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Review: The Avengers ***1/2
13 years ago
General
I didn't cut him...
My God this has been a long time waiting and it's fucking here!
This review took longer than I expected to finish but i think its well worth it, much like the movie :) So here it is, spoiler free and for your fan boy pleasure. And anything in here you might think of saying is a spoiler doesn't mattr compared to everything else tha happens in this movie.
Leave a comment on what you think of this review and what you think of the movie. It's awesome right?! :D
It all started when matrix pirate Samuel L. Jackson said, “I’d like to talk to you about The Avengers Initiative,” and every pimply, spitting, social reject went into heated frenzy of excitement and panic. There is excitement in the announcement of a multi-continuity driven movie series that will ultimately lead to an Avengers movie. Also panic in that the movie will never be made according to their exact specifications. Since the ending of the Iron Man movie almost five years ago, The Avengers has become one of the most expensive and longest running advertisement schemes in film history. It spawns five movies, spending almost eight hundred million in budget, and raising the hopes of every fan boy in the world. Needless to say, even though the previous movies were consistently good, if The Avengers didn’t pay off the way everyone expects then all that effort would’ve been for naught, much like taking a tropical vacation with J.J. Abrams. Against all my cynical barriers of protection I am very giddily able to report that Marvel’s The Avengers delivers everything it promises in very flashy superhero colours. This is a movie event like no other, witnessing separate characters coming together in a single cohesive continuity driven universe in one massive film is harder to describe than Helen Keller describing an ecstasy trip... I think surreal is the word I’m looking for.
Given how many characters there are in this sprawling production, I was expecting this movie to be spread more thinly than a dietician on a Roland Emmerich celery jam diet. Thank God for the king of nerds! This disaster waiting to happen is saved by cult favourite writer and director Joss Whedon, who really deserves more than his demonic title... even though it definitely suits him. The guy’s skill with creating human characters out of inhuman-like beings makes me wonder if he did at all sell his soul to Satan, Kali Mah, or whoever to obtain this unbelievable skill. Though given the number of characters and time restraints this movie has, it doesn’t have the most deep character development but it puts in just the right amount so that all the characters can get their moment in the spotlight. When a scene has Captain America in it, it’s about Captain America, and when it has Black Widow, it’s about Black Widow; it’s like a Miss Ego pageant. I actually find it REALLY hard to choose who’s my favourite Avenger is now, but I suppose I’d have to succumb to Thor’s elegant billowing chest again. But for best comeback, the award has to go the Hulk as Mark Ruffalo delivers the performance we’ve all given up on seeing.
All the characters are so cleverly constructed that you don’t even have to see the previous movies to get what’s going on, though it does help a lot if you want the full experience, and you DO want the full experience. Everyone’s interaction with each other is exactly what you hope for in an Avenger’s movie, conflicting without being bitchy and when they conflict boy do they duke it out. They relieve more tension than a military general hockey dad on Viagra. The best thing though is that when crap gets real, they actually do the realistic, human thing and put aside their differences to kick a ton of ass and you know, try to save the world. The Avengers also has the introduction of Agent Maria Hill who is designated to pretty much say, “I’m here to give exposition, kick ass and to show character and I’m aaaall out of character.” I do also wish that Loki has a bit more development as a villain as he is arguably the best villain out of the entire Avenger series and his motives seemed to be coasting solely from the Thor movie and so I would’ve like to see his character broadened more. Loki can be said that he’s just the set up for the villain of the next Avenger movie and there will be one because the inevitable end credit scene almost made me pee with excitement, but that could’ve also been the massive rum and coke I downed in two hours.
A problem with having five other movies setting up to one big movie is that the last movie seems to be paced like a TV show. This means that it doesn’t have much of a first act because all the character has already been established. This is the same problem that the very last Harry Potter movie had in that if you don’t watch the previous movie right before, a lot of things can feel rushed and there’s not much time before ‘the call’ part of the narrative is initiated. The Avengers did do a better job than Harry Potter did though. Some may say that the past five movies were the first act and to that I say screw you since every movie in a series should be able to stand on its own and when there’s a clear three act structure you can’t say the third act counts as the next first act. That’s like saying an afterglow also counts as foreplay. I may be really nitpicking here more than OCD mountain climber but after wasting my time with five end credit teasers, I reserve the right to be. Don’t get me wrong, I want to give this movie a full four stars and Whedon my complete fan boy submission, but after so much hype I want to just give a bit more incentive for the next movie.
What The Avengers falls short on, it greatly makes up for what it excels at. It has a great sense of humour with its superhero team, much like a bunch of work buddies going out on a pub crawl, complete with brawls, jests and the works. While this movie can look very silly at times with its eccentric comic book style, it’s also very refreshing to see a superhero movie embrace its absurdity, especially in the very, very end. On top of being funny The Avengers is also very smart and realizes the theme of its comic origins. The Avengers is all about continuity. They reference each others’ stories and characters to show how they relate to the relevant plot, which makes the movie feel incredibly massive in its unique terms. This continuity leads up to a fantastically choreographed fighting sequence that shows just how every single person contributes to the fight and the team. And better yet the theme of continuity does expand itself to the virtue of teamwork that is more appropriate and well constructed than one hundred Mighty Ducks rip offs. The Avengers is a pure achievement and landmark of cinema that will leave you giddy and cheering for more!
This review took longer than I expected to finish but i think its well worth it, much like the movie :) So here it is, spoiler free and for your fan boy pleasure. And anything in here you might think of saying is a spoiler doesn't mattr compared to everything else tha happens in this movie.
