Avengers Movie Review
The Avengers is a total first for comic book movies, it combines some of the most biggest comic book movies of the last decade and mangles them together with one of the most innovate directors of the 20th century.
Firstly even though this is an epic comic book movie it’s no Blade Runner. It doesn’t try to deliver a ton of subtext and hidden meaning, and thanks to the other individual movie franchises like Ironman they don’t even need to bother with tiresome character development because its already been done.
The Avengers does deliver what fans go to see comic book movies for. It’s an action packed funny movie and Marvel Studios have made an amazing job of putting together.
Although it’s the first out of the trilogy it almost feels like a climactic end. We have seen two Hulk movies, two Iron Man movies a Thor and a Captain America movie all of which lead up to the Avengers. It’s hard to believe this is just the mid way point to the current Marvel movie tie in series.
In some of the early preview reviews Joss Whedon was criticized for making anther cinematic movie which relied on a strong female lead to save the day and looked like it was directed to be a TV movie. I don’t feel this was the case, Scarlett Johansson does have some amazing scenes and its a very different Black Widow than the one we saw in Iron Man 2. She’s got more character and a history in this movie. She is also very much like a red head Buffy the Vampire slayer with a gun and latex cat suit which really isn’t a bad thing.
The way Joss Whedon filmed the movie is innovative for such an epic comic book movie, it does have a lot of close up shots and tight action scenes but it almost makes it more comic like rather then TV movie.
In a few recent interviews it was said there were a lot of Captain America scenes cut from the movie, the original cut was 3 and a half hours long the final loses an hour or so of that. It does look like Captain America may have suffered in the editing room as although he is the leader of the Avenger he’s almost like a supporting character.
Thor again pops in and out of the movie in the way you might not miss him if he wasn’t there. He does share some epic scenes with the Hulk and he’s totally nailed the Thor role. It was surprising how they cut Natalie Portman from the movie and brought in Gwyneth Paltrow which when it was the other way around when they began filming.
The Hulk has finally gotten a decent Movie likeness with Mark Ruffalo when you see the Avengers try and forget the last two Incredible Hulk movies. In the Avengers he’s the source for some of the biggest action scenes and the funniest bits. I hope the Hulk TV series is going ahead as they have finally gotten one of the most iconic Marvel super heroes right.
Both Hawkeye and Black Widow each probably have as much if not more screen time than Captain America. Even thought they didn’t have stand a lone movies they have been given some great scenes in Avengers and really help fill the gaps in the team. They don’t have any super powers but still manage to keep up with the other more gifted super heroes.
On to Iron Man who is really the star of the movie, it’s almost like going to see Iron Man 3. He tends to save the entire team more than once in the movie. He is also the first one to start a fight in most scenes. Joss Whedon has done a good job on taking on the character after Jon Favreau said he wasn’t making any more Marvel movies.
I think Marvel have shaped the movie to give fans more of what they want and thats more Iron Man. But for a millionaire he really does need to go shopping more as he only seem to have one Black Sabbath T-Shirt, he actually changed his Iron Man costume more than his normal clothes.
Although SHIELD are in this movie more than any others they don’t seem as powerful as they did in those cameo parts. Nick Fury is a bit dizzy in this movie and we meet the people behind SHIELD who give them the orders.
Tom Hiddleston reprises his role of Loki who is Thor’s brother and leader of the Chitauri army. The Chitauri being a modern version of the Skrulls. They come in all shapes and sizes giving the Avengers numerous ways to kill them.
Overall it’s a totally epic movie and is well worth going to see again and again. Each scene has so much going on it’s easy to miss the minor easter eggs which Joss Whedon put in.
Posted by Adi Mursec on April 26, 2012
