Since “The Avengers” is the culmination of a series that
started with Marvel’s “Iron Man” followed by pictures devoted to The Hulk,
Captain America and Thor (not to mention “Iron Man 2”), it’s only appropriated
that I, first and foremost, confess myself a fan of the comic book mythology
that spawned these films. I got to understand the superhero golden age through
the pages of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and while they weren’t always quite the rousing
success, they were certainly always fun. With this I don’t mean that I’m necessarily
a fan of the movies; while the first “Iron Man” was a genuinely exciting
adventure, its sequel felt like a quick cash-grab to get to “The Avengers”. “The
Incredible Hulk” with its sort-of reboot/sequel mentality (mostly to counter
the bad reception of Ang Lee’s version) was underwhelming although “Thor” and “Captain
America: The First Avenger” were mostly fun popcorn movies (I especially liked
“Captain America” since there’s a special place in my heart for WWII adventures
where Nazis are complete buffoons).
Everybody knew, however, that “The Avengers” would be the
tricky one to get right. After all, this is the one where the characters find a
common goal and try to defeat an Earth-menacing villain (the whole movie
becomes, basically, a juggling act balancing the tones of very different characters).
After all, if Tony Stark is somewhat cemented in the real world (albeit one of
amazing technological breakthroughs), how does Thor fit in, with his demi-god
presence and power? How could we accept a superman with a shield fighting next
to a CGI bulking hulk? And how to explain the presence of Black Widow and
Hawkeye, agents without any kind of superhuman skill? (Ok, I’ll grant that
Hawkeye’s arrows are pretty powerful).
But “The Avengers” is a success and the praise has to go,
mainly, to Joss Whedon. He is a man who has gathered a cult following with
“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, “Angel”, “Firefly” and “Dollhouse”, a storyteller
who understands how to craft a good story seeped in genre clichés, by turning
its head on the typical archetypes. Most of all, he knows how to introduce
humor amidst the drama and that’s the key to this movie. In a basic level, the
whole mythology is absurd (as most comic books are) but Whedon knows how to
build a “pressure and release” balance between heavy exposition and humorous
action. There are truly some laugh-out-loud moments in “The Avengers”.
Every actor has found a comfortable niche within their
characters. Robert Downey Jr. is all wit and dead-pan humor, Chris Evans is earnest
and a natural leader and Chris Hemsworth is noble and mighty. Mark Ruffallo
gets Bruce Banner right and for the first time, the filmmakers get the Hulk
right. His scenes are some of the best in the film, proving that the Hulk is
and always should be, a supporting character. Tom Hiddleston is a convincing
monster as Loki, who’s always on the verge of redemption but never quite gets
there. There’s surprising depth too within the relationships of Hawkeye and
Black Widow and cool moments for Agent Coulson and Nick Fury (although I never
quite liked the casting of Samuel L. Jackson).
“The Avengers” is a perfect summer entertainment filled with
cool one-liners and amazing special effects. It’s well worth the hype.
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