The Avengers review, now 98 percent spoiler-free!
When Samuel L. Jackson stepped from the shadows as Nick Fury in the post-credits end of May 2008’s Iron Man and told Tony Stark about “the Avengers Initiative,” the words seemed to be teasing the impossible. At best, it could be only a no-harm-done throwaway line. After all, for the then-new Marvel Studios, Iron Man itself was a risky project: a film about a second-tier superhero by an actor turned director, with a troubled yet brilliant star who had more baggage than JFK Airport. Even in the unlikely event Iron Man became a hit, Marvel Studios’ head, Kevin Feige, had to be insane to believe his new studio could produce a series of crowd-pleasing superhero films and then unite all those actors for a spectacular, high-budget, team-up movie? Yep, insane.
Four years later, welcome to the madhouse. Joss Whedon’s The Avengers is an excellent, thrilling, exhilarating triumph. To call it the best comic-book movie ever made is an understatement and possibly even a disservice to it and the films that cleared the path.* There wasn’t much doubt that Whedon could put together a witty, high-stakes story with these characters. After all, he did exactly that during the seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. But in the movies? With these high expectations? Not only does he pull it off, he makes it seem effortless.
There are no major spoilers below, just a couple of plot points. If you would rather not know anything about the movie, stop right here.
The film begins by pulling together threads from last year’s Thor and Captain America. (You don’t need to have seen those films or the other Marvel movies to enjoy The Avengers, but it certainly doesn’t hurt, especially since you'll get to see more of Tom Hiddleston’s first-rate, layered performance as Loki, Thor’s deceitful and now-exiled brother.) Here, Loki arrives on Earth and seizes control of the Asgardian “Tesseract” (a.k.a. the Cosmic Cube) from SHIELD. Using the Tesseract’s limitless energy, he plans to subjugate mankind with the help of an alien army. Nick Fury is left with one choice: Revive SHIELD’s abandoned-between-films Avengers Initiative.
It takes about 30 minutes for all the pieces to be, ahem, assembled. Once that’s done, the action really gets underway - as the bickering heroes attack each other. The Avengers works largely because Whedon doesn’t shy away from the characters’ darker sides. Each character gets a moment to shine - and, more importantly, a moment in the shadows. While Bruce Banner’s anger-management problem may be the most visible (to put it mildly), all of our supposed heroes are messed up. There is little reason for them to like each other, let alone trust each other, even when the entire planet is at risk. And speaking of Banner’s problem, he offers some insight into his inner conflict that will make your jaw drop.
When the tragic aftermath of a surprise attack forces the heroes to overcome their flaws, the shift is smooth, satisfying, and natural, without any sudden “kumbaya” moment. It sets the stage for the final battle in midtown Manhattan - a 45-minute sequence that caused the audience (yes, me too) to applaud, laugh, or shout with delight many times, especially at the Hulk’s bombastic first punch, Tony Stark dramatic field-test of the Mark VII armor (one of the film’s most exciting scenes), Hawkeye’s explosive surprise, and a great slapstick moment in Grand Central Station that’s worthy of Chuck Jones. The movie has plenty of subtler treats, too: Captain America taking charge. Hawkeye giving tactical advice to the non-tactical Iron Man. “He’s adopted.” The Black Widow interrogating Loki.
Not surprisingly, Robert Downey Jr. gets a meaty chunk of the film’s cleverest lines, and it’s a pleasure to watch Stark slowly evolve into a team player. Chris Hemsworth continues to do good work as Thor, portraying a Thunder God who's a little humbler after the events in his movie. Chris Evans said in an Entertainment Weekly interview that, contrary to most folks’ opinion, Steve Rogers isn’t idealistic; he’s likely the most cynical of the group because of the future’s failed promises. That comes across strongly in his performance as Captain America. Cap wants to be idealistic - it’s just that no one in 2012 has given him a good reason. Yet. Jeremy Renner conveys Hawkeye perfectly, even though his character is, ah, not quite himself in the first half. And Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow gets dealt a much better hand here than in Iron Man 2.
But the standout performance - well, both of them - belongs to Mark Ruffalo and the Hulk effects team. You can see Bruce Banner’s emotional unrest in almost every scene, and the banter between Banner and Stark is a highlight of the film. Whedon wisely limits the Hulk’s appearances, which helps to heighten the excitement when he DOES appear. If the audience reaction to the Hulk in the final half-hour is any indication, the Hulk film franchise just got a gamma-irradiated boost.
Bottom line: Insanity has won. Believe the hype. The Avengers rocks. And you must not leave until the credits are over. No, no, I mean until ALL the credits are over. You’ll be glad you did.
Note to parents: The movie is violent and tense, even if there isn’t much blood. And the realistic attack on New York City may upset some children. If you’re not sure whether your kid can handle it, watch one of the other Marvel movies at home with him or her. If you’re still not sure, wait for the DVD or do what my wife and I did: Get a babysitter and go see it!
P.S. My updated ranking of the best superhero movies, 1 to 5: The Avengers, Spider-Man 2, Captain America, X-Men 2, Batman Begins. Comment!
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*Without Stephen Norrington’s Blade, Bryan Singer’s X-Men, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man (each of which was surpassed by its sequel), and Chris Nolan’s Batman Begins, this movie doesn’t happen. Those earlier movies proved that, in the right hands, a comic-book character could jump to the Big Screen in a serious, honest fashion that pleased audiences, critics, and Hollywood accountants. Seriously, think back to the late ‘90s and imagine the level of guts Singer showed by setting an opening scene of a perceived “kids’ movie” at the gates of a World War II concentration camp. Wow. Some film critics protested, but audiences took note.