Avengers

This film is going to be as easy and enjoyable to "review" as it was to watch.  It's flat out terrific.  The storyline and setting may be overly familiar, but when the marriage of streamlined character arcs and sweeping spectacle is this superbly realized, only the most joyless of pedants would deign to find fault.  There's a sequence during the astonishingly protracted final battle sequence where the camera soars through the city, stopping briefly on each member of the team as they have or share a spotlight scene, that literally took my breath away.  Then, after wrapping it up with a jaw dropping Hulk and Thor moment, Whedon puts the bow on it all with a hilarious Hulk "punchline" that made my theater erupt in applause.  It wasn't until seeing this film play out that I fully realized how distressingly wrong these kinds of comic book movies have been doing it.
 
There's a joyous fluidity to the dialog, pacing and action like in no other film I can recall.  This thing just moves from start to finish.  Like a snowball tumbling down a mountain becoming a colossal avalanche, this film just keeps getting bigger and better as it goes.  Never once did I feel bored or anything less than fully engaged, and at 2 and a half hours, that's a goddamn miracle.  It manages to be monstrously entertaining while dispensing good old fashioned morals about teamwork and duty to your fellow man.  It isn't thematically dense like The Dark Knight, but it doesn't need to be.  Nor should it be frankly.  This is entertainment suitable for children, replete with flamboyant gods, colorful monsters, altruistic super soldiers and likable billionaires shooting lasers from their robot suit.  The Avengers has wisely positioned itself as the film to teach kids how cool heroes can be, all the while reminding adults how fun it is to believe in them again.  It's corny as hell, but as dark as the real world gets, I've got plenty of love to give for this sort of heartfelt, cheesy fun.

Judging from the record obliterating 200 million dollar opening weekend, so does the rest of the Country.  Hell, the rest of the world wants to stand up and cheer for the good guys considering how gangbusters it's playing worldwide.  A week ago, I was certain that The Dark Knight Rises box office dominance was a foregone conclusion this year, but now I'm a little concerned for the denouement of Nolan's saga.  The Avengers shocking fiscal performance has put a lot of pressure on Bats, but as much as I love to follow Box Office tallies and breakdown the financial analysis aspect of the film business, I can put it all in appropriate perspective.  It only seems fitting the blockbuster season would kick off with this high flying trip to the cosmos before Nolan clips our fun loving wings, sending us plummeting to sub textual hell.  

Until July 20 though, I will choose to revel in this gleeful romp.  The proverbial thrill ride for the whole family that actually lives up to such predictable accolades.  I had lost faith in Iron Man after that abysmal sequel and Downey Jr after Sherlock Holmes 2: No Shit Sherlock.  Avengers redeems both character and actor, giving Stark a lesson to learn and reason to grow, yet still blessing him with an overabundance of pithy, clever one liners that RDJ knocks out of the park, one after the other.  He's teeing off every second he's on screen and it's a joy to behold.  The Iron Man suit mightily impresses and comes across a million times better here than in either of the characters solo adventures.  I was sick to death of this character and Downey's smug shtick, but Avengers makes it fresh and exciting again, thankfully only making us suffer briefly through one shitty AC/DC song.

Thor was my favorite of the 150 million dollar commercials leading up to the Avengers and Hemsworth is again splendid as the Nordic God.  His tortured relationship with the similarly magnificent Hiddleston's Loki gives the film what little gravitas it has or needs.  What you've no doubt heard concerning Ruffalo's Banner and this iteration of the Hulk is true. The actor finally connects to the CGI construct and it all works.  A veritable minefield of logistical, technological and narrative missteps deftly handled by Whedon's intelligent, restrained approach.  I was most surprised by how much I enjoyed Evan's Captain America.  I kind of detested his film, finding it so unnecessary and half baked as to be insulting.  He's a strong presence here though, not only as a priggish foil for Stark, but as an inspiring leader and sterling role model.  Someone I'm happy to have my son look up to, regardless of how silly his helmet looks. 

Black Widow and Hawkeye are tastefully expanded and I wouldn't be the least resistant to seeing them get their own little espionage feature.  All in all, I don't know what more one could want from a movie like this.  It's a film made up of many magical moments.  The more I think of it and in excitable discussions I've had with friends and family, it becomes increasingly clear how much I loved it and look forward to seeing it again.  I'm happy Whedon is enjoying this sort of success and look forward to studio's giving him more freedom and money, expanding the cinematic sandbox for his creative, talented mind to enthusiastically play in.