The Avengers – Film Review

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Film director Joss Whedon was given a mammoth task in bringing half a dozen Marvel superheroes together in one film and create a coherent and entertaining  experience. With “The Avengers” Whedon shows that he possesses his own superpowers by not only managing to pull it off brilliantly but by also making it look easy.

All the events that were being set up in previous Marvel films (Iron Man, Thor, Incredible Hulk, Captain America) converge as Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), director of S.H.I.E.L.D., finally gets his Avengers initiative up and running. The catalyst is Norse god Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who steals the Tesseract, an energy source of unknown potential, from a S.H.I.E.L.D. base. Loki has made a deal with the Chitauri, an alien race seeking to conquer the galaxy. In exchange for the Tesseract, the Chitauri agree to help Loki take over the Earth by giving him an army.

The world is in peril and thus enter Earth’s mightiest heroes: Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) & Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr). It is up to The Avengers to come together, put aside whatever differences they might have, stop Loki and save the Earth from subjugation.

With so many major characters it would be very easy for the script to be overloaded and/or uneven but Joss Whedon who also co-wrote the film with Zak Penn balances it out perfectly. He manages to bring together characters who were previously developed by several other filmmakers and makes them his own. The film feels like it is a continuation of several stories converged into one which is quite a feat. The script is also very funny with characters dropping many hilarious lines sure to be quoted by fans many times over.

The film also gets something else very right, the action. Many superhero films do not manage to partner a good script with great action but the set pieces in Avengers are high octane and exciting with proper build up and climax. This is exemplified mostly by a final-act citywide showdown which is what Transformers: Dark of the Moon tried to pull off but failed.

Joss Whedon is a fan of the material and his love and admiration for these characters shows. The film does not give too much emphasis on one character which was a very easy trap to fall into. When it is about the group, it is about the group. When it is about one character, it about that character. We get to see everyone’s motivation and every character gets their chance to shine.

Comic book fans and fans of superhero films have been waiting for The Avengers for decades. There was so much that could have gone wrong but Avengers delivers in every way and I’m sure not getting ahead of myself by calling it a genre classic.

Rating: 9.5/10

 

  • http://URL Nuthead

    Absolutely fantastic. I think Mark Rufallo as Hulk was the best.

    • dwanzi

      Thanks for reading. I have to agree with you on that. HULK SMASH!

  • Tarurî

    I agree, Mark Ruffalo was a wonderful choice for Hulk, I didn’t think he would be because I’ve mostly seen him in Indie films… but wah! And the fact that he actually got to play the Hulk, so it really was him!! :-) The dialogue I have to say was a bit cheesy in some parts, but in a weird way, it actually worked in favor of the story! lol! I am still gushing about this movie days after watching it! :-) Good review, Dwanzi!!!!

    • dwanzi

      Thanks for reading, I think the dialogue worked in the context of the film. Looking forward to seeing more of Ruffalo’s HULK in other Marvel films.

  • http://www.nymou.wordpress.com nymou

    I hadn’t seen this Super Bowl trailer. I like it better than the official one.

    • dwanzi

      I chose it because it doesn’t give much away.

  • http://kevdanative.com KevDaNative

    I quite like Robert Downing Jr’s character (IronMan). Hilarious lines.

    • dwanzi

      I like him more here than in the Iron Man films.

  • http://URL Mugash

    I doubt there’s another film in this present cinematic era that can please practically every audience; fanboys, geeks, cinephiles, families, groupies, tweens, snobs, buffs, strangers, virgins, whoever. The Avengers, as a comic book adaptation and as a film, is a tour de force in this instant-gratification, nothing-is-original age. I agree, dwanzi. It very well might be a genre classic.

    And cinema has returned.

    • dwanzi

      I mostly agree with you, it is accessible to a wide audience. Let’s hope with this summer of movies that the momentum for cinema Avengers has generated will be sustained.

    • http://www.nymou.wordpress.com nymou

      I 100% agree. Other than Thor, I hadn’t really been interested in any of the Marvel films. But this one did it. Can’t think of many feels that had such a satisfying climax. And unlike Transformers 3′s final battle scene, it just came in naturally. It didn’t seem like that was all the movie was built on.

  • http://actuarialoutlook.wordpress.com Maina

    I loved Iron Man and felt that the Hulk was a bit under-utilised. The movie was great and I can’t wait to see more of Whedon’s work especially with regards to Marvel’s comics. I went into the theatre thinking the fight between Thor & Iron Man would be the climax of the movie but then I was blown away by more of what happened on in the movie.

    • dwanzi

      Thanks for reading. I wouldn’t have minded to see more of Hulk.

  • http://URL mehul

    hulk stole the show

    • dwanzi

      Definitely. HULK SMASH!

  • http://www.ednagicovi.wordpress.com edgicovi

    Finally watched it last Saturday. Loved it! Drooled at Thor, loved Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man’s one liners especially when he said to Thor, “Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?” Haha. Funny character he was. All in all great characters and good storyline. Also, IMAX is cool! Next up Amazing Spiderman and The Dark Knight Rises! :)

    • dwanzi

      Glad you enjoyed it. And don’t forget Prometheus.