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For those of you looking for some sort of intellectual pursuit in a movie, go away, and go away now. This is “The Avengers” and it was based on a comic book and a cast of characters created by Stan Lee. For those of us old enough to remember when comic books were [...]]]>

For those of you looking for some sort of intellectual pursuit in a movie, go away, and go away now. This is “The Avengers” and it was based on a comic book and a cast of characters created by Stan Lee. For those of us old enough to remember when comic books were the form of entertainment we loved, we were waiting to see how well the movie was going to be made, and whether or not it would be goofy or campy or just plain bad.

Strap on, boys and girls, we’re going on a ride!

Don’t you just love this? The “Ironman” the “Thor” the “Captain America” movies, each and every one of them, here they are, rolled up in one. But wait! There’s more! Let’s bring in Joss Wheton, who put eight of the best characters together in “Firefly” and turn that son of a bitch loose on some super heroes.

Oh, and some killer special effects, let’s have some of those, and then when you’re awed there’s some more.

Okay, my first fear was with that many super heroes things might get weird. Four of the characters had their own moves, but now we also have a couple of more, and then some other people, too. We have Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evan as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, oh and we also have Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and even Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts.

And those are just the good guys.

But Whedon makes it work, and he works it as no one else could. This is a masterful creation of both personality and process. This is a comic book come to life. This is all we have ever wanted and more from the ten cents apiece books we loved when we were kids. This, boys and girls, is the Avengers.

Wheton begins with no background from the other movies because he flat doesn’t need it. This is a standalone spectacular, just as “Serenity” could fly without “Firefly”. Don’t worry about trying to understand the complexities of the plot because it’s as simple as something Stan Lee would have sold you forty years ago, and every bit as effective, too. If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if it was done right, look no further.

And there are some very nice little touches. Johansson isn’t sexualized at all, beautiful as she might be. She plays her part skillfully and puts in a performance worthy of the film. Ruffalo as Bruce Banner is a simmering mess until he turns into the Hulk, and my, what a Hulk he is, too. By far, this Hulk is the best Hulk ever. Every bit of what you were hoping for, this is the unstoppable behemoth of the comic books. His final showdown with Loki is as funny as any scene ever made, and it is the humor in this movie that helps make it what it is.

There are some one liners in here that are just pure Wheton, and they help carry the day wonderfully.

This is a well done comic book movie but it is also a well done movie. Smartly laid out, vivid in its special effects, and comic book plot nicely trotted out, this is it, this is the film we have been waiting for and the entire cast stands and delivers. Wheton pulls this off and leaves the door open for much, much, more, and those of us who remember sitting against a tree reading the thin pages of Marvel Comics await the sequel. We are not alone. This is going to be great fun, people, and it already has been!

The Avengers (2012)  –  PG-13

Take Care,
Mike

Mike writes regularly at his site:  The Hickory Head Hermit

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