Marvel’s The Avengers is awesomeness squared. It’s the apotheosis of the modern age of comic-book movies, the epitome of everything that the Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America and Thor movies were and were trying to be. It is grand and geeky and rollicking good fun on an epic scale, and it gets practically everything right and very little wrong.
It is, in a word, about the best Avengers movie that anyone could reasonably have hoped for or expected, which is all the more extraordinary when you think about how easily, almost inevitably, it could have been a failure, if not a disaster.
There is nothing transcendent or earth-shattering about it. It is not a new kind of superhero movie — not the Star Wars or Lord of the Rings or even the Avatar of its genre. Some of the moves are overly familiar, including a climactic gambit telegraphed halfway through the film, followed by a plot convenience that was tired when George Lucas trotted it out at the end of one of the Star Wars prequels.
If The Avengers isn’t necessarily the best superhero movie ever made, it is unquestionably the most superhero movie ever made — and, in that capacity, it is more than well-made enough to take comic-book entertainment to unprecedented levels. We might possibly see a better film later this summer, but if there’s a more enjoyable popcorn action movie this year than The Avengers, I’ll eat my hat.
Historically, movie superheroes have been sealed off from one another, as if they each lived in their own world, one hero per world. In the comics, popular heroes have always inhabited their own monthly titles, but they’ve also gotten together with one another (and with less heavy hitters) in group books for larger-scaled adventures: Justice League on the DC side, with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and so forth, and Avengers on the Marvel side, with Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and so forth. Even Spider-Man and Daredevil have occasionally been drawn into the Avengers’ orbit, though they haven't been joiners.
There is logic to this. When the entire city — or the nation, or even the world — faces an existential crisis, how likely is it that Green Lantern or Iron Man will take a day off, leaving it to Superman or Thor to save the day? But these group efforts are easier to coordinate in the comics than on the big screen.
What’s unprecedented about The Avengers is not only that Marvel managed to put all these heroes together on the screen, but that they pulled it off in continuity with existing franchises: this Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.); this Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans); this Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Through six coordinated films, Marvel Studios has crafted a cinematic universe of overlapping franchises, much like the comic books.
Along with the familiar costumed heroes, Marvel’s big-screen universe is held together by Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury and Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson — the men behind S.H.I.E.L.D., the homeland security and espionage agency that worries about existential crises on a national and global scale and has been working on leveraging the logic of a superhero team for the past several films.
There’s also the treacherous Norse god Loki (Tom Hiddleston), previously seen in Thor, and a cosmic MacGuffin called the Tesseract (known to comic fans as the Cosmic Cube), which powered the Nazis’ supertechnology in Captain America and, in the hands of someone like Loki, could easily power a global existential crisis. Even the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) have been established, in Iron Man 2 and (just barely) Thor, respectively.
Only Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is new to us: This is now the Hulk’s third big-screen appearance in the last decade, always played by a different actor. All of them have done a good job: Eric Bana in the 2003 Ang Lee film and Edward Norton in the 2008 film directed by Louis Leterrier. But Ruffalo makes the most of his wild-card status, combining self-deprecating wit and intimidating self-confidence in an unpredictable package. (The one element of Hulk continuity is small-screen Hulk star Lou Ferrigno, who voices the computer-animated Hulk in the 2008 film and The Avengers.)
This is a lot — an awful lot — for any filmmaker to juggle. So many characters, so many tones — Tony Stark’s quicksilver screwball banter; Thor’s pseudo-Shakespearean grandeur; Steve Rogers’ old-school uprightness, etc. Joss Whedon, best known as the creative force behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, as well as the big-screen Firefly spin-off Serenity, is probably as qualified as anyone to write and direct an ensemble like this, and he manages to capture the essences of each of the previous franchises in short bursts, then blends them together into something new.
Gwyneth Paltrow is as delightful and down-to-earth as ever in her brief appearances as Pepper Potts opposite Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. An elderly gentleman in a crowd in Stuttgart, Germany, with only two lines of dialogue, provides a stirring example of Greatest Generation-era dignity and courage in the face of tyrannical evil, providing the best possible context for Cap’s persona and worldview.
