"The Avengers" Movie Review

It took adjustments and pain medicine to get me to this movie but I made it: that's how much I wanted to see it! I have now been in bed for two days because of the pain from sitting that long and I don't regret it: that's how awesome it was!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love my superheroes! It's going to be a great Spring/Summer for superhero movies and The Avengers kicked it off. What a great way to end my semester of hell and start a summer of recovery! I have so many things to say about this movie that, if I said all of them, you would probably be reading the longest blog ever. SO, I'll TRY to keep it short. 

The Avengers brings together Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye as a team of super humans who must save the world from Loki (Thor's adopted brother) and his other worldly army. I won't say much about the plot because a.) you should see it and b.) it's a lot to type out while trying not to give too much away. I will say that S.H.I.E.L.D, led by Nick Fury, must bring together the "Avengers Initiative" to battle a force that is simply too much for one superhero and the heroes are less than willing until something happens that makes them all ban together.

This movie is so full of amazing actors and superhero splendor that the movie theater is sure to be full of nerdgasms! Robert Downey Jr. is back as Iron Man; Chris Evans has been unthawed as Captain America; Chris Hemsworth has returned from Asgard as Thor and the audience is given a deeper look at Hawkeye, Jeremy Renner, and Black Widow, Scarlett Johansson, the only two heroes who are 100% human and the only two who haven't had their own movies. Oh wait, did I forget someone? No, I purposefully left out The Hulk because he deserves his own paragraph as I have voted him "Best Recast!"

Mark Ruffalo joins the team as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, a role previously done on film by Eric Bana and Edward Norton (let's put aside the television portrayals). Anyone who watched the 2003 Hulk was probably as appalled as I was...I like Eric Bana a lot but wow, that movie was horrible. So, when the movie was redone in 2008 with Edward Norton I was excited! I love me some Edward Norton and The Incredible Hulk was far superior to the 2003 film. When I heard that Edward Norton would not be in The Avengers, I was worried... that is until I heard Mark Ruffalo was the recast. I love me some Edward Norton but I have always found Mark Ruffalo to be a great actor so I was excited to see what he could do. I. Am. Impressed! I even hate calling Mark Ruffalo a recast because he did such an amazing job. So, from now on, we shall only refer to Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, no more recast! He owned the role and made it his own. If you can't see how excited I am, I dare you to track down my best friend, ask her how much I LOVE Edward Norton and then realize that, if I'm this excited about Edward Norton being replaced then, wow, Mark Ruffalo must have been amazing. Yes, yes he was! I could probably devote a whole blog to how impressed I am with Ruffalo but, don't worry, I won't.

"I AM BETTER THAN EDWARD NORTON!"
"We believe you!"

"You believe me?"
"YES! We promise, we know you are awesome!"

"Oh, well, then....I guess I am ok...Hulk smash!"

There are many things that impressed me with this film. I loved the humor that was weaved in throughout the film. After those years with the "bad" Batman films, (yes I know I am mixing DC and Marvel but stick with me here), I didn't know how much room would  be allowed for humor in superhero movies out of sheer fear that they would tank. I must make it clear, I am one of those weirdos who enjoys the "crappy" Batman movies even though I know how ridiculous they are,  but I also know how filmmakers fear repeating the days associated with George Clooney's nipple suit. That said, The Avengers was hilarious, but not in the quirky Batman-nipple-suit ways.  I'm talking about witty humor that sticks with you even days after the film. I've witnessed this humor throughout Iron Man and sprinkled in Thor and Captain America but I haven't laughed this often during a superhero movie since the days of the 90's Batman films and, trust me, that was usually not good laughter. The Avengers managed to be action packed and hard hitting while still being light and humorous which I attribute to the fact that this film captured the human side of the heroes and mixed it well with their hero sides. I have to say that I think it is Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo who ignite the humor as they have amazing friendship chemistry on screen. All I can say is: Awesome!

I also have to point out that the plot was extremely well done in this movie. I was never left thinking, really? I'm supposed to believe that? The script was well-crafted and thought out. There are even nods to World War II, Captain America's day, in creative ways that had this history minor going, "YES!  If they hadn't added that, I would have been pissed!" Also, the action kicked off almost right away because there wasn't exposition weighing down the beginning :::cough Green Lantern cough::: This is most likely because the exposition has been covered in the previous movies but it was nice to see a movie where the history was mixed in, instead of being thrown at the audience in long monologues or introduction scenes :::hack Green Lantern hack::: ....sorry, I must be getting a cold.

Alongside the all-star cast, hello Samuel L. Jackson, you awesome man, and the great portrayal of Loki by Tom Hiddleston, you creepy badass you, there are some great moments in this film where I got to go, "Hey it's (insert celebrity name here)." Of course, the whole room got excited when Stan Lee made his appearance, I repeat, nerdgasm, but I was equally excited when I saw Harry Dean Stanton appear. It was also great to see all of the movies come together with the supporting cast, not just the heroes, from those films. I was pleased to see Professor Selvig from Thor, Stellan Skarsgard, play a pretty big role in the film and it was great to see Pepper Potts from the Iron Man films, Gwyneth Paltrow, make her appearance. Even though Natalie Portman couldn't make an appearance as Jane Foster, she was mentioned. I appreciated this because it reminded the audience that all of these heroes have separate lives and films but come together when one superhero just simply isn't enough. AND I'm always happy to see Agent Coulson, Clark Gregg, as he brings a lighter side to some scenes and adds depth to others. Simply put, this film is layered with great acting.


I do have two complaints but neither has to do with this film directly. These are simply comments to help me vent. ONE, seriously people, have you not learned to stay put for the extra scenes at the end of the movie? These are the scenes that give you a small glimpse of the next films so SIT DOWN and enjoy them! While I'm mentioning it, one of the special scenes might be a bit confusing unless you are a super-duper-comic nerd (that's a compliment) so, after you see the movie, go look up spoiler explanations like this one. Anyhoo, please watch the scenes so you aren't confused or hurry out of the theater so I am not distracted by your stupidity. Some people will never learn. Sigh. And TWO, really cinema people, you put the Batman and Spiderman trailers in the middle of the previews and then threw Prometheus and Frankenweenie (adorable but really?) in at the end? Talk about poor management, you should end with the kick ass trailers but oh well, at least those are my only two complaints, right?

 

Thank you for the pictures:

http://collider.com/the-avengers-movie-images-hulk-loki/148965/ ,

www.imdb.com