Grade: A
Most days, it doesn’t pay to be an optimist. Such a quality inevitably leads to heartbreak. But, there are days, like no other, when positive thinking pays phenomenal dividends. Today, is one of those rare days.
Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s, with a twinge of Mark Millar’s Ultimates, Avengers is pure, unadulterated fun. A random audience member two seats down from me, may have summed up the Avengers better than I ever could, “If I told my younger self that there would be an Avengers movie of this quality, she would never believe it.”
Unfortunately, a few naysayers may have felt that the Avengers was little more than a curious, if impossible, prospect before seeing Whedon’s summertime masterpiece, but rest assured, Whedon has done what seemed impossible. He has made a balanced, respectful superhero flick that remembers exactly what superheroes should be: fun.
Avengers essentially recounts the first meeting of Marvel’s famed dysfunctional supergroup and their first encounter with an otherworldly force that no one hero can withstand, in the case Loki (Tom Hiddleston) the petty, mischievous brother of Asgardian God of Thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth). When faced with Loki, who possesses the a glowing cube with cosmic power, The Tesseract, and an army of alien Skeletors, one-eyed super spy, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) goes about assembling four of Earth 616’s mightiest heroes and two kinda-superspies. Man out of time, Captain America (Chris Evans);god from another world, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), anger personified, The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo); and cocky techKnight, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) join Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and, eventually, Green Arrow pastiche, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to become the most functionally dysfunctional superteam, one that has time bicker incessantly despite facing down alien armies and nuclear strike teams. As with any confluence of superheroes, the question becomes: will these heroes be able to put aside their differences to save the world? Of course, they can...
Whedon’s Avengers has a simple plot, but he uses that decision to do what he does best: build unforgettable characters who play off each other phenomenally well. Granted, the Avengers are well-defined enough that they don’t necessarily need Whedon’s, who also snagged a screenwriting credit, deft touch, but it doesn’t hurt. Every character, from Cap to Iron Man to fan favorite Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), is remains true to the core qualities developed in decades of comics and writ large in the individual Avengers prequels. Cap is as noble and principled as expected while Tony Stark reveals heroism beneath unflinching snarkiness, and those are only two of the most memorable examples of the exemplary character work Whedon puts on display. Whedon balances character and spectacle so well in the Avengers that one wonders why Marvel doesn’t just hand him their slate of big screen endeavors from here on out. Whedon orchestrates character and chaos with equal aplomb. The sheer quality of the mayhem--coherent, clear, and consistently thrilling--that unfolds on screen is astounding. The attack on Manhattan that composes the last hour is easily the superhero flick equivalent of Helm’s Deep, only better. In fact, The last hour plus of Avengers somehow crams more action--with exceptional geography--than any superhero flick ever has, and for that audiences really need to thank Whedon and Marvel for making this happen.
Whedon and company could not have made this happen without an top notch cast. Robert Downey Jr. is the undeniable star of the show here--though the Hulk probably truly deserves the title--as he dominates every scene with Tony Stark’s trademark asinine, cocksure quips. Chris Evans comes in a close second, further eschewing his own well-known cockiness to give Captain America and unflinching earnestness that makes him the hero really deserve. Mark Ruffalo steps up to plate to prove that third time’s the charm for the Hulk, making Bruce Banner far more engaging and palatable than his predecessors by subtly weaving Banner’s bookishness with a razor’s edge of intensity. Chris Hemsworth continues make Thor far more digestible than most Thor comics have by expertly balancing Thor’s Shakespearean bravado and the character’s own endless compassion for his brother. Speaking of which, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki proves even more threatening and nuanced than he did in Thor and makes for a great villain who does more than attempt to take over the world. Even Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is a far more improved character than she was in Iron Man 2, and thankfully, she’s focused more on kicking ass this time than posing. Sadly, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye gets short shrift this time, and we never get to see the character’s well-known rebellious streak.
Looking at that list, and the fact that Marvel and Whedon managed to wrangle so many actors and characters to create such an amazing display, one can’t help but be amazed at Marvel’s ambition. Sure the plot is basic--but so was the first issue of Avengers--and the original creators get minimal credit--by all rights, this should be Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Avengers--but this is nonetheless and exceptional achievement. Avengers has raised the bar for superhero flicks by going back to basics. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy may have been the most recent set of superhero movies to raise the quality of the genre by bringing pure artistry to the fore, but the Avengers does something that Nolan’s film rarely make audiences do: smile.
The Yin and Yang of It
Yang: Amazing character and action on display in Whedon’s blockbuster masterpiece. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and the Hulk are standouts amongst a cast of standouts.
Yin: Plot is a bit simple and the sheer existence of this film in the face of Marvel’s recent entanglements with the Avengers original creator, Jack Kirby, is an affront to creator’s rights, but these are minor quibbles.
In between: Hulk smash.
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