From the very beginning, I was right behind the idea of an Avengers movie, but I had my doubts. This undertaking meant that Marvel, and later Disney, had to crank out enough good movies to keep audiences interested and establish enough characters to make a legitimate team. As the years rolled by, we were treated with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America. If one paid enough attention, or knew the comic books, they would know how intricately intertwined all of these characters are. For instance, Bruce Banner, the Hulk, was trying to replicate the super soldier formula which Tony Stark’s, Iron Man’s, grandfather made for Steve Rogers, Captain America, when Banner got enough gamma radiation to become the thing he hates. But enough about my nerd-excitement, how was the movie?
Without spoiling too much, Avengers focuses around gathering a team of superheroes, whom I’ve already listed, to defeat Loki, the brother and main villain of Thor. Loki has come to Earth with an army of aliens, and Nick Fury decides that it’s going to take much more than just one hero to stop the god of mischief. Fury sends for his chosen team, and we watch the trials and tribulations of this effort.
The entire original cast returns for their superhero besides one, Edward Norton as the Bruce Banner/Hulk. When I heard about the casting change, I was wary. Norton was the perfect Banner in my eyes, embodying the emotional stress, scientific prowess, and general snarkiness that he should. To take his place is Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo does a respectable job, and while I still believe Norton was the better Banner, Mark fits the character well. Robert Downey Jr. is just as perfect as Tony Stark/Iron Man as he was in his previous two starring roles. Chris Hemsworth makes Thor the lovable Asguardian we came to love once again. Chris Evans comes back as Captain America, and Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner make their cameos characters as Black Widow and Hawkeye, respectively. And last, but certainly not least, is Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Returning as the villain from Thor, Hiddleston ramps up his mischievous activities and does a good job being evil. All of these actors do a great job, save some small gripes I’ve had with Captain America since his movie.
What really sells The Avengers is the fantastic direction and writing of Joss Whedon. Whedon is no stranger to projects with several main characters, and his aptitude shines here. Every character, even the minor Hawkeye and Black Widow, has a role in Avengers. Not one hero took a backseat here. Sure, some had bigger parts than others, but none were put on the backburner. Whedon makes sure that every hero had an established personality and relationship with one another, and this helps you care about what happens to them. No matter which Avenger is your favorite (in case you’re wondering mine is Thor the hero, but Iron Man or Hulk the character), you’ll see them kick all kinds of ass. Action scenes are extremely well done thanks to Whedon and, having seen it in 3-D, I can say that if you have the extra two bucks, use it; it’s awesome. As a side note, Avengers is surprisingly hilarious. I found myself laughing a lot throughout the movie, and this is welcome with all of the serious action going on.
All in all, The Avengers is awesome. It starts a bit slow because Whedon has to show how great he develops characters, but once it picks up, it gets explosive. A few minor gripes (why do I not like Captain America?) are not much compared to how much fun you’ll be having when you watch this movie. And be sure to stay after the credits for a reference very few will get, but be sure to look it up because it is bound to show up in a later Marvel adventure. 8.5/10
