Granted, Marvel Studios did their best in establishing the four main members of the group with their own films that were mostly pretty solid in their own right, but how can one film fit so much backstory, sarcastic quips, and charisma from the assembled team without it being six hours long? Enter Joss Whedon to write and direct it, complete with his own built-in cult of crazed fans even though his output has never included anything of this size or scope before. I can't say I am a rabid fan of Whedon, only because there are many gaps in his resume that I have not seen. Nonetheless, he seemed like a perfect choice just from the goodwill the internet has for him as well as the properties of his I have seen (like the completely awesome Cabin in the Woods).
So with somewhat tempered expectations, some popcorn and sugar, and no 3D glasses in hand, I walked into The Avengers almost fearing it could not live up to the hype. And uhhh ... it did, and then some. And then some more when Hulk showed up. Those fears about how mashing together so many larger than life superheroes in one film and the amount of toes stepped on and story left out to fit everything in were completely unfounded. Before the group dynamics come into play, I must applaud Marvel for their dedication and foresight to this moment which led to the previous five films being completed, not merely as a bunch of two hour long previews for Avengers, but to firmly establish the leads and their distinctive personalities. These backgrounds made coming into this film a breeze having seen the preceding movies since you already know everyone, just not how they will work together.
Similarly, Avengers works as a standalone film as well due to the diligence in the setup by Whedon which makes the opening act drag a smidge but also reintroduces the characters in a fluid, non-exposition-y type of way. The main gist of the film is likewise very straightforward to maximize funtime without being dragged down into a lot of unnecessary history lessons. Nick Fury (a rather subdued Samuel L. Jackson) must assemble the Avengers, the shadowy organization S.H.I.E.L.D.'s contingency plan, after cast-out Asgardian Loki reemerges to steal a powerful energy source, the Tesseract. The Avengers consist of Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, and Thor, Loki's half-brother from Asgard.
One aspect of the story that I feared the most when details were leaking out was Loki being the big villain this go-around. While I won't say that some of the other Marvel films had lacking bad guys, Loki was the one who seemed the most out of place in Thor since his cold and conniving ways were poorly planned and ultimately pretty weak. Fortunately, Hiddleston has much more to do this time around as he almost immediately turns Hawkeye and scientist Erik Selvig to the dark side, is set to lead an army of angry aliens, and wreaks much havok, both physically and emotionally between the Avengers. For most of the film in fact, Loki is merely a bystander locked away in a Hulk-proof room while distrust and in-fights are the real threat to the group, much to Fury's chagrin. It is only after Loki slips away, the Hulk is unleashed, and a popular secondary character is killed that the six come together with a common goal: destroy Loki and apparently a good amount of New York City as well.
In addition to being part of one of this year's best horror films and being part in the ever growing comic book industry, Whedon is known for having a great grasp on characters, and specifically those in an ensemble setting. Look no further than The Avengers for confirmation of that as this is not just simply another Iron Man (or insert your own favorite here) movie with supporting characters along for the ride but an honest movie about being a team that actually portrays them as such. While no one really gets a character arc per se (but were we really expecting any?), the group dynamics could not have been better with Stark's sarcasm clashing against Roger's earnestness, Romanoff's concerns against Banner's control issues, and Fury's agenda against the rest of them. The fantastical elements notwithstanding, the relationships and conversations between the characters are genuine and well-played to further establish the large cast.
The biggest asset that Whedon brings to the table though is taking a more facetious tone in the story, not unlike Iron Man, which shows he can have a sense of humor without making fun of the property. Throughout the film are many lines that aim for big laughs and deliver. Of course Downey Jr.'s on-screen persona is in full force here but even the rest of the cast get memorable lines and scenes that could have been completely jarring but end up making the film even easier to love. Whedon's direction is as solid as the story even though his inexperience behind such blockbusters should indicate otherwise. Visually, everything is quite clear and easy to understand (very, very few Michael Bay-esque seizure cam shots even during the big finale), the CGI is largely pretty awesome, and it is clear that great care was put into making this film. Only the runtime is a point of contention as its almost two-and-a-half hours grows a bit long but otherwise, it is fantastic.
While The Avengers is no perfect film, it is a prime example of how to make a big-budget summer movie that kicks ass without being 150 minutes of crude jokes and explosions.
Comments
Post a Comment