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Tuesday, May 15, 2012
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Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Avengers Review
Prior to production and release of The Avengers there were two large casting changes announced that drew much criticism of Marvel Studio’s competences in making a on-screen crossover. The first, and arguably not as large, was the recasting of James Rhodes for Iron Man 2. Negotiations broke down around the same time as the second casting change: replacing Edward Norton from The Incredible Hulk with Mark Ruffalo. Both of which were blows seeing as the only films so far were Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. If Marvel wasn’t even able to keep a cast for more than one film, how could they manage an ensemble cast in the first live action superhero crossover film?The fears of including the War Machine character yet changing the actor were debunked after the Iron Man team was able to play it completely straight and not lose quality in acting. Some even argued the change was better. However the fears of changing a major character and an Avenger, The Hulk, still loomed over and only the release of the film would answer our questions.
The story opens very interestingly with Loki in space or some other dimension (it is mysterious and never completely identified). He has been gifted with a new staff and new powers so he can recapture the Tesseract but Loki has other plans and wishes to conquer Earth. Switching perspectives to earth, S.H.I.E.L.D. is studying the Tesseract and Hawkeye is keeping watch. Maria Hill, Agent Coulson and Nick Fury arrive to see how the research with Doctor Selvig has progressed when the Tesseract activates and Loki is transported to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base. He captures the tesseract along with a handful of agents, including Hawkeye. The base collapses and Nick Fury needs a way to get the object back. Nick Fury activates the Avengers initiative and sends Black Widow to find Dr. Bruce Banner (played by Mark Ruffalo), Agent Coulson is sent to give Dr. Selvig’s research to Tony Stark and as he studies you see that the only person to show any interest in Agent Coulson is Pepper Potts who he has a genuine conversation with. This was true even in the character’s first appearance (Iron Man). Nick Fury goes to a very angry and very “all business” mission ready Steve Rogers who is played very differently by Chris Evens. Thor comes into the picture as Loki is in the custody of Iron Man and Captain America who very clearly hate each other. Iron Man and Thor clash before Captain America breaks up the fight and recaptures Loki who is interrogated by Black Widow. Scenes start to unfold with Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Nick Fury and Thor as they struggle to see eye to eye and work together. These scenes of team-building and clashing are by far the most important in the movie as they never really overcome them but gain new morals with the final act and Agent Coulson’s death. In Loki’s escapes attempt, Hawkeye is freed from Loki’s control but the staff is returned to him. Thor and the Hulk are both ejected and the 3rd engine of the helicarrier is destroyed causing the ship to become unstable. Captain America and Iron Man manage to stabilize it but only after The Avengers are completely humiliated in front of their leader, Nick Fury who is also the highest ranking official aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier making Loki’s escape a tactical victory but also a strike to the ego and pride of the “team” which is all Loki is ever after.
Characterization is the most important aspect of any film simply because it is difficult to be interested in a plot or a sequence of events if there is no investment in the characters or if there portrayals are too jarring. In making a team film there is always the chance that some characters would outshine others. Nick Fury, Black Widow, Maria Hill and Hawkeye were never given their own films, only appearances in other characters films. Agent Coulson has the same situation but his role grew after each film and his character managed to break through with the help of dialogue, screen time with major characters such as Thor and eventually in the Avengers a satisfying death screen that served the story. A criticism may be that you feel nothing for Coulson’s death if you have not seen the movies prior to this in the correct order. However, a counter argument is that you feel nothing for Rachael’s death scene in The Dark Knight as most of her important character scenes are in Batman Begins. The Avengers is a sequel to the films that set it up therefore seeing the other films enhances your experience and helps to serve the character progression Sadly though Maria Hill was given no character and was simply added in as a way to say “we included everyone”. She was given action sequences and dialogue with characters like Nick Fury but her own motives never shown. Black Widow almost fell into the same trap but was saved by very clever, subtle dialogue with Loki, Hawkeye and Bruce Banner. She was also played very well by Scarlett Johansson who knew how to convey deep levels of seriousness and moments of vulnerability to give the character layers. Her past as a child spy, a Russian, and almost being killed by Hawkeye are all mentioned but softly tucked away to give her mystery which is what a character called Black Widow needs. Two perfect examples of this are her interrogation of Loki and her scenes with a fully Hulked out Bruce Banner.Nick Fury and Hawkeye are another pair characters who are very similarly handled in The Avengers. While Hawkeye was only given a cameo in Thor, Nick Fury was introduced in Iron Man 2 however it was impossible to know who he was unless you knew of him prior to the film. This adds to Iron Man 2’s weakness but one could also argue that the inclusion of the post-credit scene in Iron Man was enough to get the ball rolling. Much like Black Widow, Nick Fury is a super-spy who runs an organization of super-spies. In his first appearance, Nick Fury managed to sneak into Tony Starks home, shut down Jarvis and bypass all security which is stunningly interesting and lets us, the audience, really wondering who could this man be, a man that broke into the home of Iron Man without breaking a sweat? In Iron Man 2 he appears instantly knowing everything that’s wrong with Tony Stark, giving him a temporary antidote, and the materials necessary to create a new arc reactor. Nick Fury may not be a genius, but he is a man with