I guess I should start paying attention to this Joss Whedon character. The Cabin In The Woods (co-wrote by Whedon) was a glorious geekfest for me and more than likely my favorite film of the year so far. Now after watching The Avengers, I’m thoroughly impressed with both his writing and directorial abilities. Maybe I should buy into this guy’s hype and run through Buffy?
After all, Marvel’s The Avengers is really a ridiculously ambitious film to take on. There are SIX avengers, three of whom (well, four sorta…) had their own standalone film. Then there’s the core members of SHIELD and a villain to boot. The cast alone is a back-breaking load to sort out. In addition to having the burden of balancing each character’s story lines, you have the added pressure of entertaining both the casual fan and hardcore comic readers. For the longest time I was skeptical that the movie would ever work. I was like, what is this gonna be 4 hours long and confusing as shit? Well, I was proved wrong by Mr. Whedon. Not only has he crafted an enjoyable piece of entertainment, but it’s also a well made film. A film with few errors and lingering questions. Small problematic elements that I’m not sure how the film maker could have done a better job handling anyways. What I’m trying to say is: I liked it.
For anyone not familiar, I will reiterate that I am no comic expert. I truly enjoyed Iron Man and yes, even the slightly less effective Iron Man 2. But while I found fond moments in both Thor and Captain America, neither film had me falling head over heels. But with all the characters together in The Avengers, something happened. The central plot of the film focuses on having these individual heroes come together, ultimately learning that they can become an unstoppable force by working as a team. The movie itself embodies that magic. We are pulled through conversations, battles, conformations and ego trips as each character interacts with one another. Screen time for each character is used wisely and to full effect. And on top of the heart is of course the action. We want to see our heroes prevail and show off their true badass potential. The film gives you those moments for each and every character and has action scenes throughout that could all be solid finale battles. I had read preliminary thoughts on the film that noted pacing issues in the first half that picked up significantly in the last act but I would wholly disagree. While the film is long, scenes never feels unnecessary and above all, it’s gloriously action packed.
