The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers

★★★★☆

Directed by: Joss Whedon

Written by: Joss Whedon and Zak Penn

Based on the Comic Book Created by: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

I said in my combo review for Captain America and Thor that I was ready to pull down my fanboy goggles for The Avengers after seeing what Marvel Studios was doing with their superhero movies in the last few years. I didn’t know then that it would be such a literal statement. Circumstances dictated that the best showtime for my wife and I to see the film was a 3D showing.

This isn’t really a review of the 3D effects in The Avengers or even 3D movies in general, but I should point out a couple of things I noticed from seeing a full 3D movie. One is that kinetic, high-movement action sequences don’t look as impressive in 3D, at least not to me. Maybe my brain operates at half speed or something, but it looks very choppy and stilted to me when things move too quickly in 3D. The other is that the depth of field impression given by the 3D makes sequences of characters who aren’t in close zoom appear incredibly small, such as when Iron Man flies around the city. And finally, I don’t see very many points at which set pieces that weren’t designed with 3D in mind should be in full 3D. Watching people stand around a table talking in 3D isn’t exactly detrimental to the storytelling, but it adds zero to the equation and for that reason alone it should be taken out.

So anyway, The Avengers. In large part, the set-up here is not terribly necessary. If you’ve kept up with the Marvel Movie Canon, you have lots of familiar faces as Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Scarlett Johansson (Black WIdow), Gweneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Chris Evans (Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) and Tom Hiddleston (Loki) all reprise roles from earlier movies. Each plays his or her character essentially the same as they have before, so there are no real surprises. The only big newcomer is Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, standing in for Edward Norton. Honestly, I’m a fan of Norton as an actor, but I think Ruffalo is a better Bruce Banner so the singular change is welcome.

The plot involves a plan by Loki to steal the Tesseract, first seen in the original Thor film, which is a macguffin that permits the opening of a portal between an alien world and Earth. The real plot of the movie is the assembly of the Avengers team to combat Loki and the threat and the first act is largely a series of homages and personality clashes between the larger-than-life heroes that have filled whole movies themselves. I need to pause here and say that this part of the movie works, but it only does so on the strength of the script (which is, if you have any familiarity with Joss Whedon’s other work, expectedly exciting and funny and cool). It is fairly clear early on that Whedon is the most comfortable when writing a select few of the characters: Agent Coulson, Tony Stark (Iron Man), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) and Steve Rodgers (Captain America), so they get the most dialogue and the best lines. Which is actually fine because from these four central characters, the others bounce witty exchanges and character or dynamic revealing exchanges off each other in a way that doesn’t make them seem less important, just less assertive.

There are the requisite comic-book dream match-ups: Thor vs. Iron Man, Black Widow vs. Hulk, Captain America vs. Being A Total Square, etc. As the second act unfolds on an impressive S.H.I.E.L.D. air-carrier and a captured Loki begins to reveal his scheme, the discussions of teamwork and purpose and background fade and themes of heroism and sacrifice emerge. This is easy, familiar territory for Whedon and on this grand stage he repeats some of his favored insights in slightly different contexts such that his great talent is undeniable to the uninitiated but those who have followed along on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, etc. will nod with sage recognition.

The final action sequence is among the most spectacular I can remember, a long, exhilarating sequence of special effects that I think will stand alongside the epic scope sequences from films like Lord of the Rings (specifically The Two Towers) and 300 and The Matrix Reloaded (don’t email me with 10,000 other movies that have great epic action scenes, there are a lot I know; assume that whatever your personal favorites are, this one stands alongside it). Interestingly, in these effects-heavy scenes it is the Hulk who mostly steals the show (I find once again, like in his own movie, Thor comes out seeming a little pointless and wussy) but each Avenger has at least a couple of scenes or moments to shine.

The hallmark of a good popcorn flick is one that seems to pass the time very quickly and that has you leaving the theater with a smile on your face. The Avengers did both of these admirably, and I can do little but recommend it, especially to those who have enjoyed other Marvel-based movies in recent years.

from No Thief Like a Bad MovieJuly 03, 2012 at 12:33PM