Monday, 26 August 2013

Movie Review (Fantasy / Action): The Avengers (2012)


The Avengers, the careful (and yes, very careful) culmination of years of planning, multiple blockbusters, hundreds of millions of dollars and loads of patience is finally here, and it does not disappoint. The best comic book adaptation since The Dark Knight in 2008 and arguably the best Marvel Studios movie ever, The Avengers is exciting, funny, visually stimulating and thoroughly entertaining, the very definition of a good summer blockbuster.

Unfortunately, it’s not a good movie blockbuster. It’s actually a great one.

Directed by Joss Whedon, this is the man behind "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Firefly" and most recently, the critically praised The Cabin in the Woods, who was able to take the best elements from what can best be described as Avengers prequels from Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America and developed a rip roaring production that fires up all cylinders from every corner.

Time and money was of the essence. While the films mentioned above were all hits and money makers, some doubted if Whedon could pull off a film that brought together a meshing of reality like Iron Man with supernatural worlds like Thor. 

Doubts were further cast because even the Hulk which was cast and then recast by, first, Eric Bana, and then later by Edward Norton was then re-casted in the Avengers by Mark Ruffalo, who was never a superhero in any film. Jeremy Rener and Scarlett Johansson were already convincing in the past as action figures, so could Ruffalo pull of being Bruce Banner?

As everyone knows by now, he did more than convincingly. Some say he was more of the center of attraction. Puny humans to ever doubt his talents!

He isn't a character that works well on his own, but, set against something bigger, like a team of sorts, the Hulk finally is in the right place. Not only does Mark Ruffalo turn in a great performance as Bruce Banner, but the Hulk shines in the epic climax, overshadowing the rest of the characters.

Amazingly, Whedon found that perfect balance. While Robert Downey Jr., who by far is the biggest actor in the group, definitely plays a central role, Tony Stark is only a cog in the wheel. Each character has a role to play and, impressively, his own arc, which makes him (or her) more interesting. 

The movie has just the right amount of character development, and the character-driven scenes work seamlessly with the creative action sequences that Whedon throws at the audience. Each action sequence is bigger than the last, and increasingly complex and engaging. And if this isn’t enough, the character of Nick Fury should blow your mind.

This is a great blockbuster that you shouldn’t miss to download.

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