The Avengers Review

So here it is ladies and gentlemen, the film that we’ve all been waiting for. Yesterday the The Avengers film arrived on UK shores and after an all-nighter watch all 5 Marvel films leading up to this one I went to the cinema yesterday to watch it. Now it’s been 4 long years of anticipation, planning and 5 films setting us up for the end result that would be this film. So after all this time was The Avengers worth the wait? Well, let me put it like this… The Avengers. Is. Friggin’ AWESOME!!!!

In all honesty I was absurdly hyped when I went to see in the cinema yesterday, but at the same time I wasn’t sure what to expect and I was wondering if the film would meet my expectations and make me feel like the happiest person in the universe. But luckily the film met my expectations, “Hulk Smashed” them into pieces and gave me a superhero film unlike any other. It truly was a sight to behold. Now I could talk about this film for a whole 2 days, but I’ll try to keep this review under 2000 words and spoiler free 😀

Story

So when it comes to the story we all know what the deal is if you’ve seen the trailers already, but for those unaware he is the basic premise: In The Avengers the world is in trouble, Loki (main villain from Thor) has come to Earth to wreak havoc on the planet and he is not alone, he has an army and his main goal is the rule the human race with his newfound power. So Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.  decides to gather several superheroes together to combat the incoming threat. So it is up to Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Window & Hawkeye to save the day! And that my friends is the story, though obviously in the film things aren’t as simple as that.

The great thing about the plot of The Avengers is the way in which it is tackled and presented on-screen. For a long time now there have been stories of the world falling into chaos or coming under attack and a need for superheroes to come along and safe the day, and it’s no different in The Avengers. However, the way the basic formula is taken and shaken up here makes it special. The story crafted by director Joss Whedon and Zak Penn is one with of heart, intelligence and wit with an equal amount of drama, action, character development and epicness all packed into one film. Not many comic book films have ever gotten so many elements into one film and made them work, but it looks like The Avengers has gotten it right in a fabulous way. The script is incredible, the dialogue is well-written, well-worded and there is a great balance between seriousness and humour, though I was surprised about how funny The Avengers was and the fact that it was nicely timed, felt natural and not forced.

There is also a great sense of continuity between this and the other Marvel films as there a subtle references that you can see from a visual standpoint or its mentioned through dialogue and it’s a great thing to have for all the fans who have been keeping up to date with the Marvel films since Iron Man back in 2008.

Characters

When it comes to characters everybody is in full effect and on their A-game. Now before this film came out many fans were worried that not everyone would get enough screen time and that some characters would be overshadowed by others. Luckily The Avengers gives a great deal fo screen time to all of the cast involved. everybody has their moment to shine in the sun and boy do they shine!

Robert Downey, Jr. is still as great as ever as Tony Stark/Iron Man, still bringing, his humour, wit, arrogance and intelligence to this film and when he’s on-screen his performance and timing is incredible. Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America does very well in The Avengers, he is still the righteous guy he was in his solo film but now he’s a man out of time and has to deal with the drama of all the decades of time he missed while frozen on ice. Now we move on to a very important person; Mr. Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk. Now obviously before this film came out everybody was on the hate train for this guy (me included) and complained he wasn’t the right choice, everybody wanted Edward Norton back. But it has to be said, Ruffalo is the best version of Banner in existence, he look the part, he actually sounded and acted smart and when he Hulk’s out he is on fire. Best. Hulk. Ever! Chris Hemsworth also brings the awesomeness as Thor, in this film he is a little more tame, but still aggressive when necessary and obviously because of the situation with Loki it adds an additional level of complications to his character.

Also Scarlett Johansson as Black Window is great, she has more weight to her character in this film and we learn more about her past and the kind of person she is beyond  her normal persona. In addition to that she’s also more badass and has some awesome fight sequences which proves she’s a force to be reckoned with. Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye is wonderful especially for the character with the least amount of history when compared to the other Avengers. He is the distant, yet calm and efficient and his history with the Black Window is highlighted a little as which was a great element to be featured. Tom Hiddleston as Loki was incredible, this time round he is corrupt, cold and menacing and his persona is definitely more in line with the comics. Totally badass yo! Samuel L. Jackson definitely brings the heat as Nick Fury, he gets to do much more than just show up and talk in a cool-like manner, here he seems to come across as a leader (like in the comics) and we even get to see him in some action scenes too. Clark Gregg is still great as Agent Coulson, whenever he’s on-screen he’s entertaining and awesome and I’m glad he had a more substantial role in this film. Newcomer to The Avengers world is Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, she definitely has some of the comic characteristics and does well in this film as Nick fury’s subordinate. And lastly Stellan Skarsgård and Gwyneth Paltrow even show up and reprise their roles as Erik Selvig and Pepper Potts and it is great to see them back in action again adding to the continuity of the Marvel films.

When these characters have their individual moments its good, but it’s when they interact with each other it is incredible! The script and story presents these characters with some great scenes from the conversation standpoint to the fight scenes against each other and against the incoming enemy.

Presentation

When it comes to the visual presentation of The Avengers… MY GOD! IT’S INSANE! The Avengers goes above and beyond to give you visual experience that your eyes will never forget. The action, the spectacle and the scale of it all is simply incredible. There is so much going on from start to finish. All the Avengers show off their best abilities and that results in some very special and beautiful sequences with rockets, lasers, thunder and lightning, explosions, destruction and all that good stuff and it simply is beyond words. The visual effects and CGI is fabulous but I never expected anything less from Industrial Light & Magic! I also want to touch upon the film score done by Alan Silvestri. Now he was the man behind the soundtrack for Captain America: The First Avenger, so when he was drafted into The Avengers I was wondering what he was going to do because for me Cap’s soundtrack was okay and quite lacking. But holy man Alan Silvestri delivers tenfold here. He happens to take all of the characters and give them individual themes that work (there’s even subtle references to Captain America’s soundtrack too), but it’s all about the main Avengers theme, my god is it awesome! The Avengers main theme has a very classic style to it, its such a profound piece of music that completely energizes the awesomeness of the scenes it used in. The score hits all the right notes and its great!

Conclusion

The Avengers, has to be seen to be believed. Joss Whedon defied the impossible and made a film that could have easily bombed, but he made it work in a very cohesive, beautiful and entertaining fashion. The film may have been designed for both casual audiences and comic book fans, but this film is truly for the fans yo. The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit have a lot to live up to now to sway me away from this epicness! While it may not meet everyone’s expectations and some may argue that this isn’t the best comic book film ever, I still say go and watch it. The Avengers is one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had in the cinema in like forever! I’ve liked and loved films before, but this film has an awesome factor that cannot be denied and after watching it you want to run back to the cinema and watch it again, it’s that addictive!

In terms of a rating I don’t think The Avengers needs a rating because it’s THAT good, but if I had to pick one it’d be either 9/10 or 10/10, take your pick lol 😀

Boys and girls of the world let it be known from that The Avengers is frigging awesomeness!!!! I love that bloody movie and I’ll watch it continuously until I explode! I AM SATISFIED! AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!!!!! XD