Marvel's The Avengers

Directed by Joss Whedon

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston

Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

See the shorter version here

From a 1963 comic book company, to a multi-million dollar motion picture producer, Marvel has been more than successful with their heroes; they’ve been triumphant. Making hundreds of millions of dollars each opening weekend, their films feature incredible actors, brilliant heroes, profound villains and none other than the genius behind it all, Stan Lee, himself. Starting with the 1944 film based on the Captain America comics, Marvel films grew to the Oscar-winning Spiderman trilogy, the everlasting X-Men series and now to the extreme in 2012.


          2008 was the beginning of the immeasurable brilliance. Tony Stark as Iron Man was brought to life for the first time by Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau. The action-packed, humorous film showed how this audacious hero came to be. The success soon brought a sequel in 2010 which introduced Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow and the introduction of this incredible initiative. In 2011, Thor became a part of the craze bringing with him another Asgardian and soon-to-be villain, Loki. Two months after the release, Marvel brought another fantastic hero, Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger. Add these all together along with the Hulk and Hawkeye and you get a Marvel Superhero extravaganza, The Avengers.

           Finishing up the movies of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, Nick Fury is brought in with Agent Phil Coulson, explaining the idea of the formation of the Avengers. His plan is to create a team of super humans to protect Earth. When an enemy emerges, threatening global safety, stealing the Cosmic Cube, Fury pulls together six of the strongest heroes with his security agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. They are brought together on the enormous, flying aircraft carrier at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
          

            Throughout the movie, each hero has their own individual, special moment, revisiting or explaining their back story and who they are. Hawkeye seemed a bit out of place. He might not be as familiar as the other heroes, making him hard to recognise. It is not until the last hour or so when he becomes a part of the Avengers. Seeing the movies of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America would definitely help your understanding of the film. This is a continuation on all of the heroes’ stories but more or less like an indirect sequel to Thor. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) is a scientist that finds Thor along with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Selvig is given a briefcase containing the Cosmic Cube a.k.a. the Tesseract by Director Fury at the end of Thor. Selvig is first seen in The Avengers studying the cube in a laboratory before being taken under Loki’s control and opening the portal to Asgard, unleashing his army. The reason Loki is attacking the Avengers and Earth is introduced in Thor.

           

            Aside from the action and explosions, this film is quite funny. From Thor’s misunderstanding of Earth and Tony’s cocky attitude, to the Hulk’s temper tantrums, this movie has the whole theater buzzing.

            The costumes match the other Marvel Studios movies very well. The costumes for the heroes are recognisable from the other movies, but the costumes for the Other (an alien conqueror, who offers Loki an alien army in exchange for the Tesseract) and Loki seemed, to me, a bit Power Rangers-esque. The small set they were on and the Other’s voice made it seem more so. Considering this is based on a comic book excused that fact.

            This really was a great movie. The beginning brags a bit but in the end, it is worth it. I think that having seen Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger would make this movie easier to understand. Also, understanding what the Tesseract is would as well. If science is not your thing, the comedy is still there. I’m sure “Hulk Smash” has never been so comical (pun intended). Stan Lee’s part in this movie is perfect. I would love to see this movie again. The Avengers is the movie to see. If you are going to spend time at the theater to see it, be sure to stay a bit after the post-credits for a hint at what could be The Avengers 2, then after the full credits, you get a look at how these heroes celebrate, shawarma-style.