This is not me gushing like the Marvel fanboy that I admit wholly that I am, it's a fact. This film is the final play, the crown jewel in a collection that had begun four years prior that made a shared continuity between different films a plausible box office draw, something that was virtually unheard of before this point. The Avengers was proof that it not only worked, but worked amazingly well, and we know this because - as of the time I'm writing this review - it's the third highest grossing film of all time (though, given that it's sequel came out a mere three days ago, this could easily change). While superhero films have always been massive summer blockbusters, this is the film that proved that they could be more than just popcorn movies.
...by being what amounts to a massive popcorn movie.
Yeah, I'm not going to lie. At the time this movie came out, it was the best thing that Marvel had come out with, bar none. Getting to see a group of superheroes onscreen that weren't led and overshadowed by Hugh Jackman? Unheard of. But coming right off their respective films, we have Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth), and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) are brought together by the machinations of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) as the would-be King of Asgard decides to take the logical step to getting his ass handed to him at the end of Thor and attack Earth using the almighty Lite-Brite Cube of Infinite Power.
Also in attendance are Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), and Bruce "Please God, No More Hulk Poodles" Banner (Mark Ruffalo). Romanoff gets a little bit of her backstory hinted at, but otherwise little development beyond apparently not wanting to be pummeled to death by the Hulk. Barton is barely in the film, much as he was barely in Thor with his cameo having less screen time than roughly all of Alfred Hitchcock's appearances in his movies. Really, Age of Ultron should have been called Age of Hawkeye for all the glorious overcompensation for his lack of exposure in this film.
But alas, that doesn't change that this film barely features him, which is a shame due to Renner being really rather good in the role.
And as for Banner, he's a bit of a strange anomaly. Ruffalo's performance is great and I do like it far, far more than either Edward Norton's or Eric Bana's in the previous two Hulk films, but there are several things about the character that just don't add up: chiefly the statement near the end of Banner that he's "always angry", which as yet still has not been explained or even expanded upon since. Of course, it leads into one of the best shots in the film, so I find myself immediately distracted by that awesome shot of the camera panning around all six of the Avengers as they prepare to apply some liberal boot to some alien ass.
And then there's Loki, once more played by Tom Hiddleston. This time backed by a mysterious entity of great and terrible power, Loki is making a bid to take control of the Earth using the power of a zippy-cool-keen Scepter and the Tesseract from Captain America: The First Avenger and Thor. He's good, though I still am trying to wrap my brain around why he thought a good plan was getting together the six people who could most easily kick his ass and trying to get them to hate one another just long enough for him to take over the Earth.
Though I suppose it's too early in the continuity to try to pull a Justice League: Doom and take them out separately...they saved that for Age of Ultron, spoiler alert.
And, of course, New York gets several blocks taken out as it should in any good summer blockbuster action film, the invading alien army of the Chitauri descending from a wormhole like demons out of Hell itself to wreak some havoc in the name of Loki. Their Phantom Menace-style ending is a bit anti-climactic, but it helps to speed things along and get us to the ending we knew was coming...and sets up for Iron Man 3, which I'm not remotely willing to get into right now. Beyond a few plot holes, which I am more than willing to overlook, I have to say this is a film that I absolutely adore. I'm happy to riff and nitpick with everybody on the minor problems, but this is a great movie. It's very existence is a miracle, and the excellent work of Joss Whedon and the cast and crew give it life, wit, and charm that one characteristically expects given the man's resume.
He knew that he had to tie things together in a way that not only brought Marvel a smash hit, but also allowed them to continue building on what had begun back in 2008, and they're still doing that even to this day.
MadCap's Marvel Retrospective: Phase One is over.
MadCap will return in...whatever he decides to review next.
Stay tuned!
The Avengers is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
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