The Avengers -
(May 4th, 2012): PG-13
Overall
Recommendation: Very High
Distributor: Walt
Disney Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office:
N/A
Domestic Box Office
Gross to-date: N/A
Gross Revenue: N/A
Production Budget:
$220 million
Director: Joss Whedon
Though DC and Marvel are pretty
evenly matched when it comes to print comics, the latter is clearly the
undisputed king of the cinematic realm; with The Avengers, history would be made as the juggernauts of Marvel’s
film library would return together as part of the shared universe that was first
established in 2008 and has expanded remarkably due to A-list talent and strong
filmmaking. While the idea of a
superhero team together on the big screen is enough to make anyone who has ever
watched a Saturday morning cartoon salivate, it certainly didn’t hurt that a
majority of the A-list talent was returning to their iconic roles in an
ensemble cast that included Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel
L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson. I’ll admit that I was one of the many
naysayers when Mark Ruffalo replaced Edward Norton as the Hulk, especially
since I consider both Norton’s performance and 2008’s The Incredible Hulk brilliant; a good portion of the Internet may
have shared this opinion, but marketing efforts quickly quieted that dissent. Chances are that if you picked up a Dr.
Pepper, saw a Farmers Insurance commercial, or walked into a Wal-Mart in the
months leading up to May 4th, you had some idea that Iron Man,
Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk would be returning to the theater this
summer; Disney and Marvel executed a remarkably aggressive marketing campaign
designed to send awareness and audience interest through the roof, beyond even
the expected comic book fan-base.
Interestingly enough, because Disney generally discourages promotion
through fast food chains, Marvel’s usual partnerships with Baskin-Robbins and
Burger King were noticeably absent; but between Comic-Con celebrity panels,
character featurettes on YouTube, exclusive trailers on iTunes, tie-in comic
books, and Superhero Sunday marathons on the FX network, pre-release audience
tracking was massive. I may not have had
the energy for the six-movie Avengers
Marathon hosted by theaters (showcasing each of the individual hero’s films
back-to-back prior to the midnight release, but between my own fandom and the
early critical acclaim) I was downright giddy to see all my favorite
superheroes finally assemble.
The
Avengers opens with S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nicky Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)
arriving at a secret research facility, where he is informed by agent Maria
Hill (How I Met Your Mother’s Cobie
Smulders) that the Tesseract (the energy source introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger) has
activated, opening a portal to another dimension and releasing the formerly-exiled
and always-villainous Asgardian, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). It is revealed that Loki was granted both a
mind-control/energy weapon and command of an extra-terrestrial army by a
mysterious cosmic being (for use in his revenge against Earth), all in exchange
for his retrieval of the Tesseract; to aid in his escape, Loki brainwashes both
S.H.I.E.L.D marksman Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and physicist Eric
Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and together, the three successfully steal the
Tesseract. Realizing the destructive
potential of the cosmic energy source, Fury activates the “Avengers Initiative,”
recruiting the recently revived Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris
Evans), while Agent Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) collects
Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Agent Phil Caulson (Clark Gregg)
approaches Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Tasked with locating the Tesseract, Iron Man
and Captain America quickly apprehend Loki and proceed to return him to
S.H.I.E.L.D’s base, the Helicarrier; en route, Loki’s adoptive brother, Thor
(Chris Hemsworth), arrives and attempts to intervene, but after a brief
confrontation, all three heroes decide to work together. While imprisoned on the Helicarrier, Loki
begins to sow seeds of doubt among the team related to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s motives;
this tactic divides and distracts the heroes while the alien army approaches
and the still-brainwashed Hawkeye attacks, provoking the Hulk into a rampage
that leaves Loki free to escape and claims several casualties. Even though Black Widow eventually knocks
Hawkeye back to his senses, Loki’s army attacks Manhattan, motivating the
Avengers to put aside their differences and rally in order to defend against
this new world-threatening conflict.
In a few early reviews, critics
commented on the fact that, due to his television background, Joss Whedon’s
first blockbuster attempt lacked a certain cinematic appeal; in my opinion,
nothing could be farther from the truth, as The
Avengers offers a completely energetic and compelling thrill-ride that is
undeniably epic. It may not necessitate
the purchase of 3D glasses, but The
Avengers is still visually stunning and offers more than enough action to
satiate even those with the highest of expectations…the climactic final battle
in Manhattan will have you on the edge of your seat and leave your jaw firmly
planted on the theater floor. And when
it comes to the ensemble cast, there was a definite challenge in sharing
adequate screen-time, but the screenplay delivers sufficient individual heroism
and character development to please the fans of each separate hero; early
reports said that the film would take place from Captain America’s
point-of-view, but thankfully, the narrative focus is very equal. Admittedly, I would have loved to have seen
more of a central role for Nick Fury and Hawkeye, but their lack of presence
was almost necessitated by the script and therefore acceptable…The Avengers still coherently combined
and enhanced its most popular characters
(the Hulk most of all), so a few heroes falling to the sidelines is forgivable. From a pure action and fan-service
standpoint, The Avengers is perhaps
the strongest superhero film to-date, but once you put a few plot elements under
the microscope, some weaknesses do surface; yet, I doubt anyone will be too
bothered.
As happy as I was to see the famous
group of superheroes fully-realized on the big screen, I still couldn’t help
but notice the few gaps in the story and unexplored plot points that prevent The Avengers from being a perfect
superhero film. I do understand that a
good portion of these elements were used solely to help the narrative flow
conveniently, and that full elaboration would have resulted in a 4-hour movie,
but it is disappointing to see some inherently complicated story arcs
glossed-over; for instance, how quickly the heroes’ distrust of S.H.I.E.L.D is
forgotten or how easily Bruce Banner learns to control his monstrous alter-ego. And I do admit that is does take some time
for the film to build momentum and that there are moments when the pacing
grinds to a halt solely for exhibition, but it is just so hard to care when the
next scene involves Thor and the Hulk engaging in a brutal fistfight. I mentioned earlier that Joss Whedon clearly
understood and respected the intended audience for The Avengers, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the subtle and
downright clever humor permeating the film, most of which references the
original comic book sourcing; Tony Stark’s continual provoking of Bruce Banner
to try and unleash a rampage, Captain America’s complete bewilderment
concerning modern pop culture references, and Loki’s futile efforts to
intimidate the Hulk…it all speaks to just how much fan-boy effort and love was
put into the film. All in all, you have
to respect just how daring it was for Marvel to put together a believable
shared universe and unite its top characters…the execution may not have been
flawless, but it still remains a resounding success.
As of the writing of this review,
the final numbers for The Avengers’
opening weekend have not yet been confirmed, but by all indications, several
records are set to be shattered, leaving one hell of an obstacle for any future
entry of the 2012 Summer Movie Season to overcome (the only one that can even
hope to come close is The Dark Knight
Rises). Opening in late April
overseas, The Avengers earned $334.3
million before its domestic release and actually set opening-weekend records in
12 territories, demonstrating the massive international appeal of this
powerhouse franchise. As for domestic
performance, North American pre-sales exceeded the COMBINED pre-sale grosses of Captain American: The First Avenger, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Thor, by
over 150%, while the film earned $80.5 million in its opening day, an
achievement second only to Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.
Safe to say, we have a box office champion on our hands, one that, even
with a significant week-to-week drop-off, is still likely to best new releases
like Dark Shadows, and possibly even Battleship. As the definition of a summer blockbuster, The Avengers definitely raises the bar
for future superhero films and should not be missed by anyone, devoted fan or
not; I can only hope and pray that The
Avengers 2 is green-lit and begins development on Monday morning.
