I really wanted
to write an Avengers review. Really. I did. But “review” implies some level of
criticism, and frankly I’m so far through the biased spectrum and out the other end that
any attempt at critique is pretty much hopeless. I made it as far as three
thoughtful paragraphs in before devolving into the written equivalent of
rolling around on the floor, curling up in a corner, and babbling manically to
myself. So I said screw it and just wrote what came to mind. Proceed with
caution: what follows will be an unhealthy mixture of blood, sweat, tears, and
possibly saliva.
Spoiler Free!
Firstly, I’ve been eagerly anticipating this movie for nigh a year now. Not as long as some, true. But needless to say, I had some serious emotional stakes in this. And boy, it didn't disappoint. For those who have yet to see the movie, why are you still here? Stop reading my crappy old ramblings and get thee to a movie theatre. I may be an egotistical narcissist in every sense of the phrase, but I’m not even going to try and stand up next to that kind of awesomeness. It’s my goal to one day write, direct, or hold boom mics for a movie as awesome as that; along with meeting the cast of LOTR and slaying the vampire commonly known as Nicolas Cage. Most of my goals involve pop culture and insanity.
I’ll try to keep
the gushing to a minimum, but no promises. The dialog was snappy, full of the
kind of wit and fun and energy you can expect from our own Joss Whedon. I have
to say, I’m happy that guy’s finally getting some wide-scale commercial
success—or even just not being shut down in the middle of a season (FUCK YOU
FOX, WE WILL GET FIREFLY BACK). Then of course there’s Cabin in the
Woods, which is a whole ‘nother story that I can’t really talk about because of
reasons. You should probably see that too. But honestly if the movie was about
all the Avengers & co going out to Chili’s and making with the talk, I’d
still see it three times in IMAX.
The real
challenge with a movie like Avengers is handling the daunting ensemble cast,
which is another thing Joss Whedon hasn’t shied away from in the past. Buffy,
Angel, Dollhouse, Firefly; most of his television adventures involve juggling
time between multiple characters, and he does this with the same level of skill
in Avengers as he has in the past. Even if by necessity some characters get
more screen time than the others, you feel like each character gets a fairly
equal amount of development and emotional investment.
Which brings me
to my next point. Some people might initially write off Avengers as just another action flick, heavy on the explosions with
aliens and superpowers thrown in for kicks. But there’s so much more to it than
that: above all, it’s the characters that really make this movie. Even the side
characters are impossible not to root for; hell, it’s hard not to feel
sympathetic to Loki the villain when he looks at you with those puppy-dog eyes;
then he does something suitably psychopathic, and you’re back yelling for Cap
to righteously bash his face in again.
On top of that,
this movie was full of kickass action and awesome choreography that was fresh
enough not to get boring. So in conclusion, let’s go throw money at the box
office until it hits 2 billion.
Picture References
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