Agent Coulson’s sweetly comic fanboy adoration of Cap also helps establish the supersoldier’s legendary historical milieu — as well as sending up the Comic-Con crowd thronging the theaters. I am not, need it be said, holding myself above it all. When Thor brings his hammer crashing down on Cap’s shield, I am sharing the pure geek bliss.
Yes, the heroes square off against each other as well as against the bad guys. That’s a staple of Marvel storytelling going back to Marvel’s team-up titles, which seemingly invariably pitted the heroes against each other, often due to some forced misunderstanding, before joining forces to save the day. Of course, the heroes have to save the day. But, for devotees, the far more important question is the one of ranking: Who would win? Thor or Iron Man? Iron Man or the Hulk? Hulk or Thor?
All of those scenarios play out in The Avengers, as the characters jostle against one another not only physically, but verbally and personally. In any verbal exchange, Tony obviously has an edge, and the movie has a lot of fun with his quick wit as he pegs nearly every other character with an apropos movie-reference nickname, and even goes toe-to-toe, sans armor, with Loki.
Every character that matters gets a chance to shine, and if the movie doesn’t dig deeply into any of its characters the way one might hope for from Whedon, it points to the vagaries of politics and power in ways that few superhero films outside the Nolan Batman films seem interested in doing.
In the tension between Iron Man’s jadedness and Cap’s idealism, I wish the latter had a bit more punch. Obviously, Iron Man’s sensibilities are closer to Whedon’s own, but it would be nice if he had tried harder to give Cap his due. In particular, there’s a moment during the climactic battle that looked to me (I’ll have to see it again to be sure) like it might be intended as a kind of comeuppance for Cap’s nobility, which would be all kinds of wrong — and contrary to the character established in Captain America: The First Avenger.
On the other hand, Whedon — an unbeliever — allows Cap a throwaway one-liner about God that’s kind of wonderful, and that resonates nicely with that elderly gentleman’s response to Loki. Loki’s pitch is that human beings are cattle who are most comfortable simply submitting to someone who will offer them some semblance of peace. “In the end,” he says, “you will always kneel.”
The answer he gets is not a repudiation of kneeling, but a repudiation of kneeling to the likes of Loki. In the annals of anonymous citizens confronting supervillains in comic-book movies, this brief, quiet moment in a noisily frenetic film is my new favorite.
Steven D. Greydanus is the Register’s film critic.
Content Advisory: Much intense action violence and mayhem; limited cursing and crass language; a couple of suggestive references. Teens and up.
Dan Burke: The Truth About Movies and Les Miserables
SDG: In 60 Seconds: ALL THREE Iron Man Movies! Pain & Gain! More!
Comments
Post a Comment
Hate to correct you, but both Spider-Man and Daredevil are Avengers (not in the movie, but in the comics). It’s only recent, so I forgive you. Spider-Man, in fact, often tries to say he’s a “card-carrying Avenger” when trying to get free stuff, like free hot-dogs. Daredevil is a lot more recent (this year).
Sorry, but I’m a comic book nut.
Brett Adams: I thought it was pretty obvious from the foregoing that I have a history as a comic-book nut too (I have a collection of about 3,000 titles, I think, and studied cartooning at the School of Visual Arts). I’m well aware of Spider-Man and Daredevil’s history with the Avengers (Spider-Man has historically been a reserve Avenger; both are now members of something called the New Avengers). I stick by my carefully phrased comments above. Cheers.
thanks! My husband and I loved Captain America—perfect date movie!—and enjoyed Iron Man too and even Thor, which was so horrible. (Kenneth Branagh, what happened?!) Looking forward to this now.
Looking forward to it, of course. What’s your opinion on the post-conversion 3D? Does it add anything?
This review made my day. I have had a lingering fear for the past year (since watching Captain America) that Avengers would ruin the whole franchise. Kind of like what always happens after the sequel. Thanks!
I can’t wait!!! I was a DC fan, not a Marvel fan, in my comic book days. The art was so much cleaner and more beautiful—Marvel was muddy and sloppy. But what I wanted was more of what Marvel has done in these excellent films—stories about heroism and fighting bad guys, not what comic books have pretty much become: orgies of violence (OMG, the last big Green Lantern series was practically death porn), a lot of gratuitous sex, and so much self-pitying angst (poor you, you have SUPER POWERS, how pitiful your life must be) I could not stand it. I got sick of it as a college student, no stomach for it as an adult. It’s not that I don’t understand angst or appreciate subtley. But it’s not the whole story and I OD’d on it long ago. I have so much enjoyed these movies and I’m so looking forward to this one!
