chops into play and it wasn?t long before I believed that beautiful woman could break all of a man?s limbs even if he has her tied to a chair.
Part of what makes The Avengers work so well is not only the strength of the actors but the strength of the script, which gives each character the amount of spotlight the story demands, and not a second more. In the group scenes, Whedon?s ensemble writing skills shine with dialogue that is at once quick, witty, and biting.? Perhaps the most delightful aspect of The Avengers is that it is continually surprising. Nothing is out of character but there are enough twists and turns to keep even the most seasoned comic geek guessing as to what might come next. This might be the biggest complement of all for Mr. Whedon: his screenplay is so well done that fans of the movies who will never read a comic will still love the same things about the characters and the story that we love from the paper-bound versions. ?If that?s not a super power, I don?t know what is.
This next bit may taste spoilery. You have been warned.
I have to believe (perhaps erroneously) that the truest fans of these Marvel films are the ones that stay all the way through the credits. We are the ones who, in addition to actually reading and enjoying the credits, hope to be teased and tortured with a clue to the next installment of the franchise. The first reward from The Avengers credits is Chris Cornell?s soulful vocal pipes belting out a new Soundgarden tune, ?Live to Rise.? I?ll be forking out $0.99 to add that to my playlist. ?The second reward comes earlier than expected: a final scene only about three minutes into the credits. The scene takes place on a rock floating in Kirby space, a soldier/minion reporting to his liege that Earth is not the easy-peasy win they had hoped. The superior, whose back has been to the camera, turns his head to the side and smiles, giving us a glimpse of what?s to come. I can?t allow myself to give everything away, but I?ll say I?m definitely in for the next film. ?The third and final surprise does indeed come at the very end of the credits, a joke played on (and shared with) us fans by Whedon himself. I enjoyed the joke immensely and will even watch the darn thing again the next time I see The Avengers.
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