Avengers

LA Review of 'The Avengers' (No spoilers)

I was lucky enough to attend the Marvel screening of 'The Avengers' on Saturday morning in Century City, CA. This was an unusual screening as movies of this caliber are not screened some three weeks before it's release date. Just minutes before the movie started, we were all surprised when writer/director Joss Whedon walked in with Kevin Feige to introduced their little "Justice League" movie. Not only did we all laugh, but some booed. lol. If that wasn't enough of a surprise, the soft spoken Whedon introduced on stage Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson) and Cobie Smulders (Agent Maria Hill). Wow is she stunning in person! The audience gave them all a standing ovation with deafening cheers! (This explained why the secret service like security were searching, wanding everyone. No cameras, cell phones, nothing was allowed in.) What a nice surprise for an early Saturday morning screening.

I've never read comic books. This is a comic book movie. It was made for hardcore fans of comics, and I appreciate the care Joss Whedon gives to this movie. It was very entertaining to see Tony Stark (Iron Man), Thor, Dr. Bruce Banner (Hulk), Steve Rogers (Captain America), Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Clint Barton (Hawkeye), Agent Maria Hill, Agent Phil Coulson and Director Nick Fury all interact with one another.

Capt. Steve Rogers was fighting in WWII just yesterday. Having been recently awoken from his frozen sleep, he struggles to fit in our modern world with all this technology around us. The God of Thunder, Thor, is not from this world (realm) and doesn't understand modern technology on Earth as well. Dr. Bruce Banner has been on the run from the government, practicing medicine in third world countries. He hasn't been the Hulk in two years (What's his secret? ;). Tony Stark is still the same, playing with this high tech toys and inventing new technology. So how do you get them all to interact and play well together? Well, Director Joss Whedon is the secret to making it all work.

The highlight of the film for me is how Joss Whedon has all these characters interact. Deep character development was not needed for this film. (That is what the respective movies are for: Thor, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The First Avenger) He does a great job of not forcing dialogue, and the interaction of the characters is much more organic than I would have ever anticipated. That is where Whedon deserves the most credit. He took what appears to be a very silly premise, with silly looking characters and made it completely work. Seeing as the Avengers comics date back to the 1960s, you can tell he not only did his homework, but he really cares deeply for the material, and his passion definitely shows on- screen.

The movie is vastly entertaining. The Action scenes are amazing and satisfying. Nobody is short changed when it comes to the fighting or action sequences. I felt as if there was not a single bad performance. A couple of dialogue lines seemed off, but once you remember who the character is, and why they talk the way they do (think of where they come from), it all makes sense. Each respective character is true and honest to itself. Each of the characters brought their personality (from their respective movie) to the table. It is by far the best Marvel movie to date.

So who was my personal favorite character from the movie? Dr. Bruce Banner (played by Mark Ruffalo) of course! He is by far the BEST Bruce Banner/Hulk since Bill Bixby. His intelligence (genius) is unparalleled (greater than Tony Stark's) and his compassion for human lives is what drives the good side of his character. As a kid growing up, he was my favorite Marvel super hero. I enjoyed watching Bill Bixby play medical doctor/physicist Dr. David Banner on television. I'd watch, terrified with my hands up to my face, as he transformed into the raging green hulk. Yet i was so fascinated with him being a scientist, helping those in need. When Mark Ruffalo was first announced to play Bruce Banner, i didn't know what to think of it. I knew that he's a good actor. All he needs is the right director to get the needed on-screen character out of him. I really hope they make an Incredible Hulk movie sequel starring Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner. Or at least, i vote for him to reprise his role in any sequel. He was a natural fit for this role.

Overall, the best thing about these characters is that they are not silly twenty-something terrible actors who were chosen for on-screen eye candy. They all do a fine job of bringing these characters to life and their chemistry together works great. Assembled, they are unstoppable. When i heard an Avengers movie was rumored to be in the works, i was ecstatic. The day has finally come. Go see it. Thrice. 10/10 Stars.

This is one of the very few times i have walked out of a theater with a feeling of "wow".

This remarkable movie easily fulfilled and then exceeded all expectations. I've been waiting for this movie since Sam Jackson's character uttered those famous words after the first Iron Man film... Stark now knows he's not the only superhero in his world and it's as big a treat for our real world as it gets. Seeing the "Avenger Initiative" in action is as great as I would ever have hoped! Hell, who am I kidding, I've been waiting to see this movie all my life. Who would've thought years ago that ALL these characters could fit in to a film and all of them be done justice? It delivers greatness from scene one and has to be considered the best this genre has EVER produced. Truthfully, as good as some of the previous work has been from every studio, nothing else has come close. That's not hyperbole; I really think most will agree if they see it with an open mind. I loved this movie's depth, heart, humor, gravitas, action, performances, emotion and payoff. I honestly can't wait to see it again with the rest of the world later. Right now, I'm simply basking in the greatness I just witnessed!

I'm happy to report that everything established in previous movies pays dividends in a big way. It's not that anyone needs to see those other Avenger solo films before seeing this gem but it certainly adds depth and texture to this amazing product. Not having to intro big main characters deeply allows the action to flow but also allows for better development. This also allows them to probe deeper into the character's personalities. This heightens the tension, so often missing from comic-book movies, and adds real weight to the story as well as the action sequences which are thrilling and often mesmerizing. The result is a film that's just flat out exceptional.

Of course all the phenomenal heroes got to shine and the story accommodated them all perfectly. What I loved is that Marvel did it again with their main villain. Loki was just so wonderful and complex in this amazing movie. Spurned Loki masterfully dances on the fault lines of villainy and redemption. He always keep people guessing and. Again, that's just shear perfection coming from the god of mischief. He has such a mixture of emotional psychological complexity. You have somebody who's capable of thinking and strategizing at the speed of light, but underneath that is a deep well of pain that at any moment threatens to boil over and Tom Hiddleston plays it like the master he has become. This is Oscar worthy villain performance good.

The performances in this movie are as good as any I've ever seen in an adventure film. The great actors say that acting akin to playing tennis. The rally that they play with a new partner is completely different from one to the other. Each of these GREAT actors have such specific talents that it's fun to see them play off each other at different times in this movie. I think Whedon realized this as both director and writer and shuffled things around on purpose to play to strengths. It's just another wonderful aspect of this spectacular movie event.

I just loved Marvel's Avengers. I thought it was smart and the impressive cast really delivered! This movie works on so many levels and makes you draw on just about all of your emotions. I don't remember when I enjoyed a movie this much! Such cool fantasy but what makes it extra special is following this film after all the other solo efforts from each character. I enjoyed the others films quite a bit but they all delivered something different. Seeing them blend together in Avengers and the sparks that resulted was the extra special treat. Example: They blended the grounded futurist (Tony Stark) with the Norse thunder god and his angry brother in a perfect way. Same could be said for every other character. It all works. In fact, it doesn't just fit, it's a symphony and that dyconomy and difference in characters are what makes it truly great. It's why this movie stands so tall above any other franchise at the moment. Things like Transformers, GI Joe and even Star Trek all operate with monotone restrictions. Avengers covers all angles and delivers depth with its fun.

I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in years if not ever!