Film Review: The Avengers

Certificate: 12A (intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, and a mild drug reference)
Directed By: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Clark Gregg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Stellan Skarsgård
Budget: $220 million
Runtime: 142 minutes
Trailer: Watch

Mischief maker Loki returns to wreak havoc as Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D desperately assembles Earth's mightiest superheroes in a bid to thwart his alien invasion. As stories go this isn't about to win any pulitzer prizes, but then this also isn't what makes The Avengers the satisfying culmination of five origins movies and hundreds of millions of dollars that it is. In many ways it was always going to be difficult to live up to the extreme expectations of comic book nerds the world over, but fortunately it comes pretty darn close to quenching the hype.

Director Joss Whedon's task of managing this variety pack of egos isn't an enviable one, but it is one which he satisfyingly achieves with some added gusto for good measure. Maybe somewhat inevitably the film does tilt toward a certain iron clad person, however it is evident that Whedon has gone to excruciating lengths to never let one character run away with events. This balancing act extends to all quarters of the film, be it from managing the inflated super egos on show, attuning plot, characters and action while maintaining a healthy equilibrium between wit and emotional drama. Admittedly it is rather enjoyable to spend the first two-hours watching these jacked-up slabs of cool develop their inchoate bromances, but this is also one of those films which could have stood to show more of them fighting as a team rather than homoerotically checking out who has the bigger muscles.

For an action film it might be surprising then that The Avengers focuses more on the interactions of its egomaniacs rather than on who's exploding what and why. This is particularly noticeable with its brittle framework of a plot involving bland alien cannon-fodder which could be considered the quintessential definition of a macguffin. To its credit The Avengers attempts to be more than just superheroes being cool, however this ironically draws attention to the genre's inherent weaker points. Ordinarily asking questions of an unashamed spectacle would yield little other than headaches, but the fact The Avengers does not treat its audience like idiots only begs for answers. What happened to Loki and how did he survive the events of Thor? How did Thor come back to Earth if the rainbow bridge was destroyed? Also, who are these aliens and why are they allied with Loki? Certainly one can switch off and simply enjoy the film as is, but there is also something more cerebral at work which just craves further expansion. While commendable for its ambitious scope and desire for more depth than your typical action film, it is this recognisable cavate which make it slightly disappointing it's not fully realised.

Where The Avengers really succeeds is in its characters. Given the expositions we were given in the prequels the film wastes no time reintroducing us to our heroes, instead jumping straight in to the nitty gritty of group dynamics. This is done with an abundance of charm and humour, and thankfully does not rely exclusively on the witticisms of one Tony Stark. The biggest risk to The Avengers was always that it might become 'The Iron Man plus super-friends show', however Whedon maintains an impressive handle on our men in tights knowing exactly when to cut off those basking in the limelight for too long. It is a potential problem tackled to impressive effect as each character fulfils their function exceptionally. Downey Jr's Stark is still the Stark we all know and love while Chris Evans' Captain America provides the anchor, still confused by this world he's awoken in yet still the most invested in it. Hemsworth's Thor is no longer as tempestuous as when we first met him, and while he probably could have done with some more interaction with his comrades he nonetheless graces us with his godliness. However it is Mark Ruffalo's Dr. Bruce Banner who threatens to run away with the show. His introverted, gentile persona contrasts starkly with the green beast lurking inside in such a pleasantly unexpected manner while his scenes, particularly those with Tony Stark, sparkle with humour.

But this isn't just the bards of thunder gods and men of iron; The Avengers is uncompromisingly generous with its human antagonists too. Samuel L. Jackson takes a preeminent role this time rather than merely showing up at the end while Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow turns out to have more depth than merely being a kick-ass babe. Likewise, new Bourne star Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye is subject to a quivering plot-line as he's subjected to both sides of the coin. Perhaps most extolling of all though is the treatment of Agent Coulson (Gregg) whose monotone exterior we've seen in the prequels is charmingly shattered when he asks for the Cap's autograph and takes on Norse gods. Speaking of which it would be a travesty not to praise another fantastic performance by Tom Hiddleston as Loki, displaying an even more fiendish streak this time round after being 'wronged' in Thor. Indeed, he is bestowed some of the meatiest lines in the film, delivering with aplomb one of the most sneeringly vicious onscreen insults in recent memory.

