“The Avengers” Review
(From Left) Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) join forces to defend Earth in “The Avengers.”
After four years and five films, the culmination of Phase 1 had arrived. When “The Avengers” came out, it wasn’t a film. It was an event. Not since “The Phantom Menace,” “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone” or “The Lord of the Rings” had there been so much hype for a film. And all that anticipation paid off because “The Avengers” is still one of the greatest examples of blockbuster spectacle I can think of in recent memory.
When the villainous Loki (Tom Hiddleston) comes to Earth in hopes of conquering it by using the powerful weapon The Tesseract (seen in “Captain America: The First Avenger”). With few options, the government agency S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), assemble a team of heroes: Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Captain America (Chris Evans). Together, these remarkable people must fight Loki and his alien army to save the planet and become the titular Earth’s mightiest heroes.
Looking back on the film with no present sense of where the Marvel Universe is at, the fact that this movie was even made is incredible to me. Seeing Captain America and Iron Man get on each other’s nerves or Black Widow and Hawkeye’s friendship is something I never thought I would see outside of comics.
But rewatching the film again I realized that the actual story of the film isn’t that spectacular. While Loki wants to conquer Earth, he has it in his plan to get captured knowing that The Avengers won’t like each other. But if he knew they wouldn’t like each other, why did he plan to get captured anyway? Not to mention, half of the film is set on this massive Helicarrier (an aircraft carrier that can also fly) and consists of the characters just talking. This is where most films would get boring. It’s not until the last third when the alien army arrives in New York City that the film becomes dire.
So why is this a good film? It’s because the plot of “The Avengers” doesn’t matter that much. This is very much a character driven film and seeing all of these characters interact is more than enough to hold the audience’s interest. With the natural charisma of stars like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Samuel L. Jackson, this is a film that feels incredibly fun.
While the lead actors of previous MCU films did well, Mark Ruffalo’s performance as Bruce Banner and the Incredible Hulk is fantastic and he had a lot of weight on his shoulders considering that his predecessor in the role was Edward Norton. His calm demeanor really balances out the more bombastic Avengers while also being true to his character as a man trying to stay calm so he doesn’t turn into a green monster.
After having their own solo films, with the exception of Black Widow and Hawkeye, The Avengers come together in a genuine and hilarious manner.
I also love how characters like Black Widow, who had a supporting role in “Iron Man 2,” and Hawkeye, who was given a cameo in “Thor,” are given much more development. It really wasn’t until “The Avengers” was released that I started thinking to myself, “I wish there was a solo project involving these characters.” Granted, it took nine years before that wish was granted but better late than never.
With most MCU films at this point, I have criticized the villains as being basic and not well-defined. And then there’s Loki. Loki is wonderful because of how much he loves to do wrong. He loves that he’s conquering the plant and relishes every moment like he’s in an eternal state of evil ecstasy. He’s also given a lot of funny lines and works well off of all The Avengers.
Joss Whedon, fresh off a string of hits including “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” “Firefly” and “The Cabin in the Woods,” is fantastic as the film’s screenwriter and director. While he has become a controversial figure due to his work on 2017’s “Justice League,” his work on this film is spectacular and you get the sense that a really die-hard comic book nerd wrote this film. Nearly a decade later, these lines still get a laugh out of me and Whedon knows how to balance comedy with serious moments.
Tom Hiddleston’s performance as Loki has all of the zeal of a grand supervillain that “The Avengers” deserves.
The entire script is chock full of gems and ideas that make me smile. Like when The Avengers capture Loki about 30 minutes into the film, I love that Iron Man makes his big entrance by hijacking a bunch of speakers to play AC/DC’s “Shoot to Thrill” or when he jokes about getting shawarma following the climactic battle of New York, the film’s post-credits scene is The Avengers just eating some sandwiches.
When the film’s climactic battle does occur, it was one of the most entertaining and fun experiences I ever had watching a film. The entire spectacle of it all was what made “The Avengers” one of the greatest blockbusters of all time. Every character does something different in this battle that makes them vital. Iron Man blasts everything, Cap throws the shield, Hawkeye shoots unbelievable trick arrows, Black Widow delivers the martial arts, Thor swings his hammer and Hulk smashes. The action keeps building on top of each other and I just wanted it to continue forever.
But when the film does end, Loki is defeated and brought back to Asgard by Thor. The Avengers go back to what they were doing before until they are called upon again. And if the MCU stopped here, I think that would have been enough. Because these films did what they set out to do.
This was the movie that showed us that it’s possible to make a truly well-defined cinematic universe. But, if this was the final Marvel film, then we would have missed so much. While “The Avengers” was the end of the first phase of the MCU, there was still so much more on the horizon. The film’s mid-credits scene reveals who sent Loki to Earth in the first place to get The Tesseract and who gave Loki his mind-controlling scepter. It was Thanos. And with that, the next big project, “The Infinity Saga,” was born.
