The reason a super-group comic book like The Avengers is so much fun is because its members spend as much time clashing into each other as they do the foes they fought every month. Someone asked me recently to compare director and co-writer Joss Whedon's THE AVENGERS with the X-MEN movies, and the reality is, you can't--not fairly at least. The members of the X-Men came together under a common struggle (mutant rights), and are all trained by the same methods as each other (for the most part). But the Avengers are like puzzle pieces that were never meant to go together, and with the exception of Captain America (Chris Evans), they don't even really see themselves as heroes, let alone ones fighting a common enemy.
The story of THE AVENGERS gives these solo acts that unifying enemy: an alien army brought to earth by Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) adopted brother Loki (the magnificent Tom Hiddleston, easily my favorite performer in the film). But before Whedon even gets to that point, he gives us micro-stories about where the lead characters sit in the grand scheme of their own lives.
Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is fiddling around with turning the renewable energy source that powers his heart and suit into an actual, real-world source of green energy (that damn tree-hugger), which is a coincidence since the Cosmic Cube that played a role in both the THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA movies last summer is also a source of renewable energy. But Stark is the character that has the most growing up to do, and being a part of this team forces him to "play well with others." It's actually kind of great watching Downey give Stark a mature edge, even as he's crack jokes at the expense of the other Avengers.
Steve Rogers/Captain America is still very much struggling to be less of a man out of time. He's missing references in everyday conversation and jokes, making both tough for him. There's a cute moment when someone makes a "flying monkeys" reference he actually gets, and the excitement in his eyes is wondrous. It's not until the fighting starts that Rogers finally shows signs that he's in his element, and he comes to life magnificently, flinging his shield with a force only hinted at in his movie.
Thor just kind of exists in THE AVENGERS, and I don't mean that in a bad way. He appears out of nowhere, searching for his still-loved brother, and it's clear that he feel somewhat responsible for Loki's turn to the side of mischief and destruction. What Thor brings to this movie (aside from a whole lot of lightening, thunder, and brutal hammer action) is the emotional weight. As much fun as it is to watch Loki have so much fun manipulating everyone that crosses his line of sight, Thor's love for his wayward sibling makes Loki a tragic character in so many necessary ways.
Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) doesn't get to enter the picture until the threat is eminent. He's in hiding, living a mostly quiet life in India in an effort to keep the Hulk at bay. Although he's brought into the fold for his brains and not his braun (apparently the cube is emitting gamma rays, which Banner is an expert in), everyone wants to know how he keeps "the other guy" under control. When he finally reveals his secret to not getting angry, my stomach actually dropped. The actual Hulk doesn't appear in the film until nearly the 1.5-hour mark (of the 2.5-hour film), so clearly Whedon believes Banner is nearly as (if not more) important than the green behemoth, and Ruffalo is so strong in the role, I don't think too many people will be crying about Edward Norton's absence--although he would have been awesome too, I'm sure.
The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) are cut from the same cloth: both are SHIELD agents (under the command of Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury), master assassins by training, with painful pasts that are only hinted at in THE AVENGERS. I'm guessing deeper looks into their respective pasts are being held back in case the characters get solo films, which they should. Hawkeye is given an interesting introduction in this story as his mind is taken over by Loki right off the bat, and he spends a significant portion of the film as a mindless slave. Black Widow actually grew on me as a character, whereas she really didn't work for me as a part of IRON MAN 2. Her martial arts skills are insane, brutal, and efficient. And her chase scene through the SHIELD Helicarrier with the Hulk barreling down behind her is fantastic stuff, which proves something I've always suspected--if you aren't strong enough to fight the Hulk, the best defense is make yourself very small and skillfully run and hide from the big bastard.
If I had to clock the screentime of each character in THE AVENGERS, I wouldn't be surprised if Loki had the most. And if that isn't true, it sure feels that way, and I am perfectly alright with that. I spent a good deal of 2011 discovering Tom Hiddleston through THOR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, and WAR HORSE (and if you haven't seen him in THE DEEP BLUE SEA, which came out in the U.S. this year, you really have only experienced a portion of the awful person he's capable of portraying.
But Loki's smile is pure devil, his mind is that of a master manipulator, and he somehow doesn't look ridiculous with a giant horned helmet on his head. With a whole lot of competition, Loki is my favorite character in THE AVENGERS because he's the best written, pure and simple. He plays each team member differently, using their personal shortcomings against them. It's not impossible to play Loki the way he plays with victims, but it ain't easy. And it's actually kind of cool who has the most success handing him his ass when it comes to outsmarting him brain vs. brain.
Yes, members of the Avengers get to fight each other before they take on the alien army, but those moments are almost obligatory, although no less fun. If I had one major complaint about THE AVENGERS, it would be about that army. The aliens look and drop dead like videogame villains that can never seem to hit their mark and go down like they're made of construction paper. The idea of one of those nondescript creatures taking down a member of the team doesn't seem feasible, let alone possible, so they really don't add much dramatic weight to the enormous climactic battle. But even that doesn't reduce the effectiveness of the mega-destructive final 45 minutes or so, which really give the Hulk a chance to spread his arms and use them to knock down aliens, buildings, and certain Aasgardians.
I love that Whedon gets to spend 2012 in the mainstream spotlight, between THE AVENGERS and the long-delayed THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (which he produced and co-wrote), both of which are presently in my top-five favorite films of the year so far. I was never a die-hard Whedonite, although I've sampled some of his TV work over the years and am very much looking forward to what he does with the already-shot MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. It never even crossed my mind that he'd get THE AVENGERS wrong, but I never would have predicted just how perfectly he pulls this off.
This isn't just a triumph in the arena of Marvel movies or superhero films; more accurately, this is one of the most entertaining films I've seen at this scale. It's succeeds with action, humor, intelligence, a touch of psychological drama, and phenomenal special effects. And by embracing the flaws in each of its characters, THE AVENGERS is more than just an impressive movie; it's also an easy film to love. That's doesn't happen nearly enough in films with nine-figure budgets. The summer is looking a whole lot brighter; we'll see how long that feeling lasts.
I'd love to know what you guys think of THE AVENGERS. Feel free to post your comments, reviews, observances, criticisms, shitting upons, etc. in the Talkbacks.
