Marvel Comics slowly worked its way into the film world. While superheroes had appeared in the movies for many years, most were limited by special effects technology being unable to completely translate the four color medium from pulp page to silver screen. There was a big screen Superman, a Batman, and a few TV shows, including Marvel's own Hulk as played by a bodybuilder painted green.
Initially, Marvel licensed its characters out to various studios under contracts requiring regular sequels in order for the studios to retain the rights, as well as keeping popular characters like Spider-Man and the X-Men in the public eye. Eventually, Marvel Films managed to work out a deal to produce their own films, and started with second stringer Iron Man getting his own movie in 2008. Making the Golden Avenger a household name and revitalizing the career of a could-not-have-been-cast better Robert Downey Jr. was, it turned out, only the first step towards what was probably the biggest movie of 2012, The Avengers.
What is perhaps most amazing is that somehow this plan worked. Introducing different characters in different films over the course of four years, with even the worst of the bunch (The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton) being for me highly watchable and a good bit of fun, with little or no connecting material aside from Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury popping in for a scene or two, The Avengers had the potential to be a godawful mess. This was a movie that pondered that an egotistical inventor, viking demigod, timelost soldier, femme fatale superspy, master marksman with a bow, and an unstoppable rage monster would somehow belong all in the same movie to stop a guy whose main superpower may be incredibly effective lying. It could have been terrible.
It wasn't.
For one thing, Marvel and new owner Disney brought in a highly talented cast and director. Of the actors playing the main team, most had appeared however briefly in previous films, with Mark Ruffalo replacing the reputed hard-to-work-with Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. Downey, Jackson, Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner (as marksman Hawkeye) all had Oscar nominations for past work, with Scarlett Johansson (the Black Widow) and Tom Hiddleston (as the villain Loki) both showing potential to go their if they play their careers right. Even the two Chrises, Evans and Hemsworth, as Captain America and Thor respectively, acquit themselves well for roles that would be very easy to get wrong by being too bland (for Cap) or too overtly ridiculous (for Thor).
On the other side of the camera was cult favorite writer/director Joss Whedon. I'm not really a fan of his, having never gotten into Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but he knows how to write humorous dialogue for characters beloved by geeks, as well as how to create the right balance of action and drama. Yes, the early scenes seem more rote, but by the time the team is assembled on the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier and interacting, the chemistry comes out. Just about every character gets some time to shine, including one created for the movies, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg, who gives the bridging between movies a more personable touch. The only character who maybe gets shafted, no pun intended, is Renner's Hawkeye, who spends most of the movie brainwashed.
The final battle, between Loki and his alien army, and the newly reunited Avengers, now with a good reason to go by that name, is probably the grand spectacle every superhero fan, with widescale destruction, creative use of superpowers, and lots of anonymous creeps getting slammed, with one long tracking shot following the heroes as they zip around the fight doing what they do best. As expected, the team seems to be losing until some last ditch heroics, sparked by character growth (Iron Man learning to be less selfish and willing to sacrifice himself for something much bigger than himself and his company) save the day.
Marvel has referred to this movie as the end of "Phase One". If this is the first part, and it ends this big, the obvious anticipation will surely have people like me lined up for more in the near future.
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