They did it. Marvel actually did it.
The Avengers is here. It exists. And more than that, it’s good. Really good. Miraculously good.
Sorry, I’m gushing. Where to begin? Ah, yes.
Ever since Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) received a proposition regarding “The Avengers initiative” from Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), in the post-credit sequence from 2008’s Iron Man, Marvel’s first independent production, comic book fans have been abuzz about the possibility. Marvel Studios’s other 2008 release, The Incredible Hulk, a reboot/semi-sequel to 2003’s poorly received Hulk, did the same featuring a cross-property cameo by Downey Jr. as Stark, a move only previously executed by Jackie Brown & Out of Sight with Michael Keaton reprising the same role (and across studios no less). In Iron Man 2, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s involvement became more direct, meddling in Stark’s affairs not only through Director Fury but Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) & Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Even more so with Thor (Coulson single-handedly brings Thor [Chris Hemsworth] onboard) and, finally, who else but Mr. Fury would have been there when a lost and confused Captain America (Chris Evans) woke up after being a popsicle for 70 years in The First Avenger?
We’ve seen Marvel deliver all this, little by little, year after year, but believing it would, or could, culminate in The Avengers was another thing entirely. To make The Avengers, a film not starring one superhero but six, was a task so, to borrow a phrase from Dave Chen on the /Filmcast, Hulk-ian, so grand in scheme and scope, and so entirely unprecendented that, no matter how entertaining the properties and endearing the characters to come before, surely it was impossible. And yet, here we are, one weekend into The Avengers’s domestic release (a week or so into its international release) and The Avengers has already grossed more than any of Marvel’s solo Avengers vehicles in their entire theatrical runs. Not only that it’s blown away Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2’s domestic record opening of $169 million with a staggering $207 million. And it deserves every penny.
The Avengers is action-packed, full of heart, and the funniest damned thing out so far in 2012. It makes two and half hours feel like a five minute rollercoaster ride, the kind you want to hop immediately back in line for and ride at least ten more times. In nearly every way, it is the perfect summer blockbuster. So how did Marvel accomplish this in, inarguably, their best outing to date? The same way they did for all their other Avengers films: by pairing the right director and the right star to the material. Robert Downey Jr. is a quick-witted charisma machine and Jon Favreau knows how let his actors improv to their hearts’ content. Joe Johnston and Chris Evans bring earnest, beat-em-up fun. Kenneth Branagh brings Shakespearean gravitas and levity like nobody’s business and Chris Hemsworth easily embodies the larger than life god of thunder. And Louis Letterier knows how to blow shit up. What Avengers writer/director Joss Whedon knows how to do is all of the above while simultaneously introducing explosive family dynamics. I have limited experience with Whedon’s previous output but even I know he possess an unparalleled ability to tease out the best character dynamics from ensemble casts. He’s brings humor (and through the character, not at their expense), he’s clever, he knows and loves the material and knows how to deliver the beats, both action and comedic, audiences expect from Marvel’s beloved characters. In short, he’s the perfect man for the job.
Delving into anything more specific from The Avengers is mostly a waste of time (do you want to hear about this roller coaster or do you want to ride it?) but there are a few relatively important points to address if you haven’t seen it.
Yes, you likely need to see Iron Man 1 & 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America before seeing The Avengers. Whedon does a great job of setting all the stars to play together and you can get the jist but starting with Iron Man 2 and on through Thor and Captain America, The Avengers’s plot becomes directly informed by those preceding movies. Yeah, you could make it through but all Marvel’s movies are pretty fun so why not give yourself an excuse to get caught up?
The Avengers was shot in neither IMAX nor 3D. As such, don’t feel you have to pay for the upcharge, it’s like upconverting a DVD, sure, it might look a tad better but it doesn’t make the experience (unlike The Dark Knight which was partially shot in IMAX or Avatar which was shot entirely in 3D).
The Hulk. Third Hulk film, third Hulk actor. This time out Mark Ruffalo takes the reins and he’s hands down the best Banner and Hulk yet. No more cry-baby Banner like in Ang Lee’s Hulk, none of the wink-wink, nudge-nudge references to the 70s television series from Edward Norton, just a straight-up likeable, even loveable, portrayal by Ruffalo (the first actor to ever play both Banner and Hulk, surprisingly). A lot of critics and fans point out Hulk, and Ruffalo, as the highlight of the film; I’m inclined to agree with them.
That’s it. There’s really not much else to say except if you haven’t seen The Avengers, you’re missing out. And if you have seen The Avengers, when are you seeing it again?
