Image courtesy of wall.alphacoders.com
The next installment in the "Marvel-thon" is the conclusion to Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the one built up over the course of five movies, the one that for the longest time I thought I had found my definitive all-time favorite movie upon seeing it in theaters, and that is... The Avengers.
While experimenting with the Tesseract, S.H.I.E.L.D. is attacked by Loki, who then takes control of several characters, a couple of which were introduced two movies ago in Thor. As a result, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury declares that they are at war, and that the "Avengers Initiative" is now in effect. This means he, along with Agents Romanoff and Coulson, must recruit Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and Tony Stark to their cause.
What Worked: I would say everything, and for the vast majority of it, it does. Now let’s get into why.
Of course, the cast is where it starts. First is Robert Downey Jr. once again playing Tony Stark / Iron Man. If either of his two solo movies so far didn't prove that he's a prime example of perfect casting (especially the first one), this movie certainly did. For example, in a callback to Iron Man 2, he mentions that one of his personality traits is that he doesn't play well with others. When watching this movie, he evolves as a character to where it seems like that at first, but by the big battle at the end, he somewhat does. Even so, he still has his moments of conflict with other team members here and there. As for when he's Iron Man, he's always awesome, and he gets a new suit here. The way it comes to him is one of many, many highlights to be found here.
Then there's Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America. He still shows his patriotic side and leadership skills here. He also has to show how Cap is adjusting to our time, like when someone references a certain movie that was out during his time, he responds with, "I understood that reference." Needless to say, he nails it. It's even established that he's had a bit of an impact on at least one other character.
The next one to talk about before going back to returning cast members is this: Much like with the part of Rhodey going from Terrence Howard to Don Cheadle in the first two Iron Man movies, there's been a recasting here. This time, it's with Bruce Banner / Hulk. He was portrayed by Edward Norton in The Incredible Hulk, but, for reasons similar to Terrence Howard, was recast with Mark Ruffalo. Ironically, he was considered for that movie, and then ended up getting the part anyway here. Despite Norton doing an incredible job last time*, Ruffalo is actually even better. His version of Bruce Banner is actually more charismatic and laid back, and there's a reason for that here. Not only does he play Banner, he physically plays the Hulk, which is why his face actually looks like the actor playing Banner this time.
Now back to the returning cast members. Chris Hemsworth returns as Thor, and evidenced by the plot of this movie, he has a legitimate reason for coming back to Earth: his brother is the one causing the problem. Some of the conflict with other members not caused by Tony stems from that. At first, he simply wants to find Loki and the Tesseract and go home, but by the end he is used to working with others, and it does feel like he's started to bond with them. Hemsworth has managed to take the part and make it his own, showing that he is Thor.
Then there is Scarlett Johansson returning as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, neither name I could reveal in the Iron Man 2 review because then it would have been a huge spoiler, but this time it seems fine to say it. She shows that she is very resourceful, despite having gadgets in place of superpowers, and of course can hold her own in a fight.
Then there is Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, which I could not mention in the Thor review because he was only in one scene. Here, like Black Widow, he has gadgets, namely in his bow and his arrows, and he does get some awesome moments. The two of them also get some banter in there.
Before I get to Loki, there is one last character to talk about here, and that is another prime example of perfect casting: Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. Much like with Robert Downey Jr., it feels like his role was made for him. You don't just see an actor playing a character; you feel like you're seeing their character. Yes, even he gets some good moments in here.
Lastly, there is Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston. He is another example of a great casting choice; Hiddleston shows that Loki is full of himself, and does not anticipate when things don't go his way. While in Thor, he proved to be a legitimate threat on his own, that was just the beginning. With an army of Chitauri, the threat escalates. He knows it, and it's not long before the Avengers know it.
For the action, I would mention a certain rule here, but there's so much of it that in the end, does it even matter? You'll probably lose count anyway. The effects are also amazing** here, but that's to be expected. Then there's the script and direction by Joss Whedon, and he ends up being another excellent pick for a Marvel movie. The reason for that is he can take a bunch of characters and give each of them enough screen time to where they're relevant. He's also very good at humor, as there are some subtle references, like to other films.
The biggest positive for me is actually the music. Alan Silvestri returns as composer from Captain America: The First Avenger. For those who have read the Predator review, I mentioned that two of his movie themes are among my favorites, the main theme to that being one of them. I can finally reveal the other one, and that is the main theme to this movie. It comes up several times, and its use in the credits is what solidified it for me. Much like with Predator, the excellent score is not the only music here, either. The difference here is that there is a soundtrack, the main song being "Live to Rise" by Soundgarden, making this one of two awesome movies the late Chris Cornell would be associated with.
What Didn't Work: There are more cast members, like Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill (a new character), but the reason why I didn't mention them is a similar reason from the Captain America: The First Avenger review. Their performances are still excellent, but they're not in the movie that much. Also, there is a certain character that kind of gets the short end of the stick for most of the movie, but there is a reason for it. However, these are nitpicks, and ones that I am more than willing to overlook at that.
Overall: The Avengers is everything one could want in a superhero movie, and then some. It does something never thought possible before: take the heroes developed over the course of five movies, put them together, balance them to where one's screen time does not overshadow everyone else's, and make them even more relevant to the extent that several characters from past movies make at least a cameo. It sets a bar for not only how to do a cinematic universe, but also for how to do it right.
In the intro, I mentioned that for the longest time I thought I had found my definitive all-time favorite movie upon seeing it in theaters. As time went on, I realized it wasn't my definitive all-time favorite movie... but rather part of it. That's right; the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not just my favorite franchise, but I consider it all one movie because of how it all comes together in ways that make sense.
Of course, expect a Stan Lee cameo (watch very closely for this one), and there is not just a post-credits scene. There is also a mid-credits scene that sets up something bigger than it took five movies alone for this one. It's taking all of them to set that up.
*No pun intended... or was it? (When talking about the action, the same goes for that reference.)
**I'll get to that character's movie soon.