By THE AVENGERS
Four years after Iron Man first hit theaters, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe came to the gathering point in The Avengers.
Synopsis
Earth’s mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Review
In 2012 every fan of the Marvel movies and comics got what was thought to be nearly impossible. The characters from all the previous Marvel movies came together in Marvel’s The Avengers and marked the first film officially distributed under Marvels new owner in Disney. Bringing together Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Thor, and Steve Rogers to bring their characters from the solo movies against Loki in his endeavor to start a war with Earth. When the film came out it was not only highly praised, but it was a feat in cinema history that won’t be forgotten. This movie alone spawned the idea of connected movie universes that we still see new franchises forming. How does it hold up on second viewing though? It holds up extremely well and cements itself easily as one of my favorite Marvel movies to date.
The film opens a little slow, bringing the characters together, and while the action scenes in the first half of the movie are very light it isn’t necessarily missed. The biggest thing in this movie is seeing these characters interact with each other, keeping their personalities and butting heads with everyone else along the way. As expected the characters don’t all get along at the very beginning, and the actors all lose themselves into the characters, blending in effortlessly into the scenarios they are put in. Watching Bruce Banner try and keep to himself and focus on the work as he doesn’t want to be there and feels like no one else wants him there. Steve Rogers whose self-righteous attitude and overall optimism and doubt in anything otherwise going on. Then there is Tony Stark being Tony Stark. These characters continue being who they are from the pages of the comics, on the screen, and with all the characters together for the first time their personalities and differences truly shine.
The action scenes are where the movie really takes off though. The film begins with a quick fight between Iron Man and Thor, which goes back and forth with them delivering blows to each other. The impacts of their hits can be felt as they crash through trees like toothpicks and get up to deliver another punch or blast. There isn’t much action after that little battle until the climax of the movie when New York City is under attack from Loki’s army of chitauri. Where the team starts working together and leads to some great scenes as the battle cuts away from each character to the next showing how they are fighting. One of my favorites personally being Iron Man and Captain America fighting side by side and Cap using his shield to reflect Iron Mans blasters to attack multiple chitauri. Then there is Hulk who absolutely steals the show in the last quarter of the movie, every scene of him jumping around buildings, punching everything in sight, and taking down some of the larger enemies, I remember his scenes getting the biggest laughs in the theater when this movie first hit. Those scenes are still fun to watch, as is the whole movie. Even seven years later this movie still holds up and is a great movie to watch.
The plot is overall very simple, Loki comes to Earth and brings an army with him, and its up to the avengers to stop him. The movie is very dialogue heavy, and if you stop paying attention for even a couple of minutes it is very easy to get lost. There also isn’t too much solo development for any of the characters, their development comes as growing as a team to trust each other. It is done well, with slow paced moments and scenes that show the characters are working with each other. There is no switch moment where everyone is suddenly friends, even after they have settled their differences, and worked together a bit, they are back at each other’s throats. It plays off realistically to how these characters would feel about the others, and how they would act in the situation they are put in, being locked together. Which there aren’t many places they go to in this movie. There is the helicarrier, and then New York City. Those are the two major sets, and while the helicarrier isn’t very awe inspiring past the scene watching it take off into the air, the battle in New York is packed with so many small details that bring the city to life.
Closing Thoughts
Marvels The Avengers was a movie most comic book fans never thought would occur, and not only did it occur, but it lived up to all the expectations it had on its shoulders. This is a movie that needs to be watched, it is easily still one of my top favorite marvel movies, and it holds up to this day as a great film. While the plot itself is simple, the characters and actions scenes within this movie hold it together and make it a fun movie to watch, even with its dialogue heavy middle. This is a must watch again with Avengers Endgame coming up, as it is the first time these characters were brought together on the big screen. With its importance there, and Endgame being the final send off for Infinity Saga, I would be very surprised if this movie isn’t heavily referenced at some point within the film. Go back and watch this film, you won’t be disappointed.
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