The Avengers
The moment of truth has arrived! Is it possible to
make a viable ensemble epic action movie starring some of the biggest
blockbuster characters of the last five years? The answer : a
resounding yes!
Marvel Studios' The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble as it's known
overseas) is the Super Hero team-up of a lifetime, featuring iconic
Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain
America, Hawkeye and Black Widow.
It's the story all five Marvel films since Iron Man have been
leading two, with each individual leaving a little trail of crumbs. It
kicks off when an unexpected enemy emerges (a familiar face from the
Thor universe) that threatens global safety and security.
Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), Director of the international
peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D, finds himself in need of a
team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the
globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
And so The Avengers assemble : Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Captain
America (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris
Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner).
What is so startling about director Joss Whedon's film is that it
manages to mix the incredible number of different Universe's logic and
varied tones into one consistent mood (without ever betraying the style
of each individual film which came before it).
It's quite possibly one of the most marvously
handled ensemble films ever, easily beating out the X-Men and Oceans franchises,
in that it never feels like anyone gets more screen time than another.
Everyone feels like the main character and at no point does it feel
like a character has been short changed or shoe horned in.
There is plenty of Wheadon trademarks on offer to
: from its laugh out loud humour, perfectly scultpted pop culture
references, to the impressive action, well rounded characters and natural
dialogue during unnatural situations. It's all sorts of wonderful.
Even The Hulk somehow comes out looking better and more interesting
than he did after both Hulk
and The Incredible Hulk
combined.
What has always worked about the Marvel films is
their commitment to style. While they may not contain the gritty and
surprising dramatic elements of Christopher Nolan's Batman series, they
have all managed to genuinely perfect the Popcorn Action movie model.
If Transformers
is One Direction and The Dark Knight is
Radiohead - then The
Avengers (and the Marvel film stable) is Beyonce. It's
pop - but incredibly good, fun, enjoyable and - above anything else -
credible pop!
If there was to be one fault to pick, it's perhaps
the lack of one, big "HOLY CRAP!" moment of pure surprise and cheer
worthy importance. The "game changing" moment a cinematic experiment
like this not only needs in order to pave the way for the future - but
also the one it deserves.
But that, dear reader, is me being incredibly picky! Belive the hype The Avengers is
the movie comic book fans, movie fans and superhero fans have been
waiting for.
4 out
of 5
The
Avengers
Australian release: 25th April,
2012
Official
Site: The
Avengers
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris
Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Cobie
Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Stellan Skarsgård, Tom
Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Mark Ruffalo
Director: Joss Whedon
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