EXCELSIOR!!!!!: a review of "The Avengers"

“THE AVENGERS”

Based upon the Marvel Comics series created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Story by Zak Penn and Joss Whedon
Screenplay Written and Directed by Joss Whedon
**** (four stars)

Allow me to just get right to it…“The Avengers” is not only one of 2012’s best films period, it is indeed the very best film I have seen in 2012, so far.

While the movie year is still very young and there are countless other upcoming films that I wish to see this year, some of which may even surpass my enjoyment of this particular film, Writer/Director Joss Whedon has created an astoundingly triumphant experience that is smashingly perfect for Marvel Comics fans, novices and just for absolutely anyone who wants to have an exhilarating time at the movies. “The Avengers” not only fulfills the promises made by Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man” (2008) and “Iron Man 2” (2010), Louis Leterrier’s “The Incredible Hulk” (2008), Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor” (2011) and Joe Johnston’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011), I firmly believe that this is the first comic book themed film that lives up to, and equals, the extraordinarily high bar set by Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” (2008). It is truly an outstanding piece of work that beautifully, skillfully, superbly and…ahem..marvelously illustrates exactly what happens when you have a pure and gifted storyteller at the reins of a big budget Hollywood epic.

I will admit to not having been indoctrinated into the devoted cult of Joss Whedon worshippers as I have honestly not seen a stitch of anything he has created and overseen, from his “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” televisions series or read any comic books he has written. But, his reputation as a creative force to be reckoned with, like his contemporary J.J. Abrams, precedes him greatly and based upon just this one film, I now understated the allegiance and adoration. “The Avengers” is undeniably spectacular.

For a film of this sort, Whedon wisely and very appropriately keeps the basic plot of “The Avengers” very simple. The mischievous Asgardian Loki (Tom Hiddleston), half-brother of the mighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who was exiled from his celestial home at the conclusion of “Thor” has aligned himself with a blood thirsty alien race in pursuit of the Tesseract, an object of supreme energy and unknown origin, currently held in the custody of the one-eyed super spy Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his espionage organization S.H.I.E.L.D. Loki’s objective is to steal the Tesseract and open a portal, allowing the alien race an entrance to Earth with plans of world domination and enslavement of all human life.

When the Tesseract is indeed stolen by Loki, along with a few possessed heroes including the ace archer/assassin Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Fury plays his greatest card yet: assemble an unprecedented fighting force to save the planet. Sending the raven-haired assassin Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), otherwise known as The Black Widow, to intercept the team, we are reintroduced to the following heroes:

-Thor, the aforementioned Norse God of Thunder who wields the mammoth hammer to devastating boomerang effect.

-The tormented scientist Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) who carries a tendency to transform into a colossal green monster known as The Hulk, when faced with extreme anger.

-The earnest and original World War II Avenger Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), better known as Captain America, now living in the 21st century after spending 70 years in suspended and frozen animation.

-And of course the inimitable scientific genius and billionaire playboy Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), known to all as Iron Man.

Now combined as The Avengers, the team is faced not only with the Herculean struggle of saving the world but the even more difficult task of learning how to function as a team in the first place.

The complexities of “The Avengers” rest fully in the merging together of all of these larger than life characters into a cohesive whole and what Joss Whedon has achieved and how he has achieved it, is akin to watching the most masterful magician perform their very best tricks. I just do not know how he pulled this feat so magnificently and in some respects, I also do not want to know because Whedon has created nothing short of a magical accomplishment and I would love to live within this superior illusion rather than have all of the answers revealed to me.

First of all, as a storyteller, Whedon has achieved the masterful achievement of weaving together all of the characters from previous films in a way where they have all remained consistent with their solo pieces. Additionally, the film as a whole remains consistent with everything we have previously seen. Unlike Bryan Singer’s celebrated two installments in the “X-Men” series (2000/2003), films that supremely disappointed me mostly due to their inability to handle such a large amount of characters effectively, Whedon’s screenplay gives absolutely every single character their time to shine. One character never outweighs another and Whedon shows extreme confidence at not being remotely intimidated with the task of juggling several characters and ensuring that they all have their time in the sun while also making them work collectively like the most well-oiled machine. The heroes, villains and supporting characters are all fully fleshed out and no one is forgotten also ensuring that all of the film’s elements work together strongly.

For the childhood comic book geek that still lives inside of me, Whedon also constructs terrific sections where the heroes battle each other, thus satisfying a certain wish fulfillment if any of you have ever wondered who would win a fight between Thor, Iron Man and Captain America. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the tension between the members of The Avengers as I find ore satisfaction watching a team struggle to congeal rather than existing entirely as a loving brotherhood. This is achieved through Whedon’s terrific screenplay, which is often filled with great wit and humor, allowing the humanity of all of the film’s characters to shine brighter than the costumes and technical razzle dazzle.