Leave a comment on what you think of this review and what you think of the movie. It's awesome right?! :D
The Avengers*** ½ It all started when matrix pirate Samuel L. Jackson said, “I’d like to talk to you about The Avengers Initiative,” and every pimply, spitting, social reject went into heated frenzy of excitement and panic. There is excitement in the announcement of a multi-continuity driven movie series that will ultimately lead to an Avengers movie. Also panic in that the movie will never be made according to their exact specifications. Since the ending of the Iron Man movie almost five years ago, The Avengers has become one of the most expensive and longest running advertisement schemes in film history. It spawns five movies, spending almost eight hundred million in budget, and raising the hopes of every fan boy in the world. Needless to say, even though the previous movies were consistently good, if The Avengers didn’t pay off the way everyone expects then all that effort would’ve been for naught, much like taking a tropical vacation with J.J. Abrams. Against all my cynical barriers of protection I am very giddily able to report that Marvel’s The Avengers delivers everything it promises in very flashy superhero colours. This is a movie event like no other, witnessing separate characters coming together in a single cohesive continuity driven universe in one massive film is harder to describe than Helen Keller describing an ecstasy trip... I think surreal is the word I’m looking for.
Given how many characters there are in this sprawling production, I was expecting this movie to be spread more thinly than a dietician on a Roland Emmerich celery jam diet. Thank God for the king of nerds! This disaster waiting to happen is saved by cult favourite writer and director Joss Whedon, who really deserves more than his demonic title... even though it definitely suits him. The guy’s skill with creating human characters out of inhuman-like beings makes me wonder if he did at all sell his soul to Satan, Kali Mah, or whoever to obtain this unbelievable skill. Though given the number of characters and time restraints this movie has, it doesn’t have the most deep character development but it puts in just the right amount so that all the characters can get their moment in the spotlight. When a scene has Captain America in it, it’s about Captain America, and when it has Black Widow, it’s about Black Widow; it’s like a Miss Ego pageant. I actually find it REALLY hard to choose who’s my favourite Avenger is now, but I suppose I’d have to succumb to Thor’s elegant billowing chest again. But for best comeback, the award has to go the Hulk as Mark Ruffalo delivers the performance we’ve all given up on seeing.
All the characters are so cleverly constructed that you don’t even have to see the previous movies to get what’s going on, though it does help a lot if you want the full experience, and you DO want the full experience. Everyone’s interaction with each other is exactly what you hope for in an Avenger’s movie, conflicting without being bitchy and when they conflict boy do they duke it out. They relieve more tension than a military general hockey dad on Viagra. The best thing though is that when crap gets real, they actually do the realistic, human thing and put aside their differences to kick a ton of ass and you know, try to save the world. The Avengers also has the introduction of Agent Maria Hill who is designated to pretty much say, “I’m here to give exposition, kick ass and to show character and I’m aaaall out of character.” I do also wish that Loki has a bit more development as a villain as he is arguably the best villain out of the entire Avenger series and his motives seemed to be coasting solely from the Thor movie and so I would’ve like to see his character broadened more. Loki can be said that he’s just the set up for the villain of the next Avenger movie and there will be one because the inevitable end credit scene almost made me pee with excitement, but that could’ve also been the massive rum and coke I downed in two hours.
A problem with having five other movies setting up to one big movie is that the last movie seems to be paced like a TV show. This means that it doesn’t have much of a first act because all the character has already been established. This is the same problem that the very last Harry Potter movie had in that if you don’t watch the previous movie right before, a lot of things can feel rushed and there’s not much time before ‘the call’ part of the narrative is initiated. The Avengers did do a better job than Harry Potter did though. Some may say that the past five movies were the first act and to that I say screw you since every movie in a series should be able to stand on its own and when there’s a clear three act structure you can’t say the third act counts as the next first act. That’s like saying an afterglow also counts as foreplay. I may be really nitpicking here more than OCD mountain climber but after wasting my time with five end credit teasers, I reserve the right to be. Don’t get me wrong, I want to give this movie a full four stars and Whedon my complete fan boy submission, but after so much hype I want to just give a bit more incentive for the next movie.
What The Avengers falls short on, it greatly makes up for what it excels at. It has a great sense of humour with its superhero team, much like a bunch of work buddies going out on a pub crawl, complete with brawls, jests and the works. While this movie can look very silly at times with its eccentric comic book style, it’s also very refreshing to see a superhero movie embrace its absurdity, especially in the very, very end. On top of being funny The Avengers is also very smart and realizes the theme of its comic origins. The Avengers is all about continuity. They reference each others’ stories and characters to show how they relate to the relevant plot, which makes the movie feel incredibly massive in its unique terms. This continuity leads up to a fantastically choreographed fighting sequence that shows just how every single person contributes to the fight and the team. And better yet the theme of continuity does expand itself to the virtue of teamwork that is more appropriate and well constructed than one hundred Mighty Ducks rip offs. The Avengers is a pure achievement and landmark of cinema that will leave you giddy and cheering for more!
Otherwise, yeah, The Avengers kicked all of the ass. The script is great, the characters are all likeable, the villain is amazing and even the side characters all have their cool moments. I don't think I can really complain about anything in that movie. It was simply awesome. And yeah, I wish we would have stayed for the after-trailer scene, but I really needed to pee. XD
But yeah, the after-credit scene is arguably the best so far, don't let anyone ruin it for you.