Movie Review: The Avengers

A running theme in The Avengers is the concern over just how well an assembled group of superheroes can work together, and watching the film it’s hard not to see that as some kind of metaphor for the colossal risk Marvel took in bringing it – the first true superhero mash-up – to the big screen.

The Avengers is the payoff of all that build up of “Marvel’s Cinematic Universe”, first established in Iron Man way back in 2008, as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Reyner) team up to take on an alien invasion of apocalyptic proportions. It is not an easy melding for the heroes as they struggle to cooperate, and going in to the film one would be forgiven for wondering just how this dynamic was going to work. Here we have SIX superheroes from five different movies, each with their own backgrounds – some that need more fleshing out due to their supporting roles in previous films – and big personalities. It is often said there is too much of a good thing, and after the somewhat disappointing Iron Man 2 and Thor, it could be argued the superhero world was getting a little crowded. How are these characters meant to work together believably? And how on Earth are they and all of their baggage supposed to fit into a single 140 minute film?

Fortunately, the answer to these questions is a resounding ‘brilliantly’. Writer and director Joss Whedon is a master of ensemble casts, showcasing here the same brilliant dialogue and character interaction that made his short-lived series Firefly such a fan favourite. Let’s not beat around the bush here; The Avengers is an action movie through-and-through. There is enough action here to give any of Michael Bay’s Transformers travesties – err, films – a run for their money, but what sets Avengers apart from other CGI explosion-fests is that the action that takes place away from the CGI and explosions is just as entertaining. The verbal sparring between characters as they bicker amongst each other is not only integral to the group dynamic plot but hilariously entertaining, and there are enough fantastic, laugh-out-loud one-liners to put Roger Moore-era James Bond to shame.

Of course brilliant writing and direction only gets you so far, with the cast being possibly the biggest deciding factor in a character-driven piece such as this. This is where building off the backs of established film franchises has paid off – ever since Marvel hatched this plan to build their so-called Cinematic Universe, they have meticulously cast their heroes down to the very last detail. Every choice has been inspired, with Downey Jr. in particular becoming synonymous with the role of Tony Stark. With each of the heroes, with the exceptions of Black Widow and Hawkeye, having their own films to flesh out their characters and back stories, The Avengers wastes little time in character establishment, instead focusing upon their interactions and the action set pieces they find themselves getting into. It works, but anyone wishing to see this film would be highly recommended to go back and watch all of the Marvel Studio films in order to best get acquainted with the characters. That’s not to say the cast is underdeveloped or unchanged from their previous outings – character arcs are logical and make sense within the group dynamic, advancing each hero ever closer to the eventual team-up. Many people were waiting to see Mark Ruffalo’s take on Bruce Banner and the Incredible Hulk, and I am delighted to say that not only has he matched Ed Norton’s previous portrayal, but exceeded it and rocketed to the coveted most-valued-player spot in this ensemble of heroes; many audience pleasing moments come at the hands (and fists) of the big green meanie. His interactions with Stark and Thor are especially fun. Black Widow is also vastly improved over her first appearance in Iron Man 2, becoming a genuinely likeable character, miles ahead of her previous two dimensional role, thanks to some great moments between her and Hawkeye – the two most unknown heroes of the group complement each other fantastically. This isn’t even mentioning the great supporting cast. Marvel film regulars Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) turn in memorable performances, and newcomer Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) is a character that will be of undoubted interest in future movies.

I have only one gripe with The Avengers, and it stems from this overwhelming sense of team bonding that the film revolves around. As mentioned earlier, Avengers is chocked full of massive action set pieces, and the final act of the film is a non-stop thrill ride. The movie excels in this, but there are certain moments – though great on their own merits – in this homestretch of the movie that felt unnecessary. How many times must we see more enemies pouring in from every given direction followed by a montage of the Avengers doing what they do best to more and more generic creatures? Don’t get me wrong; it’s all fun, and it’s all certainly pulse-pounding, but I did find myself wondering when we were finally going to get the resolution of the epic spectacle on more than one brief occasion. The sheer enjoyment the sum of its parts brings means the film does not suffer from this, however. I’ve also seen some complaints regarding the simplicity of the story, and it is true that Loki (Tom Hiddleston) fronting an army of mysterious aliens and bringing them to Earth does not make for the most brain teasing plot, but when the film is already juggling so many characters and trying to establish the Avengers as a legitimate superhero team, anything more robust could have found the film leaning into the Spider-man 3/Iron Man 2 territories of over-bloated incoherence. Hiddleston, much improved from his turn in Thor, provides enough of a charismatic villain for the heroes to buttheads with that the story feels satisfyingly balanced as a backdrop for the formation of the titular team.

The Avengers is a rare occurrence where literally all of the elements have come together to make an absolutely brilliant film. Whedon and his stellar cast have managed to make this absolutely insane idea completely viable and utterly believable within the realms of the Marvel universe; it’s funny, it’s exciting and small gripes cannot stop it from being a hell of a lot of fun. Marvel hasn’t been this entertaining since the original Iron Man.

Rating: 4.5 / 5