Four years of movie prequels, and the final product surpasses everyone’s expectations.
The Avengers take a break from their battle to strike a pose.
It has been a lengthy four years since Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) first donned his suit in the hit 2008 movie release of Iron Man. No one could have anticipated the upcoming torrent of Marvel movies to come. They ranged from fantastic to mediocre: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger in that order. All of these movies have been leading to a final compilation of all these incredible heroes into one cohesive ensemble. The result is Marvel’s highly awaited film The Avengers, and after viewing such a movie I can assure everyone that all their time and patronage has been well used. The Avengers not only lives up to its promises, but also goes entirely beyond what I originally thought possible.
The story begins in a large Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (S.H.I.E.L.D.) base with a mysterious cube object, called the Tezzeract, acting up. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, The Samaritan) arrives on the scene, and explains that the activation of the Tezzeract will mean the destruction of the base. When the Tezzeract activates, it creates a portal through space and brings Loki (Tom Hiddleston, War Horse) to Earth. Right away, Loki stands out as a powerful villain. The staff he wields gives him immeasurable power, which he uses to nearly destroy a room of armed individuals, and even control the minds of some.
The base begins to collapse and Loki escapes with the Tezzeract in hand, promising that Earth will soon come to an end at the hands of his army. After being beaten in such a way, Fury now knows that Earth will need some heavy-duty protection from the war to come. He must enlist an elite group of powerful heroes to aid S.H.I.E.L.D. and the entire world.
All of the heroes start almost right where they left off from their previous films. The Incredible Hulk ended with Bruce Banner (Edward Nortan, The Painted Veil) beginning to learn how to control his monster within. Now, the new Bruce Banner played by Mark Ruffalo (Date Night) is in an Asian country, using his scientific intellect to be a doctor of sorts. Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans, Captain America: The First Avenger) has been unfrozen by S.H.I.E.L.D.(with the Tezzeract), and is having trouble adjusting to a world he hasn’t been a part of since WWII. Tony Stark/Iron Man has gone on living his life as a genius billionaire, with the assumption that S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t planning on recruiting him. Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) has returned to Asgard (his home world), for he found himself a danger to Earth.
In addition to all these film heroes, The Avengers hosts two new ones who are both regular humans with extraordinary ability. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, We Bought a Zoo) who had a small part in Iron Man 2 is an extreme spy with a dark past. Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol) is a regular man with fantastic eyesight and incredible skills with a bow. With all these heroes and powers colliding, this movie could have been a blockbuster disaster. Luckily, director/screenplay writer Joss Whedon (The Cabin in the Woods, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dollhouse ) has crafted pure genius. The Avengers supports fantastic dialogue, triple-A acting and a great amount of action to boot. This movie even incorporates comedy into the dialogue and action.
During some of The Avengers action scenes, I was often shocked at how much was going on at one time. All the heroes fighting together and mixing their powers up into a volatile concoction was an absolute thrill to watch. Every actor played his or her role perfectly from the sarcastic and witty humor of Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, to the goody two-shoes military man Steve Rogers. I thought that no one could beat Norton’s Bruce Banner, and I was right, but Ruffalo’s Banner laid my original fears of an inconsistent plot hole to rest. He was intelligent, interesting, and funny which perfectly fit the role of Banner in this movie. It’s no surprise that the interworked comedy can get a bit annoying when added to serious situations, but this is a minor gripe.
The narrative is fantastic as well, touching on the many problems of bringing a group like this together. Everyone’s personalities (and powers) clash from time to time (especially in the first and second act of the movie), which only makes sense. They each have their own distinct motives and for helping, which really shows when they are together and alone. Even Loki had a great motive for destroying Earth, and was a very empathetic villain (for he is Thor’s banished half-brother). When The Avengers finally come together under one unified cause, the audience is treated to a very gratifying sight and feeling.
The Avengers is a perfect way to kick off the summer movie season. It is best described as a comedic action romp with lots of teamwork, and all the problems that come with it. The comedy can get annoying at times and the acting is lacking on rare occasions, but these minuscule gripes barely deter from the bigger picture.
Everyone should see The Avengers whether it is on the big screen, at a cheap theater later, or on DVD or Blu-Ray down the road. Just do me a favor, don’t see it in converted 3-D. It’s already making record sales, and I think the movie can go without more “fake 3-D” money.
Rating: ★★★★★
