The Avengers
Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and Agent Coulson are all thrown into a movie together when Loki decides to invade earth.
It's hard to talk about the Avengers without pulling the film's hype into it. Fans have been awaiting for this film since Iron Man in 2008. A huge marketing campaign, followed by an opening weekend filled with great critical acclaim and a massive box office take might make it seem like this film is the do-all-and-end-all of the cinema. Of course, there is the backlash of those who hate the film because of its grand reception. In effort to cut through all the hype, I will make this review simple.
Is the Avengers a good film? Hell yes! It is a heck of a good time. Most of the credit for the film's success belongs to writer/director Joss Whedon. With so many characters and so much back-story, the Avengers could have been an absolute mess in the manner of Jon Faverau's Iron Man 2. Unlike that previous film, Whedon finds a way to give all of the characters and personalities their proper due, while keeping the film moving at a good speed. Despite its length of almost two-and-a-half hours, the Avengers pacing never flags.
Whedon, who is a veteran of working with ensemble casts, as his TV shows (Buffy, Angel, Firefly) and previous film (2005's wonderful Serenity) were all large cast affairs, does an especially good job of capturing the interaction between the characters as their egos start to collide. His penchant for witty banter fitting perfectly in these character's mouths.
The actors all look like they are having a blast here, and there are no weak performances in this film (almost). All of the actors, most of whom were introduced in previous Marvel films, all fit comfortable into their roles, with some being noticeably better, I am thinking Loki in particular, being a lot more menacing and fun to watch than he was in Thor. Also worth mentioning is Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, who was wasted in Iron Man 2 in a rather pointless role. Here, given some decent material to work with, she turns in a much more nuanced performance. The acting highlight, however, belongs to a newcomer to the series, Mark Ruffalo, who takes over the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk from Edward Norton. Ruffalo, with Whedon's script, nail this character better then anyone has before. He is by turns affable, bitter, dangerous, funny, scared and tragic. Both the dramatic and comic highlights of the film belong to him. My biggest hope coming out of the Avengers is that Whedon gets to write a Hulk film starring Ruffalo. That could be great.
The action in the Avengers is first-rate and HUGE. The battles between individual characters (Captain/Loki, Iron Man/Thor, Thor/Hulk) a very well done and fun to watch (and geek out during), but the main action set-piece, the forty minute, all-out melee in downtown Manhattan that concludes the film, is something else. Besides it's enormous size and excellent choreography, it is also very easy to comprehend what is happening on screen. Unlike many modern action films (Hunger Games, I am looking at you), the action isn't obscured by shaky camera work or choppy editing. The action, brought to life with immaculate special effects, is always easy to follow. It is also a joy to see the Avengers start to work together as a team. But...
Is the Avengers a great film? Hell no! While the group dynamic and character interactions are witty and fun, there isn't any real depth to the characters here. With the exception of Bruce Banner, the characters are all the same at the end of the film as they were in the beginning. Whatever character development that has been done, was achieved in the characters individual films. The Avengers sometimes feels like a giant action scene concluding a massive twelve hour movie.
Although most of the actors are first rate, Samuel L Jackson phones in his work as Nick Fury. He is better here than he is in the Star Wars prequels, but he still brings nothing special to the role. He is just there. Not bad, but outclassed by the rest of the cast.
The fact of the matter is that I don't think the Avengers was ever intended to be a "great" film. Films like the Dark Knight and to a somewhat lesser extent Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Batman Begins attempt to be something more than just a superhero film. They add depth and layers to the story. They add substance to the characters, force them into ethical dilemmas and make them find a path out. The Avengers wants to pit a group of superheros against and evil army, watch them kick ass and have a blast doing it. This film wants to be fun, and boy does it ever succeed. That it has wonderful acting, a very funny, well structured script, and direction that ties it all together in a way that doesn't insult your intelligence is rather miraculous for a film this size. Will there be better films released this year? Without a doubt. Will you have more fun at any film released this year? Not likely!
