The Avengers (2012)
Yes, we're talking about The Avengers again. Someone suggested we watch it. I thought "why not?". Soon after, I was once again gripped by its story and enthusiastically looking forward to what was coming next - even though I knew exactly what would.
Set after Thor, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), suddenly appears on Earth, determined to open a portal that will allow his new-found army to attack. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) must find a way to united the world’s greatest heroes against him: Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) are soon joined by Thor himself (Chris Hemsworth) and form “The Avengers”.
With a colossal budget of $220 million, top-notch special effects and action sequences were basically a guarantee. There are many throughout and they’re nice and varied. Thanks to Loki’s manipulations we have our heroes fighting each other, then his innumerable minions. That’s nice, but if you just wanted mindless action you could find that elsewhere. It's what's between the fights that make this movie special. On top of the 6 main heroes, we have the villain and important side characters such as Agents Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). That's a lot of people. It could've been too many but it isn't. Despite everything, all the Avengers and their associates are fully developed, well-rounded characters. They are the human anchor amid the out-there alien invasion plot.
They all feel genuine because everyone is given not just time by themselves, but also interactions with each other. You learn a lot about Captain America when he comments to himself on how a situation is, and in the ways he argues or agrees with the others. The dialogue shows the team's dynamics; who is where on the totem pole, what their history is like, where they're going.
While the alien army itself isn’t explored very much - they become mindless drones you can blast away without remorse - Loki makes up for it in spades. Whenever he appears, you're forced to pause and think. Who is playing who? Was he planning on giving away that clue as a way to lure his enemies into a trap, or is it simply a demonstration of how deeply his hatred and arrogance run? Is it even possible to trick the trickster god? Though unassuming when compared to his co-stars, Tom Hiddleston brings to life a magnetic villain whose threat is constant because of his intelligence. With so many characters to juggle and the introduction of the team being a large time-consuming element of the movie, it was a smart move to take advantage of someone we already know and have them start running immediately.
With the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers could easily be mistaken for just "another one" but it's a special movie. I'll even call it essential viewing. It’s got great re-watch value and works on so many levels. There's a lot of humor throughout but it never cuts the legs under the rest of the film. You don't even necessarily need to have seen the other stories (though you really should) to get have a great time. I love this movie and I can’t recommend it highly enough. When you see it, don't forget to stick around to the end of the credits too, for a bonus scene you won’t want to miss. (On DVD, December 31, 2015)
