Avengers is probably the most anticipated Marvel action/comic book film since Iron Man. Ever since Samuel L. Jackson was introduced as Nick Fury, movie and comic book fans alike have been counting down the days to its release. I was one of those many fans. I don't consider myself a comic book geek but I'm well diverse in the Marvel universe to understand the back stories, characters & plots. (I'm actually more of a DC fan and my favorite Marvel superhero team is X-Men). Nonetheless, I was excited to see Captain America & Thor in one movie. Unfortunately, I thought the film was missing some key items.
Without giving too much away, Avengers definitely delivers on the non-stop action & slapstick comedy. I felt that some of the lines were written for the male race between the ages of 12 and 30. The witty banter between characters is enjoyable to watch even if you don't know the back stories. But don't look for any character development or arches. The usual character arch you see in most films, i.e. meet-a-jackass-hero-that-learns-a-valuable-lesson-and-becomes-a-better-hero arch, is as flat as Chris Evans' abs. Which to many may not be a big deal. Unless you trying to figure out what happened to that subplot they were all talking about 10 minutes ago. There also seems to be lacking real drama and danger for the protagonists. I must agree with The Guardian in their review, "The hero-against-hero slugfest that the comics have been trading on for decades is entertaining at first, but the various combinations of Hulk v Thor v Iron Man quickly blow themselves out. Perhaps it would have helped if they had a properly combative adversary."
The movie runs 2 hours and 30 minutes long. But then again, it's essentially six movies in one. Just be prepare for a slow beginning. After the first 30 minutes, the movie plays like it's on fast forward. Especially in the climatic battle where I felt these scenes could have been lifted from any of Michael Bay's Transformers films. I felt the final fight scenes were lacking the originality found in the middle of the film. Nearly every Hollywood action film can do a damn good job of blowing stuff up. Maybe it's just me but I'm tired of watching a major city reduce to rubble as aliens invade on their cool jet-ski like machines.
But I have to give credit where credit is due. The hero I worried the most about was The Hulk. The last few incarnations have been disappointing. (No offense Eric and Edward. It wasn't entirely your fault). But Mark Ruffalo pulls off some of the best gags in the movie. Although the Loki/Gamma Ray/Hulk subplot fell to the way side, Ruffalo gives us a much more fun Hulk without losing the rage/smash angle. And the best part, the Hulk's CGI effects were spot on.
On the flip side, Loki was probably the weakest character in the movie. He wants to take over the human race but we never really understand why. We know he has daddy-issues and he's jealous of Thor. But that's it. He does have some memorable moments but his story line was predictable and he never seems to pose a threat. Like Thor proved - just beat him senseless & he gives up. Other than holograms, what exactly is Loki's power? He seems like he needs an additional power source just to go head-to-head with Thor. Not much of a villain.
The immeasurable passion of writer/director Joss Whedon is obvious. The film works and is pure entertainment. He has created a serious cash cow for Paramount Studios despite the imbalance story choices. It is unlikely that it will win any Oscars but the success should be enough for multiple sequels. I've read that comic book geeks agree that the film is the "purest comic adaptation ever". My opinion: it's not the best superhero movie but it's definitely the funniest. Rank: B-
Bummed to hear that Loki was so weak. He was my favorite part of Thor and I have a HUGE crush on Tom Hiddleston now (especially after seeing him in interviews. HE's so nice and his smile is KILLER!)
ReplyDeleteGlad to see there's a Hulk worth watching.