It would be fair to note that in all likelihood no Avengers film would have ever lived up to all the ridiculously high expectations. However, this is damn close to the best anyone could have hoped for. The main problems with The Avengers mirror those of its prequels in that it is essentially an origins movie itself. Consequently it goes through the same motions of finding its footing and establishing its arcs which inevitably leads to similar imperfections. Yet given the high hopes and the unremitting fan love for Earth's Mightiest Heroes Whedon has done a fantastic job pulling it all together. Most of the criticisms are largely captious when considering the scale of the task, but with this first outing pleasingly accomplished and a tantalising teaser for another Avengers film (stay through the credits), Marvel can only go from strength to strength with this franchise.

Another Avengers Trailer

This just keeps looking more and more awesome.

Film Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

Patriotic Steve Rogers (Evans) is repeatedly declared 'unfit' to serve his country's military during World War II. When his gumptious attempts to sign up impress ex-pat German scientist Dr. Erskine (Tucci) Rogers is inducted into a top-secret army experiment. Injected with a Super-Soldier Serum (tm) the "90-pound asthmatic" is instantaneously transformed from weakling into a new breed of warrior who project overseer Colonel Phillips (Jones) declares will "personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of hell".

Created in 1941, Captain America was one of the first comic book heroes intended as an explicit patriotic symbol and piece of political propaganda where the cover of its first edition pictured the hero draped in stars and stripes punching Adolf Hitler square on the jaw. The film acknowledges this premise as the shield wielding embodiment of American values takes on Nazis in the last prequel before Rogers is reunited with super-friends Thor, Iron Man and the Hulk in the upcoming Avengers movie. However, this franchise's steeped history in overt, flag-waving patriotism doesn't seem so in-your-face here, impressively toned down for international audiences. As a testament to this the film was even simply released as "The First Avenger" without the Captain America prefix in some countries. Instead we seem to be presented with a super soldier who merely happens to be American, a welcome humility given the subject matter. However, in a sense this is also part of the film's downfall. Captain America was defined by his staunch stance against fascism and the fact there is scarcely a mention of the ideological divides that spawned the Cap means his identity and consequently the ideal he is supposed to be fighting for becomes somewhat of a tepid misnomer. In this way the purpose of his existence is densely and lethargically clear; The Avengers. Regardless, Captain America: The First Avenger is still an enjoyable popcorn flick which rests reasonably well on its own merits. And it's a good job too because by this stage there's little more the Cap can do to heighten anticipation for The Avengers movie anyway.

When Erskine is assassinated by a Nazi agent the US military don't quite know what to do with Rogers. As such he's treated as a pinup boy, relegated to propagandist showmanship raising war bonds at home instead of being given the chance to show off his new super attributes. This constitutes the first half of the film and while it may sound dull, it is this buildup to before Rogers being thrown into action which is the most enthralling part of Captain America, excellently paced and genuinely involving. However, things get a little bit ridiculous when, without any apparent combat training, Rogers suddenly launches an audacious one-man rescue mission behind enemy lines to liberate his best mate. Unfortunately here, in the second half of the film, Captain America begins to struggle against choppy waters as questionable plot holes quickly become entangled with sheer outrageousness. It's a bit of a shame for a movie that starts so brightly whereby the time everything is said and done you can't help feeling you've almost been robbed.

Like X-Men: First Class, this is a wacky piece of alternate history which features little recognisable to the real historical timeline. Captain America finds himself up not against Hitler, but a Colonel Schmidt (Weaving), head of the Nazi's scientific deep-research arm, HYDRA. Schmidt is the Yin to Rogers' Yang, also having dosed himself with a prototype serum leaving him with some horrendous physical defects earning him the nickname 'Red Skull'. Schmidt is obsessed with the occult, allowing for the film to branch out along that well-worn pseudo-historical timeline of Nazis dabbling in mystical powers (see Raiders of the Lost Ark or Hellboy for example). Schmidt harvests the power of an Asgardian (Thor's home) device known as the 'Tesseract' which enables him to bestow his followers with frickin' laser beams. Yes, you read that right; Nazis with ray guns. But then no one said this was a History Channel documentary. Indeed, HYDRA seems more like a world-wide criminal organisation that James Bond would have to deal with more than anything to do with Nazis.

