To be honest, before seeing The Avengers I had my concerns that I may have had to use this memory blockage technique after viewing the movie. In my opinion, the movie was a big gamble in the good quality film department. I had no doubt that it would be a tremendous financial success. How could it not? Four of the six main characters in The Avengers have had varying levels of success with their stand alone franchises, however my main concern going in was, would the amount of iconic heroes in one movie lower the amount of story that each received and limit their screen time? In addition, would merging these worlds lessen the stand alone stories that each character has previously had?
The Iron Man movies were technology based. There weren't any supernatural, otherworldy beings present. In a sense, they were more grounded in reality. Then you take a look at Thor's world and he is part of an alien race from another planet... That to me, is the reason I have never been a fan of merging superhero stories. Even when I think about the Justice League I have similar feelings. Batman and Superman have no business being together. Their worlds are too different.
Well, my fears, concerns, and initial thoughts of "did they really need to make this movie?" were proven idiotic. Each character brought something unique to the movie and I greatly enjoyed seeing all their different worlds merge into one. All of the super heroes felt like they were destined to be a part of this story and this was achieved by having the little moments speak volumes. Every character, no matter how small of a role (Agent Phil Coulson brought a great deal of comedy and heart to the film) played an integral part in the movie. The movie wouldn't have been the same if any one of them weren't included.
Another great example of a small role leaving a large impact can be seen with the Hulk. He didn’t have as big of a role as Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America, but Mark Ruffalo gave such a powerful performance that I felt connected with his character most of all. He added a great deal of humanity to the hulking green giant and offered up some of the most comedic moments in the film ("Puny God"=hahaha).
Another great example of a small role leaving a large impact can be seen with the Hulk. He didn’t have as big of a role as Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America, but Mark Ruffalo gave such a powerful performance that I felt connected with his character most of all. He added a great deal of humanity to the hulking green giant and offered up some of the most comedic moments in the film ("Puny God"=hahaha).
I especially liked how the egos of these characters, mainly Tony Stark and Thor’s, were let loose and there were moments of superheroes fighting each other, even though they were on the same side. This new, unexpected thrill was exciting to see. There were six heroes and only one main villain, yet the added struggle within the hodge podge group of supers created its own set of unique obstacles. It was terrifying watching Hulk chaotically search for Black Widow when the team was on the plane. I think that might have been the most intense scene within the entire movie and it was between two of the super heroes.
Villains are definitely as crucial to a superhero film as the heroes. Without a strong villain, the movie will fall flat. Tom Hiddleston successfully created a sinister character in the movie Thor and having his backstory laid out in a previous film helped strengthen the character as the main villain in the first Avengers movie. The audience already knew how bad he was. Now, we were expecting even more from his character. Loki is the embodiment of evil. I can picture his twisted smile in my head right now and I shudder. Tom Hiddleston played Loki flawlessly. He was an intelligent villain that had a plan that only made sense to him. He gave the heroes a run for their money and I believed that only this group, when united, could stop him and his army.
The reason this film worked so well while other second or third super hero movie installments get lost in their own web of big budget chaos is due to the fact that the story was focused. The villain's goals were clear (take over Earth) and the heroes had to overcome their own egos in order to become a team that could save the world. The movie had big action scenes, yet never forgot the story that it was telling (take note Hollywood). It understood each of its characters and kept their backstories from prior films in mind while the new story unfolded. Not once did the movie have a scene that seemed unnecessary. Not once did the movie feel like it went off course. The Avengers could have easily been another lame action movie with a thin storyline however, it was instead a very focused film that effectively celebrated these superheros and created a movie that was not only entertaining, but also of good quality, a very rare combination.
The Breakdown: This movie has everything you could ever hope for in a super hero film. It has great action scenes, truly funny moments, believable moments of drama, and characters that you actually care about. For once, a superhero movie that aimed to be bigger and better actually was BIGGER and BETTER. I’m already eager to see it again in the theaters. It may not be a deep and thought provoking film, but it successfully balances a plethora of ingredients into one amazing motion picture. Bottom Line, it is a larger than life Hollywood blockbuster that works. See The Avengers. See it now!
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