**** (out of *****)
Because it doesn't count if you don't rate films in a list, here are the Marvel films form best to worst:
1) Iron Man
It's hard to talk about the Avengers without pulling the film's hype into it. Fans have been awaiting for this film since Iron Man in 2008. A huge marketing campaign, followed by an opening weekend filled with great critical acclaim and a massive box office take might make it seem like this film is the do-all-and-end-all of the cinema. Of course, there is the backlash of those who hate the film because of its grand reception. In effort to cut through all the hype, I will make this review simple.
Is the Avengers a good film? Hell yes! It is a heck of a good time. Most of the credit for the film's success belongs to writer/director Joss Whedon. With so many characters and so much back-story, the Avengers could have been an absolute mess in the manner of Jon Faverau's Iron Man 2. Unlike that previous film, Whedon finds a way to give all of the characters and personalities their proper due, while keeping the film moving at a good speed. Despite its length of almost two-and-a-half hours, the Avengers pacing never flags.
Whedon, who is a veteran of working with ensemble casts, as his TV shows (Buffy, Angel, Firefly) and previous film (2005's wonderful Serenity) were all large cast affairs, does an especially good job of capturing the interaction between the characters as their egos start to collide. His penchant for witty banter fitting perfectly in these character's mouths.
The actors all look like they are having a blast here, and there are no weak performances in this film (almost). All of the actors, most of whom were introduced in previous Marvel films, all fit comfortable into their roles, with some being noticeably better, I am thinking Loki in particular, being a lot more menacing and fun to watch than he was in Thor. Also worth mentioning is Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, who was wasted in Iron Man 2 in a rather pointless role. Here, given some decent material to work with, she turns in a much more nuanced performance. The acting highlight, however, belongs to a newcomer to the series, Mark Ruffalo, who takes over the role of Bruce Banner/Hulk from Edward Norton. Ruffalo, with Whedon's script, nail this character better then anyone has before. He is by turns affable, bitter, dangerous, funny, scared and tragic. Both the dramatic and comic highlights of the film belong to him. My biggest hope coming out of the Avengers is that Whedon gets to write a Hulk film starring Ruffalo. That could be great.
The action in the Avengers is first-rate and HUGE. The battles between individual characters (Captain/Loki, Iron Man/Thor, Thor/Hulk) a very well done and fun to watch (and geek out during), but the main action set-piece, the forty minute, all-out melee in downtown Manhattan that concludes the film, is something else. Besides it's enormous size and excellent choreography, it is also very easy to comprehend what is happening on screen. Unlike many modern action films (Hunger Games, I am looking at you), the action isn't obscured by shaky camera work or choppy editing. The action, brought to life with immaculate special effects, is always easy to follow. It is also a joy to see the Avengers start to work together as a team. But...
Is the Avengers a great film? Hell no! While the group dynamic and character interactions are witty and fun, there isn't any real depth to the characters here. With the exception of Bruce Banner, the characters are all the same at the end of the film as they were in the beginning. Whatever character development that has been done, was achieved in the characters individual films. The Avengers sometimes feels like a giant action scene concluding a massive twelve hour movie.
Although most of the actors are first rate, Samuel L Jackson phones in his work as Nick Fury. He is better here than he is in the Star Wars prequels, but he still brings nothing special to the role. He is just there. Not bad, but outclassed by the rest of the cast.
The fact of the matter is that I don't think the Avengers was ever intended to be a "great" film. Films like the Dark Knight and to a somewhat lesser extent Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Batman Begins attempt to be something more than just a superhero film. They add depth and layers to the story. They add substance to the characters, force them into ethical dilemmas and make them find a path out. The Avengers wants to pit a group of superheros against and evil army, watch them kick ass and have a blast doing it. This film wants to be fun, and boy does it ever succeed. That it has wonderful acting, a very funny, well structured script, and direction that ties it all together in a way that doesn't insult your intelligence is rather miraculous for a film this size. Will there be better films released this year? Without a doubt. Will you have more fun at any film released this year? Not likely!
**** (out of *****)
Because it doesn't count if you don't rate films in a list, here are the Marvel films form best to worst:
1) Iron Man
2) Captain America These three get solid recommendations.
3) The Avengers
4) Iron Man 2/Thor If you like the others, you will probably like these.
5) The Incredible Hulk There is no real reason to watch this one. Watch Hulk instead.
