Assemble for Avengers Assemble
So I heard you like superheroes
Director Joss Whedon Screenwriters Zak Penn, Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby Cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston
Whether you like it or not, The Avengers have been assembled, and the line-up is unbelievably impressive; there are six pumped up heroes, an intense director of a top-secret organisation who brings them together, and a villain commanding an army out to annihilate Earth. There, that’s the general gist of the plot; the kind of formula many superhero films put to use. But Avengers Assemble (an unfortunate last-minute title change here in the U.K.) is a lot more than that. Joss Whedon’s mass ensemble, 200 million-dollar rollercoaster ride makes the two-and-a-half-hour long running time worth every minute, as Whedon pays as much attention to his many characters and humour as he does to delivering the high-budget spectacle.
It takes a while to actually get everyone in the same room. And even after that Nick Fury’s (Jackson) job isn’t quite complete. With big egos and personality differences, characters clash, and as Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) correctly points out, they’re not a team, but instead a time bomb, a term Dr. Banner himself is all too familiar with, since he turns into a giant raging green monster if he fails to control his anger. Captain America (Evans), a former WWII soldier transported and adjusting to the 21st Century (long story, watch his film released last year for details), works through his nightmares by taking out his frustration at the hopelessly vulnerable punching bags he has lined up. He too, cannot be said to have a sound mind.
The fact that it’s Loki (Hiddleston), Thor’s (Hemsworth) brother, who is out for Earth’s destruction arouses some conflicted feelings. Thor wants to reach out to his brother with sentiment, whereas a certain arrogant yet brilliantly intelligent and self-proclaimed billionaire philanthropist has a problem with that approach. Of course, Tony Stark (Downey Jr.), the Iron Man, is not someone who plays well with others. Oh, and that Stark doesn’t respond well to orders? Captain America, always the dutiful soldier, might have a problem with that too. The confrontations these characters often get into show that, despite their extraordinary powers, deep down they are flawed creatures like the rest of us; Whedon, although not so heavy-handedly, shows the weaknesses they share, furthering exploring everyone’s unique identity.
So the superhuman heroes are struggling to be merry. But what about the two agents already a part of the Fury-directed S.H.I.E.L.D? They are Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Johansson), a deadly spy/assassin, and Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye (Renner), an expert archer. Barton gets into a little trouble of his own in the killer opening scene directed with flash and necessary pace by Whedon, who knows how to start off the most anticipated film of the year. Thanks to Loki, a whole base is wiped out in the first ten minutes of the film, and from this point on, we know that a) Samuel L. Jackson is pissed off, and b) Whedon means business: a combination that produces something truly wonderful.
When the heroes can’t quite play along, Whedon rightly hits the pause button on the action, whilst using every change he gets to slip in a line or two generating quality laughs. This way he gives the film a much-needed breather, whilst also building his characters even more. A lot of credit must go to Downey Jr., who has owned the role of Iron Man ever since his first outing, and the jokes he delivers are pure comedy gold. The unexpected surprise here however, is Ruffalo, who in his first ever portrayal of Dr. Banner comes out as the real winner both in terms of his contribution to the team as well as his several scene-stealing moments. Both Eric Bana and Edward Norton have tried in the past to bring out their own versions of The Hulk, but Ruffalo, comically timid and nerdy before he turns green, is who truly embodies the role, and he deserves a feature film of his own in the future.
As tension escalates and the fate of humanity hangs in the balance of what these six individuals are capable of, an endless swarm of aliens start invading Earth, and it’s time for the heroes to unleash their abilities and fight a highly outnumbered war. And from previous films, we have seen what Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and The Hulk can do. Although there is no short supply of focus on their action highlights, Avengers Assemble is absolutely right in not sidelining any of its team members. The less familiar, seemingly weaker, more human players, Romanoff and Barton, are given just as much time to shine on their own terms. Johansson gets to twist and bend her body as she takes down multiple targets with her fancy moves, and Renner doesn’t disappoint in another action role following his impressive stint with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. The fact that he’s an archer may scream snooze fest, but make no mistake: with his wide range of slick arrows, Hawkeye turns into a valuable member of the initiative.
Squaring off against the good guys is the lone-standing but insane and at times creepy Hiddleston. He has more determination and vengeful anger this time around, shown very clearly in his disturbing eyes and smiles, and it’s a role that Hiddleston commands with fiery intensity, even more so than his last outing with Thor.
The action, as expected, is breathtakingly fun, and the exhilarating excitement on screen once The Avengers unite under one common goal is astonishing. The danger with a superhero ensemble piece like this is overcrowding, but within its healthy running time, all six protagonists are given proper attention to, and Whedon finds that right balance between full-blown action and spot-on humour. More superhero films are lined up for 2012, and Avengers Assemble has truly set the bar a lot higher.
