Marvel's The Avengers Movie Review
Here we finally are! The blockbuster that brought us the first superhero mash-up on the silver screen. Iron Man, Cap America, Thor & the Hulk are finally working together to kick some butt!
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston & Samuel L Jackson
Run Time: 143 min.
US Release: 04 May 2012
UK Release: 26 April 2012
German Release: 26 April 2012 This is my final review of the Marvel Phase 1 films, before posting my Ant-Man critique this weekend online. Marvel’s The Avengers is by far the best superhero flick released by the studio to date, managing to include all characters, audiences were introduced to during their solo releases, as well as revisiting some plots that string all movies together. This flick is not only the best of the MCU but it also ranks high on my personal top 20 movies of all time!
— WARNING, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! —
The plot of this epic blockbuster revolves around Loki, the god of mischief, who as revenge against his brother Thor, plans to enslave humanity and rule Earth. He is a pawn, however, to a greater force in the Universe who is hiding in the shadows and in search of the Tesseract (the cosmic cube), which holds an infinity stone in it. The heroes need to assemble to stop Loki from opening a portal that will bring chaos and destruction to our world.
Joss Whedon constructed a really enjoyable story that ties together all these characters and their stories. The audience is re-introduced to each character slowly, reminding them who they are and displaying their character traits. Just shortly after, are these people brought together as a team, making it feel organic and giving each main character a well-balanced amount of screen time to round them up.
For a summer blockbuster, it does have a surprisingly smart and funny script. The story in general is well constructed, including highly entertaining and action-packed segments, from beginning to end. Yet, The Avengers also prove to have a good balance between high tensed action and calm emotional scenes. It is also the movie that opened up the path towards the "Infinity" storyline and the upcoming war against the mad Titan Thanos. So be sure to have your eyes open when watching further instalments, as every easter egg planted by Marvel in their movies will have a reason to be there.
The best component of the story, though, is the ongoing banter between the heroes, started of course by non-other than Tony Stark himself. It is incredibly amusing seeing these guys calling themselves names while knocking out enemies on the battlefield.
I am not going to go into detail about each character, since there is only so much I can say about every portrayal. The most important hero, holding this group together is Tony Stark. The guy is charismatic, smart-mouthed and a genius with great chemistry with nearly all other personas but especially with Dr Banner. I did mention this in my Iron Man review before, but I will ll say it again; Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark!
Mark Ruffalo is tremendous as Bruce Banner. It is not only his wording but his body language as well that does a lot of the talking, making him the most believable Dr Banner on screen to date. Ruffalo took inspiration from Bill Bixby, who portrayed David Banner in the 1970’s show The Incredible Hulk. It also helps that Ruffalo looks like the comics always depicted Bruce Banner to be.
Chris Evans is great as Captain America. His character does not fit the modern world anymore and thus he feels lost and out of place. Evans took that emotion and represented it incredibly well on the big screen. His portrayal of the character is impressive and he does have extraordinary chemistry with Downey Jr.
Chris Hemsworth is better in this movie than he was in Thor. He was a fantastic casting choice for the god of thunder and while not being my favourite character in the film, he is a cool addition to the roster. Hiddleston manages to surprise in The Avengers. His thirst for revenge against his brother truly ate him up from the inside out and turned him insane.
It is sad that the characters of Barton and Romanoff do not obtain more screening time and backstory. We do get glimpses of Black Widow’s past while talking to Loki, and she speaks to Hawkeye about how she crossed paths with him for the first time, though that is all. Nick Fury is a badass in this film! Admittedly, there have been parts where Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal reminded me a little bit of Jules Winnfield - his character in Pulp Fiction. Nevertheless, he is a brilliant actor and it is a lot of fun watching him throwing orders across the room.
Joss Whedon is the genius that brought us Firefly and a master of his craft. He has an eye for detail, good action and beautifully shot frames. While I am not the greatest fan of 3D, I need to confess that this is a good movie to watch in that format. The final battle is an epic fight and is choreographed to perfection!
Do I really need to talk about the effects? Yes, a lot of CGI is integrated into this film but it is used correctly. Mark Ruffalo did the motion capturing for the Hulk, lending his character's transformation into a green raging monster some credibility. The Ironman suit, the Chitauri and Loki’s shapeshifting, all look brilliant and hold up to date.
The theme music to this blockbuster is epic! It reminded me a little of the Justice League cartoon theme from the late 90’s early 2000s.
Verdict: Marvel’s The Avengers manages to take all these larger-than-life characters and puts them in a two-hour-long, epic superhero flick. The plot is surprisingly smart, has some good emotional factors and entertains from beginning to end. The casting is superb, with Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston giving remarkable performances. The cinematography is superb and the special effects look brilliant. I will give this Marvel blockbuster a 10 out of 10 rating! Did you like The Avengers? Comment below and let me know what you thought of this Marvel flick. Also, if you are interested to read my other Phase-one reviews, you'll find them all beneath. I hope you enjoyed this review and thank you for reading!