My two older sons are now wrangling their friends via FB for a Friday movie night after co-op!! Many thanks as I was waiting on your take before giving the go-ahead!! My dh and I will have date night on Sunday!
-
Have a great weekend as you’ve helped us have one!
Gail Finke, I totally agree. That was one of the reasons I loved Captain America so much: It reminded me of the Silver Age, with its idealism and innocence, but with the grounded, three-dimensional characters of more modern comics. It always seemed to me that superhero stories should have an element of whimsy, like a child’s daydream sprung to life, and the depressing, angsty, sex-drowned attitude that seems to permeate both DC and Marvel nowadays is really off-putting for me. Where are the icons of my childhood?
I miss reading my comics under a blanket with my flashlight.
Somehow, none have them, for me, translated to the screen that well <sniff>. I want to say otherwise.
Yay! Finally a MARVEL fan who is also a CATHOLIC! I saw this movie last APRIL 28 (Philippine time) and it was indeed epic! Great review! Peace be with you and Exelsior!
“It is, in a word, about the best Avengers movie that anyone could reasonably have hoped for or expected, . . . .”
No, the best Avengers movie that anyone could reasonably have hoped for (i.e., that than which no greater can be conceived) would have included Diana Rigg in a catsuit. (I know, I know; I’m showing my age.)
Seamus: Diana Rigg would have been all wrong as Black Widow.
Kidding. Kidding. Look, I know you’re bitter about that Uma and Ralph thing, understandably so, but it’s time to let go.
I know this current line is off-track from the movie. Seamus is right: Diana Rigg is smokin’ !
Sorry, SDG. Probably best served on some other blog. I won’t do this again. Keep up the good work.
Matt: I’ll never deny it. I am a fan and have been for decades. “Mrs. Peel, we’re needed.” Rock on John Steed.
Thank you for the review. According to the Trivia section of the film in IMDB the original cut of the film was three hours long and most of the excised footage (which will be included in the DVD release)revolves around Captain America. Hopefully the edited material will do justice to the character (excuse the pun).
Just saw “The Avengers” this afternoon. I enjoyed it, but thought the plot really detracted from my enjoyment. I know it’s just a superhero film, but it was more confusing than it needed to be (I couldn’t figure out exactly what the villain, Loki, was after). All in all it was a good movie.
As a side note, I saw the movie in Cleveland, Ohio in Tower City which is where the scene in Germany was shot (at least the outdoors part). I must say that Cleveland looks pretty good when it pretends to be another city.
Soooo ... Would a person who isn’t particularly drawn to comic-book movies enjoy The Avengers?
“In particular, there’s a moment during the climactic battle that looked to me (I’ll have to see it again to be sure) like it might be intended as a kind of comeuppance for Cap’s nobility, which would be all kinds of wrong — and contrary to the character established in Captain America: The First Avenger.”
I was keeping an eye out for this after reading your review, but did not notice anything at all like it during the final battle…and let’s be honest, you really just want to see it again because it was awesome ;D
I saw The Avengers Friday afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was total “nerdvana.” Joss Whedon makes the most of the basic plot and brings both the storyline and the characters to life. I even found myself grinning like a kid all the way through the big finale. Particularly when the Hulk was onscreen. This is the first film when I have actually considered the CGI Hulk to be better and cooler than Lou Ferrigno’s tv incarnation. Whedon finally got him right.
I think Joss Whedon is one of the few directors who actually gets it when it comes to these kinds of films. He can distill what it is that makes the material so appealing to the audience and puts it on screen in a way that honors not just the spirit, but also the integrity of the source work. Directors like Michael Bay clearly don’t understand this and are content to just put pretty, but meaningless images on screen with lots of loud and distracting noises. To put it more simply: Whedon articulates where Bay simply blathers.
A final note: when the film ended and I left there was a line of people waiting to enter the theater that stretched outside the doors and along one wall of the building. I have not seen so many people get so excited about a film since probably the first Star Wars prequel. WOW!
