GRADE: A +
Robert Downey, Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson
Based on the comic created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon
Screenplay by Joss Whedon
Directed by Joss Whedon
It's finally here. The comic book movie event that Marvel Studios has been leading up too since 2008, when Iron Man surpassed all expectations and Robert Downey, Jr. finally became the huge star some of us always knew he could be. The setup continued that same summer with The Incredible Hulk, a dumbed down and painfully dull attempt to reboot the character after Ang Lee's misunderstood gem left audiences cold. This version actually made slightly less money, and opinion is still divided on which incarnation was better (despite revisionist history, a lot of critics reacted favorably to Lee's film at the time.). Between this quick, shoddy version of The Hulk and the overly crowded, muddled Iron Man 2, which was far more preoccupied with bridging the gap leading up to Avengers than in actually telling a story, I wasn't that excited about where Marvel Studios was going. Three things changed my mind: Kenneth Branagh's delightfully entertaining Crocodile Dundee meets Lord of The Rings approach to Thor, the wildly underrated Joe Johnston's wonderfully nostalgic throwback Captain America, which I never get tired of revisiting, and finally, the announcement of Joss Whedon as writer-director for The Avengers. Suddenly, this became a mouth watering prospect, and I was catching the vision of what might be the biggest event move in super hero history.
The story begins as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D, arrives at a remote research facility during an evacuation. As this point in the screening, as Jackson stepped off the helicopter, wearing his eye patch and leather trench coat, the man sitting next to held out his hand to me for a friendly first bump. Normally I do not indulge in this ritual, but there was a an excitement in the air and a friendly, nerdy camaraderie emanating from this fellow that seemed to say “This should make up for the wedding night neither of us will ever have. Is this the emotion the humans call joy?”and I got into the spirit of things and returned the fist bump with great enthusiasm. This was, after all, The Avengers, and we were seeing it first. We are talking serious geek cred here.
Anyway, back to the setup: The tesseract, an energy source of unknown potential (introduced in the stinger sequence of Thor and then explained in Captain America) has activated, and a portal through space has opened. Out of it comes the exiled Norse god of mischief, Loki (Tom Hiddelston). Loki takes the tesseract, and uses his abilities to control the minds of several S.H.I.E.L.D. Personnel.
In response to the attack, Fury reactivates the Avengers Initiative. First up are Dr. Bruce Banner( Mark Ruffalo) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), alias “The Hulk” and “Iron Man,” both of whom are reluctant to join the team but are persuaded not only by Fury but by his loyal agents, Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Coulson (Clark Gregg.) Next up is Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), the recently unfrozen Captain America, who is still adjusting to life in 2012 as opposed to the '40's.
Rogers, Stark and Romanoff travel to Germany to apprehend Loki, who is recovering iridium to stabilize the Tesseract's power and demanding that the civilians kneel before him. After a battle with Captain America, Loki surrenders and is escorted back to a S.H.I.E.L.D. plane. However, Thor (played again by Chris Hemsworth), Loki's older brother and the Norse god of thunder, arrives and attempts to free Loki to reason with him. Stark and Rogers confront Thor, and Loki is eventually returned to the Helicarier, a high-tech, flying aircraft carrier, and placed in a cell designed to hold The Hulk.
The group Fury has assembled does not get along at all, in particular Rogers and Stark, whose “Luke Skywaker” and “Han Solo” personalities completely clash, and as Banner observes “This isn't a team. This is a time bomb.” But it's no spoiler to say that when push comes to shove and the fate of the Earth truly hangs in the balance, this team, joined by Agent Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye (two time Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner), comes together and becomes the fighting machine to end all fighting machines.
There is no question that this movie is going to play best if you have seen all of the set up films (with The Incredible Hulk mattering least, as there is more than enough introduction of the character here and the the Norton film is barely referenced at all). In particular, some familiarity with Iron Man and Thor is a a big plus to following the story, but even if you haven't seen any of those films, The Avengers is a fast paced, large scale epic thrill ride with so much action, so many genuinely laugh out loud moments, and a surprising amount of quality character moments, that it should appeal to just about anyone unless they just flat out hate superheroes.
This is a near perfect piece of entertainment that delivers on every level, and somehow manages to give each of its primary characters (even Agent Coulson) a chance to shine, and no one is short changed, though the filmmakers are well aware that Downey's Stark is the biggest draw here and do not miss the opportunity to put him front and center whenever possible. But while every character delights, the unquestioned, breakout, crowd pleasing favorite is The Hulk. Credit should be divided equally between Ruffalo, Whedon, the voice of Lou Ferrigno and the special effects team for finally making a Hulk that should please everyone, and he really steals the show and creates a big smash (rim shot.) Evans also really shines as the Captain, one of the most genuinely likable movie heroes in many a year, Hemsworth gets a few great moments as Thor, and Johansson is sexy, deadly and at times hilarious, as the script gives her far more to work with than her introduction in Iron Man 2 ( her character as seen here could easily anchor of movie of it's own). And Renner may be the most interesting and versatile rising star of the moment. It takes a while before Hawkeye gets a chance to really get in on the action, but when he does, he does so with a vengeance, and Renner yet again proves he has a star quality that matches Hollywood's biggest and brightest.
This is Joss Whedon script, so it goes without saying that's full of snappy and amusing dialogue and many a creative moment, but Whedon the director, who previously impressed with Serenity, the big screen follow up to his short lived cult hit series Firefly, also really knows how to stage eye-popping action with the best of them. The scale of this film is massive, easily justifying the need for so many heroes, but Whedon keeps it focused and balanced, never losing control. This is almost exactly the movie Michael Bay has failed to make so many times before, and rarely has a big summer sequel blockbuster (this is part six in a series, after all) come through with such flying colors.
It's not likely to be an Oscar contender, but The Avengers will be a hit of epic proportions and likely the most unbridled fun you will have at the movies this summer.
The Avengers is rated PG-13 for violence, profanity, and mild innuendo.
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