Kicking off the blockbuster season is The Avengers, which brings together Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the only one without a major movie role to date, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Writer/director Joss Whedon is known mostly for his creation of TV shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Angel, and the cult sci-fi film, Serenity, which he also directed, and his gift for character development is put to the test with The Avengers, as it has to appeal to newcomers as well as fans of all the previous films. The result is a really fun film that’s is jam-packed with action and a story that is believable enough to get by.
The tesseract (a self-renewable energy source, as seen in Captain America) has been stolen by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Nick Fury (the one and only Samuel L. Jackson) tries to get these superheroes to work together to get it back.
This is the most impressive post-production 3D film I’ve seen, as it was not gimmicky, but truly dimensional. I’ve had many discussions with other critics, and even before this film started, I was talking about how 3D films should use the gimmicks. I was reminded of what Fright Night set out to do, as it too was not gimmicky, but focused on dimension. The Avengers, although converted to 3D in post-production, was clearly shot with the 3D in mind, as virtually every scene has layers that pull you in the action. Often in 3D films, I’ll take off my glasses to check if I see a difference, and I realized after that I didn’t check once. Although I think there is a place for gimmicky 3D (I’m looking at you Piranha 3D), I really like the artistic direction seen in this film.
As separate films for the characters, the only one that I really liked was the first Iron Man. Robert Downey, Jr breathed new life into a different kind of superhero, one that is not at odds with himself as was seen in Batman Begins. I felt that in Iron Man 2, Tony Stark was a bit too much to take, but in The Avengers, he’s not the focus, so that actually balances out the other characters who take themselves way to seriously. The only character that didn’t get proper attention, and the one that needed it the most, was Hawkeye. He was barely a mention in Thor and yet audiences are not given any sort indication of his personality, especially considering the storyline of this film. His character was almost a waste.
Another big disappointment was Hulk, aka Bruce Banner, as he’s had two different films that have been with two different actors, and now, the third, Mark Ruffalo, did not give him a proper presentation as a menace. The film expects everyone to know exactly who the Hulk is and what he can do. In one scene he’s a completely mindless maniac, and at the end he suddenly listens to people. What gives?
I also wanted more from the story. Loki is a complex character and is ripe for a very evil villain, yet he’s not really treated as such. No one seems to be afraid of him or what he might do. He’s treated more like a bratty younger brother of Thor and it didn’t give him any credibility.
The shining light of the film and what will get repeat viewings, is the amazing action. Virtually every scene has somebody either fighting the enemy or each other while laying waste to everything in their paths. It’s everything you hoped for and more. Just when you think it can’t be topped, the next sequence starts that blows you away even more. This will be a crowd-pleaser.
Rating: Not the most complex, but awesome action that doesn’t disappoint. 7/10
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