The Avengers (PG-13)

Joss Whedon’s “The Avengers” does for the superhero genre what “Rocky” did for the boxing picture. It’s exciting, encapsulating, all-encompassing. It’s also a culmination of other superhero films come before it. Early films such as “Spider-Man” (2002) and “Daredevil (2003) started the new Hollywood trend toward blockbuster comic book pictures, with others, such as “Thor” and “Iron Man” carefully setting the stage for The Avengers film to take place. And while some were with mixed results or meandering, “The Avengers” is taut, focused, and pleasing. A result of a successful script, solid acting, and action sequences that are worth the payoff. 

Part of why “The Avengers” works is due to the immense prowess the film’s superheroes bring to the table, and how Whedon and co-writer Zack Penn understand that their coming together shouldn’t happen smoothly, but with force and tension. The basic plot of “The Avengers” is war: Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) mischievous brother wishes to wage war against humanity and rule them, a conquest to make up for his imagined loss at ruling Asgard instead of Thor during “Thor’s” developments. There are a lot of other power brokers who have a stake at this war, but we needn’t give away too much by describing them. War is what “The Avengers” means to bring to the table: Loki, on one side, and a rag-tag group of superheroes, led by spy Nick Fury, (Samuel L. Jackson), on the other.

If you’re a fan of Marvel’s previous films, you’ll fit easily into “The Avengers’” demographic. We see scenes to catch us up on its’ heroes lives. There’s Iron Man, working on a new clean energy project, enjoying his life with his wife Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow). There’s Captain America (Chris Evans), learning how to adapt to a modern society since his being frozen during WWII. And then there’s others, such as two assassins/spys (Scarlett Johansson/Jeremy Renner), and Bruce Banner/The Hulk, hiding in Calcutta trying to avoid getting angry. In this iteration Banner is played by “Spotlight” alum Mark Ruffalo, and Ruffalo perfectly nails the tightrope act of playing at once a brilliant scientist and a man who could turn into a raging bull at the drop of the hat.

If you’re not aware of these character’s backstories, or haven’t seen the previous Marvel films, you’re regrettably at a loss. But if you hadn’t, you likely wouldn’t have found your way into “The Avengers” film to begin with.

The movie’s strengths are many, resting on its action, its chemistry between key characters, and the story, which is ambitious yet relatable. The actors all do capable jobs here, creating unique characters whose tension with one another is believable and real. Witness a scene between Johansson and Ruffalo as Johannson’s ‘Black Widow’ attempts to manipulate Banner into helping her, Banner convincing us ‘The Hulk’ could come along at any moment. Or take another, where the whole ‘Avengers’ lot infights, creeping closer and closer to mutiny. These scenes are also buffered by other solid performances, such as Samuel L. Jackson (who, despite habit, blends in rather than overtakes his scenes), and a S.H.I.E.L.D agent named Phil Coulson, played with extreme likability by Clark Gregg.

Action-wise the film delivers, with wisecracks and one-liners underscoring hard-hitting fight sequences. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is sarcastic and irreverent, while others, such as Thor and Captain America are polite and heroic. One fight scene between the three of them is humorous; however, the film wisely grows them, and other scenes, such as a fight against Loki or the film’s high-octane finale, show higher stakes, and characters who have matured to the point of working together instead of apart.

The CGI is engaging and thrilling, especially the treatment given The Hulk, who appears furious beast who still somehow resembles Ruffalo’s countenance. The film’s monsters and threats are well done; and Loki, lacking the physical dimensions of mighty Thor, still seems a force to be reckoned with. You can tell Hiddleston truly enjoys playing this character.

The film also boasts great cinematography, shot by a man Seamus McGarvey, who highlights not just the film’s action well, but its more desperate scenes as well. One brilliant shot shows an unmasked, dirty, and exhausted Captain America, his uniform soiled and tattered, looking around him at the carnage affronting NYC. The shot gives an impression that could be seen in any war film, not one you’re expecting from a fun superhero romp. It’s these nuances that separate “The Avengers” from your average Marvel film.

All in all, “The Avengers” should please on all levels. It’s exciting, plotted and acted well, and just crowd-pleasingly fun. I left the theatre with the same sense of satisfaction I felt at Sam Raimi’s excellent “Spider-Man 2;” and that’s a tough act to follow. If you haven’t seen “The Avengers,” do you best to remedy that immediately.

– by Mark Ziobro