Fortunately, in more than one major respect, it delivers. The action is lavish, thrilling and exhilarating. It certainly is evident that Marvel have really opened up the chequebook here to deliver their biggest scale production yet. The big New York-set finale has clear echoes of the most recent Transformers, and what it (relatively) concedes in bombast it more than makes up for in character, humour and wit. There's a clear sense of geography too, and a commitment to keeping the action visible and discernable; a stellar long take that follows all the Avengers in turn is a standout. Director/co-writer Joss Whedon makes sure to give all the members of the superhero gang (as well as those who have merited their own film, they are joined by Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, and of course the omnipresent Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury) something special and memorable to do. There are numerous scenes that are clearly born from a mind passionate about this comic book universe, and Whedon has been given the budget to turn a fan's "wouldn't it be cool if..." daydreams into big-screen reality.
Whedon's apparent flair for action (despite being largely unproven up to this point) and passion for the material aren't the only things that make him a savvy choice as director. After creating shows such as Buffy and Firefly, as well as script writing and doctoring for many dozens of films (some credited, some not), he's know for his cheeky, sarcastic dialogue, and that is used to great effect to bring the characters to life here. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark gets some of the best stuff, but there are no dry, boring roles, even if Whedon never quite figures out how to adapt his witticisms to the earnestness of Captain America (Chris Evans). Some of the best scenes involve the clash of egos, Whedon's script puncturing the pomposity that can sometimes arise in blockbusters when absurd situations are taken too seriously. Perhaps even bigger laughs come in the action scenes, which feature numerous great visual punchlines, many involving Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who is used to perfection.
It's not all perfect, though. At times, actually, far from it. The first act is disjointed and erratically paced. The initial assembly of the heroes could do with a bit more streamlining and finesse, as it just hops around for a while trying to find a rhythm. Thor's entry is particularly abrupt and slightly bungled. The middle sags too with slightly too many scenes on board a flying aircraft carrier; the sets are boring and the pacing plods. Perhaps a bigger criticism is that the aliens that show up for the final battle are completely undeveloped, existing purely so that there can be a big action scene. They are no more than cannon fodder. They barely get an introduction and feel out of place in the film's universe, Marvel fanboys be damned (yes, they're from the comics, but that doesn't excuse them). Their connection to villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is tenuous at best, and his motivations are only murkily explained.
Such niggles hamper the film somewhat but they barely dampen the fun and the sheer enthusiasm with which it goes about its business. Whedon's no holds barred approach makes for a film that has finally cast off all the restrictions that were manifest in the preceding Marvel efforts (all of which are required viewing if you wish to make sense of the plot here), the result being a proper cross-demographic hit.
Summary
An outright funny film that delivers the action goods too - a real crowdpleaser. The Avengers easily gets enough right to let you overlook the flaws.
1 comment:
saw it, twice! i CAN'T WAIT TO OWN IT! When it came to the theater I saw it once with the wife and then again with the boys. It loved th emovie just as much both times and laughed just as hard both times. The simple fact that you have Joss Whedom (Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, FireFly, Cabin in the Woods) at the helm and the chemistry between the actors, special affects that have set a new high bar and a story line that is just damned enjoyable made for a fantastic movie. Even my wife, who thinks the super hero movies are all over rated, loved it and thought it was the best movie she had seen in a very long time.
The best thing is that Whedon's style always comes through in the humor and the dialog, which in the Avengers was fanastic. He even brought humor to the Hulk that was aboslutely side splitting funny. One of my boys nearly rolled out of the movie theater seat laughing so hard!
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