Avengers is an entertaining,
action-packed, big-budget summer blockbuster encapsulating a massive series of superhero franchises from Marvel. I’m
not generally a fan of popcorn movies, but Hollywood have pulled out all the stops here
and made a genuinely likable, easy-going piece of universal entertainment.
There’s not much of a plot, it’s really all about the
characters and action. At just over two
hours already, it would be impractical and a different kind of film to
introduce deep emotional complexity in every character – and that’s not the purpose
of this flick. It’s all about
entertaining action and great characters.
I haven’t seen the Captain America film but I will
definitely watch it now - lines like “it seems to be powered by some sort of
electricity” typify his quirky old-fashioned style. Hollywood being the booming voice of patriotic
America, Avengers isn’t subtle about
making a Hitler analogy of the villain, Loki, when Captain America confronts
him: “You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above
everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." This sort of America-laying-it-on-thick sentiment perfectly suits the tone of this larger-than-life blockbuster: an export to the world from a Hollywood puffing up its chest and waving the stars and stripes.
The casting of the characters is spot on too. Obviously Iron Man, Thor and Captain America were
cast for their individual films beforehand, with the idea of a larger franchise
in mind, but the newcomers are good too.
Considered one of the most attractive young women in the limelight at
the moment, Scarlett Johansson gives Black Widow as much psychological mystique
as sexuality – ticking the box for blockbuster eye-candy and feminist-friendly
heroine. As I’ve pointed out before, I really rate Mark Ruffalo, and his Hulk is widely accepted as having blown Eric
Bana and Edward Norton’s efforts out of the water - as well as being the first
to actually ‘be’ the green rage-monster through motion-capture. Rufallo’s generally laid-back and slightly
introverted demeanour (The Kids Are
Alright, Shutter Island) lends itself perfectly to
the Hulk’s alter-ego and galvanises the epic rage of ‘the other guy’. Tom Hiddleston provides a despicable villain in the form of demi-god Loki, brother of Thor, with wicked piercing eyes and a spitting thespian vernacular.
The main enjoyment of the film comes from the way the
characters bounce of each other. The
chemistry is excruciating between certain characters and hilarious between
others. Captain America and
Iron Man are quite similar in that they are both strong egos, both full of
conviction. Instead of trying to pretend
they’re quite different, Joss Whedon and Zak Penn realise this and pit them
against each other, creating a great conflict of personalities (which is later
neatly overcome, of course). The banter between the titan Hulk and demi-god
Thor is typified by the moment Hulk punches Thor for fun. Thor goes flying out of shot but we know he’s
OK and we know it’s just a bit of tomfoolery between mighty superheroes.
One thing I didn’t get about the film is the unexplained
tension between Hawkeye and Black Widow.
There’s an implied history between the two characters, although there’s
no solid proof in the movie that this is romantic. I can’t help but think that the producers
tried to foster a superficial bond between these two characters in order to generate more interest around them as they’re
less well-recognised than the other heroes.
A uniquely good thing about Avengers and the rest of the recent Marvel superhero franchise is
that they’re not afraid to use humour. The
relationship between the fanboy Agent Phil and Captain America (with the trading cards), the guy
playing a computer game on the ship, the bit Hulk calls Loki a “puny God”, Captain
America’s
“Hulk: smash” line - are just a few memorable examples. These gags are consistent and well-placed,
keeping the tone of the film light despite its apocalyptic action. A captivating mix of action, comedy, drama and
sexuality is what the blockbuster audiences want, and that’s what Avengers provides.
Aesthetics-wise, while the CGI and VFX are overdone (of course they are it’s a superhero blockbuster) they
aren’t utterly superfluous. That is to
say, while the film does feature gargantuan
floating alien creatures snaking through the skies of Manhattan, it’s short and sweet and usually plays
a part in the plot. It’s not all guns
and explosions for the sake of it; the action is well-balanced with dialogue and a progressing plot.
I particularly liked
how Whedon handled the scenes in space with Loki and ‘The Other’. They’re done in an abstract and surreal style using
close-ups and impressionistic aesthetic rather than a explicit theatrical
feel. This not only conjures a mystical
atmosphere but ensures the identity of ‘The Other’ (rumoured as Thanos) is relatively
obscure, thus creating excitement among speculative fans and, on a pragmatic
note, means things like the final design of Thanos and his realm can remain
open to alteration until the next Avengers film goes into production (which
could take years).
