MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS (Joss Whedon). 142 minutes. For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNNN
The Avengers – or as it’s more formally known, Marvel’s The Avengers – is, quite simply, an epic win.
Yes, the Marvel team-up extravaganza is the culmination of years of multi-level marketing. Heroes from half a dozen movies (and three different studios) come together to form a super-group that’s been teased ever since Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury dropped in on Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark at the end of 2008’s Iron Man.
But it’s also tremendous fun, sprinting through its gargantuan adventure on a mixture of adrenaline, glee and wise-assery.
That’s mostly due to director and co-writer Joss Whedon, whose ability to render large, distinct casts of characters – perfected in his years on Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse – is exactly what’s required for a movie of this scale.
Everything that happens is grounded in who these people are, not what they can do. Captain America (Chris Evans) perpetually sees himself as an underdog Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has no patience with human politics the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is always playing an angle and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is a straight shooter.
Whedon juggles his cast expertly, giving each actor his or her moment to shine while driving the story forward. And he’s the first filmmaker to crack the problem of the Hulk, remembering that Bruce Banner (newbie Mark Ruffalo) is a scientist, not a fugitive, and that the Hulk has a personality, too.
I’d have been happy to watch these actors sit around eating pastries for two and a half hours – especially Downey and Ruffalo, who have wonderful chemistry as a pair of brainiacs with very different control issues.
But Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has to go and launch an alien invasion of Earth, forcing them to suit up and fight back.
Honestly? I didn’t mind that either.
