The Avengers: Movie Review

Every now and then a movie comes along that actually lives up to the hype. Enter The Avengers, a movie that comes in with high expectations. Rumors starting swirling about this film after the success of the first Iron Man film. However fans have been in a frenzy ever since the trailer appeared at the end of the Captain America film.


Breakdown:


Director:
Joss Whedon


Stars:
Robert Downey Jr.(Tony Stark/Iron Man)
Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury)
Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Hulk)
Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America)
Chris Hemsworth (Thor)
Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow)
Tom Hiddleston (Loki)
Jeremy Renner (Cliff Barton/Hawkeye)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts)


About the Film:

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action/Adventure
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 143 Minutes
Released: May 4th (US)


Plot:


Loki the exiled and adopted brother of Thor has struck a deal with the Other, the leader of a power hungry race know as the Chitauri. If Loki retrieves the power source know as the Tesseract, Earth will be his to rule. The item is currently in the possession of Nick Fury, the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.. During their experiments, the Tesseract opens a doorway that allows Loki to enter Earth. Loki attacks, takes the Tesseract and enslaves a few members of S.H.I.E.L.D. to boot. Seemingly out of options Nick Fury decides to restart the Avengers Initiative to try to save the planet.


The Avengers is a culmination of events that took place in films that came before it. Namely Thor, Captain America, The Hulk and the Iron-Man films. As such the story of the Avengers centers around these characters. The film mostly succeeds in giving enough attention to each character to satisfy each fan base. However to be completely accurate Iron Man/Tony Stark is the focal point of the movie, and that's what makes it work. Although there is a war going on, the film doesn't take itself too serious and it is actually quite humorous. The film is a little slow to start, but once it gets going it's a thrilling ride that will leave you captivated. 


Visuals and Sound:

The Avengers sports a near futuristic look that is pleasing to the eye. There are some awesome visuals that draw you in and excite you. Explosions, magic and even Hulk's transformations are all well done. Often times what happens in these films is when the action ramps up, things happen so fast that you can't follow whats going on for a second. Thankfully that doesn't really happen here. High quality sound effects add to the experience and make the film sound just as good as it looks. All that aside, there is no reason to see this in 3D. It adds absolutely nothing to the film. It's a nice idea, but you will enjoy the film just as much without the plastic glasses. 


Performances:


Robert Downey Jr once again returns to is role as genius billionaire playboy Tony Stark. This role seems tailor made for him and he does a great job. Stark is a driven, charismatic and arrogant character who seems to take nothing serious. This causes conflicts with some of the other characters in the film. This is most evident in scenes with Captain America. Downey Jr is the reason why most people who aren't fans of comic book heroes will see this. He also gives the best performance in the film.


Chris Evans plays the leader of the Avengers, Captain America. His second appearance as Cap is much like the first. While he does a decent job in his role, he doesn't seem to have the strong screen presence as some of the other actors and is in effect overshadowed by them.


The Hulk is played by Mark Ruffalo. This was his first performance as the big green guy and its a good one. Ruffalo as Bruce Banner seems careful and uneasy on screen. He really makes you believe that he's in control, yet also like he could turn into the Hulk at any second. As the Hulk, Ruffalo has some of the most memorable scenes in the movie.


Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as the proud, yet warmhearted warrior Thor. This time around Thor is much less of a meat-head. He also still has a bit of a soft-spot for his brother Loki. Hemsworth does a serviceable job, but is at his best when the action starts. When he's not swinging the hammer, he's much less compelling.


Nick Fury is played by Samuel L. Jackson. Although he doesn't do a bad job as the leader of S.H.E.I.L.D., his performance seemed a little flat. Nick Fury is the man behind the force that is The Avengers and I expected him to be a bit more bad-ass. Additionally his line delivery wasn't quite as on point as I've seen from him in the past. He didn't have to go full-on Jules and lay mushroom clouds in this film, but I expected more from him.


Tom Hiddleston is the villain Loki. He seeks to invade Earth and rule it as his domain. Loki is a scheming, vengeful and power hungry character who will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals. These qualities are captured in Hiddleston's performance and it gives the film a potent threat to deal with. 


Scarlett Johansson is the master assassin Black Widow. In the past her role was one that was all about business. However this time things are more personal. Johansson displays more range as her character seems more emotionally invested in the events of the film. It was good to see a more human Black Widow and Scarlett does a good job.


Hawkeye, the other assassin on the team is played by Jeremy Renner. Much like Hemsworth he is at his best when the action starts. Not to say that his performance was bad, but I preferred to see him shooting arrows versus anything else.


Rating:

The Avengers is a great movie. There are very few films that I would consider going back to theater to see again, however this is one of them. The plot keeps audiences interested, the action is superb and the acting performances deliver. Awesome visuals and sound only add to the experience. Both old and young fans have plenty of reasons to go see this film. Not only did this film live up to my expectations, but it exceeded them. Definitely worth the wait, I give The Avengers a 4.5 out of 5.