Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Marvel's The Avengers (Non-Spoiler Review)


The Avengers avenges any flop Marvel has ever made. It’s that good.

One of the two most anticipated movies of 2012 (for me at least), alongside The Dark Knight Rises of course, The Avengers was well worth the wait. The little girl inside me, who woke up early on Saturday mornings just to watch cartoons like X-men and Spiderman not forgetting the DC Comics’ men, both Super and Bat, was jumping up and down throughout the entire movie, completely oblivious to the fact that I was watching a movie without snacks (the lines were way too long, plus you won’t miss it).

From the get go, you’re dropped into the heart of SHIELD (Marvel’s version of the CIA…on steroids) where they’re experimenting with the Tesseract (a source of infinite energy) which accidentally imports a vengeful Loki (Tom Hiddleston) (Thor’s adopted brother, yes…that Loki) from another world, who, big surprise, steals the Tesseract and bewitches Agent Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)*swoon* and Professor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) to work with him to take over the world. Now, Nick Fury, the head of SHIELD, played beautifully by Samuel L. Jackson, believes his only hope to recovering the Tesseract and saving the world is to put together a super group of extraordinary beings, The Avengers.

The dream team includes Agent Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, a role which I must admit Scarlett Johansson actually put effort into her acting for, I was almost proud, because as gorgeous and buxom as she is, I have to admit she’s delivered some subpar performances in her career. Another member is the insanely brilliant, rich, cocky and endlessly witty Tony Stark aka Iron Man, a role that could not be more perfect for Robert Downey Jr., for whom comedy is second nature. Writer/Director Joss Whedon, in my humble opinion, finally got it right after many have tried and failed, when he casted Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner aka The Hulk. Yes, you may debate Lou Ferringo or Edward Norton or even Eric Bana (‘cause he already had the name) were good too, but for me it never felt 100%, with Ruffalo though, it’s perfect; but hey, to each his own. Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (played by the very buff, Chris Evans), the very first super hero, is also a member of The Avengers, and aptly adopts the fatherly role in the bunch. Hawkeye, although his mind was hijacked by Loki, is also a member of this elite group and rightfully so, as he will amaze you with what a bow and arrows can really do (Hunger Games who?... Child’s play). To round off the team, the demigod, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) not only contributed to the eye candy in this movie but also keeps up the witty banter introduced in last year’s production of Thor.

And if these super movie stars aren’t enough for you, the film enlists a host of entertaining supporting characters, including Colbie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill (for the How I Met Your Mother fans), Clark Gregg reclaims his role as Agent Phil Coulson, Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Pepper Potts in hot pants and Paul Bettany as Jarvis.

This production was just amazing. Whedon found a way to not just link the characters and interlace their individual stories and traits, but to flow in and out of scenes seamlessly. You’d think with so many egos in one movie it couldn’t possibly work, yet oddly it does…and it works well. If you’re in the mood for an action packed movie that also makes sense, this is the one. The fight scenes were just as fantastic. If you’re accustomed to the Transformer-style-action, you will not be disappointed. From one super hero to the other you’re constantly amazed by what comes next and find yourself giddy and clapping like a seal. It’s every food you love rolled up into one perfect dinner. Just thinking about it makes my insides happy.

What’s bad about this movie? Believe it or not…I have nothing to add here; well apart from Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, but she wasn’t horrible so I’ll let it slide.

Even if The Avengers wasn’t as remarkable as it obviously is, any production that possesses this many talented actors should be seen…over and over. So go watch it! :) Oh and make sure to stay for the credits because if you're a Marvel fan you're in for a nice surprise! 

Rating: 9/10 

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Kim :)