The Avengers - Review

So it’s finally here, the superhero crossover to be written in stone as one of the most important events in both Hollywood and comic book history. Years of build-up and publicity has led up to the massive crossover that is The Avengers (Avengers Assemble in the UK and Ireland). It all began four years ago in what I like to call the “Superhero Summer of ‘08” which made way for the likes of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Dark Knight, and even lesser loved titles such as Hancock and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Iron Man was a great surprise, and has gone down as one of the most loved and well-received comic book adaptations to date. For those of us who stuck around after the credits because of word-of-mouth inciting something worth seeing, we were dumbstruck to see Nick Fury address Tony Stark and mention the “Avengers Initiative”. Some doubted it could happen, others wept in fanatic glee, myself being of the latter category. Well, four years have passed and we’ve seen Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, five summer blockbusters building up to the ultimate amalgamation. Iron Man did it best and Captain America did it worst, but we’ve arrived at this point nevertheless.

The Avengers begins with Loki arriving on Earth and stealing the Tessaract (the MacGuffin from Captain America) from S.H.I.E.L.D., forcing Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) under his control via a weapon obtained from the Chitauri. Following the destruction of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base that housed the Tessaract, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is prompted to reactivate the Avengers Initiative, ordering Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) to collect Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) while Nick Fury goes to meet Captain Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). Soon Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) arrives on the scene and we proceed into a narrative of great banter, humor, tragedy and of course action, lots and lots of action.

When you get down to it, The Avengers has a very basic, very predictable plot. What saves it from tired trope is the unification of each respective character and how Whedon’s signature clarity of adroit and wily interaction and chemistry help carry an otherwise pale three-act structure. Dissimilar to the likes of Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich, the strength of the narrative is held up by each hero, and their discussions and fallouts remain true to their corresponding personalities. My personal skepticism towards this project involved how the characters would bounce off one another as well as each member of the team getting their just due, not to mention the clash between Thor’s magic versus Iron Man, Cap, and Hulk’s sci-fi. Thankfully it seems anything that may have caused friction does not, and each flavor (namely the heroes themselves) is able to blend into a rich and delicious smoothie. Corny, I know.

Each character has grown rather significantly since their own film, Stark retains his glorious sarcasm but seems more mature and collected compared to the exploits in his first film, Thor is far more patient, and Mark Ruffalo plays Banner a lot differently than Edward Norton did, he plays Banner as a man who’s been through a lot and now just wants to find solace and peace within himself. Personally, I feel he's the best Bruce Banner we've had. Loki as a villain has come into his own as far more a threat than he was in Thor, and now displays the mischievous and blatantly psychotic tendencies he exhibits in the comics, most notably in a conversation he has with Natasha. Most loose ends regarding baggage from previous entries are tied up, including a brief discussion with Thor regarding Jane from the his film. Although, while Loki is a solidified antagonist, the Chitauri as an army are little more than cannon fodder. However, I can dismiss the notion considering the context and scope of a project like this, especially in light of the mid-credits scene which reveals who’s been pulling all the strings. The point is that there are bigger things at stake here to worry about than lack of depth for a militia who’d surely be defeated either way.

In no lesser sense of credit, Joss Whedon has nailed this rather imperative film. The Avengers is a massive flick with a great script, characters you’ve been brought up to speed on in their own individual films, incredible chemistry between all of them, and a payoff well worth the near half-decade of anticipation. While I wouldn’t call this the peak of any potential comic adaptation, I will say that the novelty will never be the same, for this is a monumental instance, and while some faults surface, they don’t detract much from the enjoyment, especially for a comic book fan like myself, unless you’re a purist, but I digress. 8.5 out of 10.