4) Iron Man 2/Thor If you like the others, you will probably like these.
5) The Incredible Hulk There is no real reason to watch this one. Watch Hulk instead.
So, I'd agree with your ranking, as well as some of your broader statements, but some of the particulars I don't agree with.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, I do agree that Whedon does a nice job spreading the script pretty well among the huge number of characters. He's a smart, witty writer, and it's good to give these characters some personality... and though it is a negative point, I wholeheartedly agree with the criticism that none of the characters really develop or change. Banner does, but not much - I think we're so impressed by Ruffalo's work that we're reading more development into him than there really is. I'll also concede that it works fairly well as light "matinee" entertainment. It is not trying for greatness, it is trying for fun; and I did laugh quite a bit.
However, I still disagree about the fight scenes, especially between the "heavy hitters." For me, the two major examples of this are the fight between Thor/Iron Man and Thor/Hulk. They're just pounding each other - seriously POUNDING each other - but no one really gets hurt because Thor is a god, Hulk is basically invincible, and Iron Man is just so tough/clever he makes up for it. I just remember sitting there thinking, "Jesus, how long is this going to go on? I'll go deaf from all these "smash"/"wham" sound effects." A scene that worked much better, in my view, was the one with Hulk/Black Widow. I know it's more of a chase than a fight, but clearly someone can lose in that scenario - not just come to a draw by agreeing to stop fighting - so that automatically ups the ante. Other fight scenes, though, are poorly photographed in my opinion. This may be because I had watched HAYWIRE around the same time we saw THE AVENGERS, but I just got tired of all the quick cuts of limbs and hits which are framed just a little too closely - that "little" bit takes away from the sense of space. Take the introductory Black Widow scene. If we had actually seen all of that unfold in real time rather than quick cuts, it would have been amazing. The choreography was there, but it was hard to keep track of what was going on because we just saw things flying around and people getting hit. I suppose you could argue that this is appropriate for her character - she comes out of nowhere - but it doesn't work when you could say the same of virtually every fight.
I also still think the movie is too long. It builds nicely to the climactic street battle, but we could have used some cuts. Where, I don't know, but somewhere. Approaching such epic lengths is an attempt at gravitas that the film otherwise ignores.
All in all, we just don't see eye to eye on this one. Not a bad movie, but just not good enough. I think I will have more fun at another release later this year. If not, you win. :o)
Ooh, also... I still hate Loki as a villain. I was much more interested in the meta-villain pulling his strings (undoubtedly the subject of AVENGERS 2) than any dastardly deed he could think up. I just don't buy him as particularly harmful; even in his fight scenes, where he clearly has an advantage, I just found myself thinking, "Nope - this guy would never win, god or no god."
ReplyDeleteI didn't have any trouble with Black Widow's fight. Although, they had to be crafty since it was obviously NOT Johansson doing her own stunts. I do wish, and they might have felt the need to follow the precedent set by Iron Man 2, they would have made her fights more grounded so maybe she could do at least some of the fighting.
ReplyDeleteI still really like the Avengers. My wife wants to go again this weekend. I will concede though, it is not Serenity.
Agreed. I always wondered about Johansson's casting. She's a fine actress, and I get that she brings sex appeal, but an action star? Hardly. I'd venture to say the woman who actually could pull off the choreography would have a better body, though probably not as busty... what were we talking about? Point is: let's cast some people who do the moves, or at least do some of the moves, then they wouldn't have to "cut around" the actor as much.
ReplyDeleteIt's not like I hated the movie or anything. If it was on TV, I'd probably watch it, or at least most of it. It's fun, it's funny, it's got some great lines, just didn't stack up for me overall.
SERENITY is sadly underrated, but I know I don't have to tell you that. And how about Summer Glau? She was convincing in her fight scenes. Not a big enough "star" I guess.
I really like Summer Glau. The Avengers made more in one day then Serenity did worldwide. I don't begrudge Avengers its success, but Serenity deserved to do better.
ReplyDeleteI saw it again, and I stand by my review. It is still a lot of fun, and I still really want to see a Hulk film penned by Whedon with Ruffalo in the lead.
ReplyDelete