As terrific as Whedon’s screenplay is, it works in complete lockstep with his skills as the film’s director. In regards to Whedon’s skills as a filmmaker, he again shows supreme confidence with his actors, ensuring their performances remain consistent with the previous Marvel films which also giving each and every one of them greater notes to play. Joss Whedon adheres to the very rule that I look towards with movies that feature large, famous casts: if you are lucky enough to have Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson and others in your movie, them be sure to give them all something to do!! It would have been so easy for Whedon to allow Downey Jr. to walk away with the film and make all of the other actors essentially function as his supporting cast, but to Whedon and Downey Jr.’s credit, they work selflessly to serve the entire team.

Of course Robert Downey Jr., peerless with his specialized brand of razor sharp intelligence and rock star swagger shows again that he was the perfect choice for the role of Tony Stark. But, I was equally impressed with Chris Evans’ stouthearted sincerity as Steve Rogers and even more impressed with Chris Hemsworth’s ability to find the gravity and humanity inside of Thor, a character who could be and feel so extremely out of place with everyone else in the film. Samuel L. Jackson seems to be having a ball with the character of Nick Fury, as he is finally given a substantial role to play, rather than as a cameo driven thread piece to the Marvel films' tapestry. Scarlett Johanssen confidently rises to the level of action heroine as the Black Widow operates on equal footing with her male counterparts. Hiddleston shows newfound malevolence and self-righteous rage as Loki. Even Clark Gregg, who portrays Fury’s right hand man Agent Phil Coulson, plays a crucial piece to this grand adventure.

But for me, if there was a standout character, the one who filled me with the most surprise and elation, it was Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. With absolutely no disrespect intended towards Ang Lee and Eric Bana’s unfairly maligned interoperation of this character from 2003 and Edward Norton’s work in the effective chase movie framework of the 2008 feature, Ruffalo and Whedon have created the best version of the Hulk on the big screen to date. Ruffalo nails the tormented status of the Bruce Banner character but he also portrays him as a bit of a recovering addict who unfortunately will never be able to recover from his unique affliction. And again, I thoroughly enjoyed the humor given to this character as he and Tony Stark share a bit of a scientific bro-mance but also when the green giant finally arrives, he brought the theater house down over and over and over again.

And then, there are the action sequences. Despite all of his box office success, if Michael Bay really wants to remain a cinematic force (or at least someone who may be able to make at least ONE good movie) then I urge him and budding filmmakers raised on his specialized and horrible filmmaking techniques to study “The Avengers” closely and learn how to exhilarate an audience rather than bludgeon them into submission. For that matter, I would even suggest that James Cameron, who just bored me senselessly with his one hour war sequence, less than paper thin characters and terrible screenplay in “Avatar” (2009) to remember that the special effects toys in and of themselves don’t make the experience matter a whit. In “The Avengers,” Whedon tops himself time and time again with stupendously staged and choreographed fight sequences that build, grow, and broaden while always keeping the story and characters front and center. A mid movie section where the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft is under siege is as brilliantly conceived, staged and edited for its action sequences as its severe attention to its story and character development.

But the protracted climax where The Avengers face off against Loki and the aliens, is a flat out jaw dropper. Throughout the film, the special effects and sound design are clean and seamless, Whedon’s visuals provide one awesome sight after another and the entire sequence is constructed so feverishly and wondrously that the joy of “The Avengers” becomes a nearly out of body experience. Without any hyperbole intended, this section, which the entire motion picture has been leading towards, felt to be in highly exalted league with the ferocious freeway sequence from the Wachowski brothers' “The Matrix Reloaded” (2003) and much of Peter Jackson’s tremendously mounted war sequences from “The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King” (2003). Yes, the war section of “The Avengers” is that good and Joss Whedon is operating on that level and has firmly placed himself within that league. I cheered, applauded, whooped and hollered along with the just about sold-out crowd just as I did when I was much younger watching the classic works of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. To me, the cross cutting of various storylines, as well as the aerial dog fighting over the New York skies carried the tension and grace of Lucas’ X-Wing fighters converging upon the Death Star or the untouchable truck chase sequence of “Raiders Of the Lost Ark” (1981). “The Avengers” took me back while also creating a film that could only have been created at this time. Joss Whedon, his actors and his entire creative team should be celebrated and carried upon the collective shoulders of viewers and critics alike as they have all worked at the top of their collective games to create a film for the ages.

“The Avengers” is outstanding, awesome entertainment delivered with precision, skill, craft and heart. I want to see this thing again immediately as well as see the inevitable second installment right now. If the power that be at Marvel Films do anything right with any future films, it would ensure that Joss Whedon is at the helm. When you have someone this incredible steering the ship, you’d be a fool to not invite him back for the second go-around.

Frankly, this movie is so terrific that I think that Christopher Nolan’s upcoming “The Dark Knight Rises” has some incredibly healthy competition!

SAVAGE POSTSCRIPT:
When “The Avengers” ends, don’t rush out of the theater right away. Stay through the ENTIRE ending credits as Whedon gives us a gem of a final image that closes “The Avengers” perfectly.