However, at least Captain America stays true to its comic book sensibilities. Consequently it is comfortable being as stupid as it is, and for that you can't really fault it. In other ways it is also a vast improvement on the origins stories of Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk. One of the main reasons for this is that it has the most palpable villain out of the lot, a key component missing from the others which left them feeling a little bit irresolute. Then again you can't really go wrong with history's most reviled jackbooted thugs as Weaving's Schmidt and his sidekick, Dr. Zola, played by Toby Jones, once again illustrate why Nazis are the best boogeymen in Hollywood. Everyone else isn't half bad either. Evans is convincing as the humble stalwart Cap while the rest of the supporting cast are reasonably effusive. Tommy Lee Jones has fun with Colonel Phillips while fans who've been paying close attention to the Marvel series will be arrided by Dominic Cooper's involvement as Howard Stark (that's Iron Man's Dad for the uninitiated). However, Peggy (Atwell), a sassy British intelligence officer who acts as Rogers' love interest, seems a little bit lost, her place in the grander scheme of things somewhat undefined. It's never quite clear what her role is or even what she's doing there in the first place.

Captain America: The First Avenger is several things; silly, by far the most violent marvel movie to date (more death than in any other comic book film I've seen), but also possibly the most enjoyable origins story out of all the Avengers prequels. Technically it's more faulted than either Iron Man or Thor, but it is also the most unassuming and straightforward, something one can only admire its guts for. At least it's pure in its intentions and in this sense having a solid cast and a solid(ish) script is enough. It's just a shame that it gets a bit wobbly in places rather than delivering a killer blow to make it something really super.

Film Review: Thor

Thor has always remained the character most at odds with the Marvel universe. Indeed, he is the trickiest to deal with when integrating him with the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, and the Hulk in the upcoming Avengers movie. Thor suffers none of the inherent weaknesses which make Marvel's superheros more balanced, and, dare I say, interesting. Thor is a God. He can fly, has superhuman attributes and approaches levels of invulnerability. He is, essentially, the cop out that Superman is in the DC universe. It is this type of overpowered character which must be handled with extreme care when trying to incorporate him into the larger universe of Marvel, lest he become camp, cheesy and laughable. With great power does indeed come great responsibility, and thankfully, Marvel studios have taken great care in their portrayal of Thor.

Thor (Hemsworth) is on the cusp of ascending to the throne of Asgard when Frost Giants from Jotunheim interrupt the ceremony in a daring raid to reclaim a casket containing the source of their power. Livid with the audacious nature of the assault, and against his father, Odin's (Hopkins) wishes, Thor travels to Jotunheim in a quest for vengeance. As Thor and his party face defeat, Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. Furious with Thor's impertinence, Odin strips Thor of his powers and banishes him to Earth along with his hammer, which Odin enchants with a spell by which only those deemed worthy may wield it.

Thor opens with a rather dense, thirty-minute introduction to the trans-dimensional beings who are the Asgardians. So far removed is Thor from the Marvel universe on Earth that there was always a risk that it could turn into a cheese fest. But such is the attention to detail in the fantasy world created here and the seriousness with which it is all taken that it creates a satisfying degree of believability. One definitely senses the painstaking efforts to take this film solemnly.

Hemsworth is excellent throughout, dexterously adept to a wide range of roles. Petulant teen, humility, serious, humourous, action-hero and big romantic softy, Hemsworth slides in and out of each with ease. Indeed, Thor's more jocular moments make for a mouth-watering prospect when contemplating how Hemsworth will interact with Robert Downey Jr. in the Avengers movie. However, there is a detectable missing link as to how Thor develops from ungracious plank to humble mountain. The whole point of Odin banishing him to Earth was so that he may learn a thing or two about life, and while this is the end result, we aren't actually shown how Thor comes to this sudden realisation in what is almost an instantaneous shift in personalities. Even so, this doesn't detract from how Hemsworth portrays these traits. Hiddlestone's Loki, revealed as the first villain for the Avengers movie, is also played with gusto as a complex, layered and enjoyable character.

Thor stands well on its own, despite being part of Marvel's series of extended trailers for The Avengers movie. Along with the first Iron Man, it is certainly one of the best of the lot so far and will certainly, like Iron Man, boost Thor from a fringe Marvel character to one of your favourites. This film is good! Another!