Lisa Schmidt: I think anyone open to popcorn action movies will enjoy The Avengers. Maybe not to the same degree as a comics fan like me, but you don’t have to be a superhero fan specifically to enjoy it. It will help, though it’s not absolutely necessary, to have seen some of the movies building up to this one (particularly Iron Man, Thor and/or Captain America).
Pierce Oka: FWIW, I asked a friend with a sharp eye to watch for the moment, and gave him some hints. He said that he saw what I was getting at, but thought that it was too brief and ambiguous to carry any definite interpretation, which pretty much confirms my uncertain response.
It will be interesting to see what light, if any, the extra material mentioned by Veronica sheds (especially if there’s actually a director’s cut, not just a collection of deleted scenes). Since writing the words “Obviously, Iron Man’s sensibilities are closer to Whedon’s own,” I’ve come across interviews with Whedon saying things like “I’m basically Tony and I wish I was Steve. I believe everything that Steve says, but at the end of the day, I’m more like Tony, without the brilliance and the billions.”
Whedon has also suggested that Tony’s climactic act actually represents Steve’s influence on him, which is something I hadn’t thought of, and like a lot.
“Whedon has also suggested that Tony’s climactic act actually represents Steve’s influence on him, which is something I hadn’t thought of, and like a lot.”
This I noticed, but I did not notice another layer to it that someone else brought up: in some ways (I don’t want to spoil anything, so I can’t explicate) Stark’s climactic act mirrors Steve’s from Captain America.
I finally saw the movie yesterday and was very happy with it. I also noticed Cap’s God reference along with the man who didn’t denounce kneeling to a greater power, but rather a power like Loki. Considering Whedon’s atheism, I was happy that dialogue made it into the film. The Cap line is in character, but the other comment didn’t need to be phrased that way or be there at all. It was a welcome touch. And on a completely different note, the post-credits scene was my favorite of all the Marvel movies. It was just funny.
Your review is such a relief. Ever since Nick Fury said “I’m putting a team together” during the credits in Iron Man my thrill of anticipation has been shadowed by my fear they would screw it up. This is going to be great!
For what it’s worth, I’ve now been to see Avengers THREE times: a) the advance screening; b) opening weekend with my two older boys and their cousins; and c) yesterday (Mother’s Day) with Suz, who enjoyed it very much. It holds up to multiple viewings! Lots of fun.
Steven,
I saw this movie twice (April 28 opening here in the Philippines and yesterday also Mothers day)! And I rarely do that anymore. What with the economy and all. It just shows this Movie is really worth watching again for fans or non-fans alike. Too bad though I just found out that JOSS WHEDON is an atheist, but will pray for him to see the light.
My 16 y/o son asked me: Who would win? Batman or Ironman? Then he asked, who would win? Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark? Answer: Batman. Always Batman.
We were headed to see the movie on Mother’s Day, but got called to the “Darker Side”. Had to see Johnny Depp. I promised my son’s we would go see the Avengers before too long. Thanks for the review. Can’t wait to see it.
I wanted to go see Avengers last weekend but had no none to go with so I stayed home instead. My wife will not enjoy the film and my buddy Joe will go with me this coming weekend. I was thinking that maybe i’d rewatch the first several movies on Netflix and came accross a newly animated Avengers Series. And I found it to be a worthy substitute. It’s a very good show. I can honestly say without yet having seen the film that if you enjoy the film, you might enjoy the series. My only complaint about the film without actually having seen it (and having seen the TV show) is that they don’t have WASP or Ant Man in the film. These are great characters that look good on screen. Perhaps another film. Still looking forward to the film and finishing off the TV series. Check it out if you have NetFlix.
Steven, could you share those hints with us about Cap’s possible comeuppance in the climactic battle scene? It seems unlikely that Whedon would undermine his character and story in such a way. I sure didn’t see anything like that.
I loved the way Captain America became their captain when he needed to during that fight and began confidently giving them orders which they all readily followed. And his simple order to the Hulk was an absolute delight, of course: “Hulk, smash.”
Post a Comment
By submitting this form, you give The National Catholic Register permission to publish this comment. Comments will be published at our discretion, and may be edited for clarity and length. For best formatting, please limit your response to one paragraph and don't hit "enter" to force line breaks.