The Avengers (2012)

Really Surprised!

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

The way the Avengers assemble for the uninitiated Marvel viewer, keeping backstory limited to what was necessary, is a credit to the writers from the outset. The main thing to say about the film is that it is its light-hearted touch and Robert Downey Jr and others delivering fast-talking one liners which break just at the right time. Some of the humour comes from the battle for screen supremacy among the avengers. That said, while the visual effects and stunts keep up viewer engagement, imagination does tend to lag behind - the fighting is repetitive and the plot is protracted on grounds of their survival and not thwarting the evil. CGI is used well but some of the cartoonish manouevres made by the Hulk character - in a film trying to keep some semblance of scientific and corporeal plausibility which it struggles to do with the MacGuffin - are frankly implausible compared to the other Avengers. Tom Hiddlestone once again is a mesmerising in menace with wide, piercing eyes and an almost sibilant line delivery, but he plays second fiddle to the prime villainy which is an aggregate of featureless robots.

The Avengers is an entertaining and satisfying film. I was worried that, with so many characters, the story would be messy or rushed, but everyone seemed to get equal time and the plot flowed smoothly. This movie mixes pulse-pounding action with sharp-witted humor, and it does it well -- but who would have expected less with Joss Whedon at the helm?

Marvel never seemed to dissapoint, but this time they went far ahead of them and created maybe their best movie ever. The feeling you get when you see 5-6 action heroes, all doing crazy good stuff and helping each other in some fun and interesting ways, tactics and fights is bigger entertainment than anything else a movie can give. The dialog between them, the way they hate and admire each other at the sime time, their personalities and powers, all mixed together in one big superhero gem that offers everything that is possible to offer, not to mention the work that was obviously put in visual effects and design. The villain is everything, he is the driving force and gives maybe an Oscar worthy villain performance.

I was truly disappointed considering the build-up heading into this movie. When I first saw Nick Fury towards the end of Iron Man about this "Avengers Initiative", I was eagerly excited for it, but I knew it won't be for at least another four years before The Avengers movie actually comes out. All that waiting felt like it was just a waste of time. Nothing much happens in The Avengers. The only good thing was to see all the superheroes gather together for the first time. Loki was fine as the villain, and he's one of the main foes of The Avengers anyway. But it is funny that Loki is Thor's main enemy, yet he's also one of The Avengers greatest enemies which really makes no sense. I'd say that because The Avengers consists of several superheroes such as Iron Man, Captain America and Incredible Hulk, yet they still find Loki a challenging foe. This is one of the few things that doesn't make sense within the Marvel Universe. But I did like the post-credit scene, but that again reminds me of the one in Iron Man. I could be in for another disappointment again.