resources, power and authority, which also gives him a certain level of mystery. In The Avengers you see that even this super-spy is given orders but he never withdraws. He stands by his decision and even at one point says to the council that they have made “a stupid-ass decision” and he has “chosen to ignore it”. After they try to execute it against Nick Fury’s will he grabs an RPG and destroys one of the planes that will send a nuclear bomb to Manhattan. He may have failed and gone against his superiors but he is strong willed and proactive. Nick Fury is determined to find a solution his way. The Avengers Initiative was shut down prior to the film because of a lack of interest. The Hulk was hard to recruit, Tony Stark had too many character flaws to be on a team and Thor was sent back to Asgard leaving only Hawkeye, Black Widow and Captain America which is more like a small task force. However with the Tesseract gone, Hawkeye compromised and Loki on the loose he goes against any protocol and forces in Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, the sad and reluctant Steve Rogers and even Thor after he makes his first appearance. When everything falls apart he uses the death of Agent Phil Coulson, Captain America’s fanboy and the butt of Tony Stark’s jokes to give the team a “push” by showing them the bloody Captain America trading cards he wanted Steve to sign throughout most of the film. This scene also only consists of two Avengers, the rest ejected or trying to heal. Maria Hill later points out that Coulson’s cards were in his locker before he died not his jacket and Nick Fury simply says that the team needed something to fight for, something to “Avenge” . Steve, who is a very dedicated soldier, also uncovers tesseract themed weapons and even as the whole Avengers team is seemingly going against Fury, he holds his composure and proceeds to almost manipulate the team into action. These weapons are never brought up again but we can see that Fury is acting for the common good. This man may not have rich history that we know of but he’s a spy, a master spy at that who throughout the movie actually has many action sequences and it’s good to see that he isn’t just a figure head. He’s proactive, he’s mysterious, he’s manipulative, he has good intentions and he’s interesting.
Sadly Hawkeye is the only Avenger that gets the Maria Hill Treatment as he is under Loki’s control for most of the first half of the film. His history is directly tied to Black Widows and the two seem romantically interested but act as agents first. Hawkeye’s capture is what gets Widow to even come in and Hawkeye was the key that helped her interrogate Loki. Hawkeye, after regaining control of himself with the help of Widow, feels violated and hurt. We never examine these feelings as Hawkeye honestly feels a little under used. However his archery skills do justify his presence among the Avengers, he simply required more screen time and team based dialogue.
Moving forward is Tony Stark who has the longest character arc over the film. He starts out as very arrogant, very full of himself and respecting no one, even Agent Coulson. As the movie progresses Steve Rogers very clearly does not like Tony, and vice versa. Tony in Iron Man 2 uses Captain America’s shield to hold a pipe level and has no respect for him. This is not made crystal clear but Tony Stark says that everything special about him came from a bottle and that Steve is just a science experiment. This makes us wonder if Tony is really jealous of Steve, for being America’s symbolic hero when really he’s just like Iron Man. A scientific weapon but, because he wears red white and blue, he is completely accepted while Tony is harassed by the government, as seen in Iron Man 2. Captain America lived in simpler times and if Steve saved a baby he’d he hailed as a God, were as, if Iron Man saved a baby government officials would try to steal his suit. Steve counter’s Tony by saying he is all about style and that he would never put his life on the line like a soldier. Steve feels Tony was handed his empire and never served or worked for it, unlike his father who helped start S.H.I.E.L.D. and supplied support in World War II. Steve wants Tony to stop pretending he is a hero because he has never had to sacrifice like Steve did or any of his comrades. Tony and Steve are able to put aside their differences for the greater good and save the helicarrier but it is not till Coulson’s death that Tony realizes it is no longer about style, that Loki has an army and power and he needs to overcome his ego and work under the leadership of soldiers. One can even make the argument that the Mark VII armor is an embodiment of Tony’s change in character. It has the cool factor of flying down as a shuttle and suiting Tony up but the design is very padded, very bulky and very defensive, less flash and more practical which is what Tony needed to become. At the end of the film Tony manages to bring the Avengers back to New York and nearly sacrifices his own life to destroy the nuclear bomb Nick Fury’s commanders sent. He puts his life on the line and proves to Steve he is a hero and even takes orders from him over the course of the final action sequence.
The logical progression from Tony Stark’s characterization and his relationship to Steve Roger’s is the characterization of Steve in this movie. In his introductory scene Steve is angry. We have never seen Captain America angry in his film and it is an interesting notion to open with him furiously attacking a punching bag, he actually knocks it off the chain and grabs another bag lying on the ground and hooks it as if he is used to this. He flashes back in his mind to the harsh days of World War II just as Nick Fury walks in saying he has a mission for him. He gives Steve a new suit and he wonders if it is a little cheesy in this modern era and Nick Fury simply says that when things are this horrible, people need a little old fashion to comfort them which helps us see that Captain America is a symbol and it brings hope. Steve is clearly the voice of reason in the Avengers. He never works for what’s right or wrong but rather works for the greater good. If saving the helicarrier means teaming up with Tony, he’ll do it. Steve is actually the one that breaks up Thor and Tony’s battle so they could unite against Loki. Steve has grown since his awakening in the 21st century which is very clear in the acting. Steve doesn’t joke, he doesn’t smile, he works and does what’s necessary. At a point after Tony mentions S.H.I.E.L.D. is clearly keeping secrets he searches and finds Hydra weapons and holds Fury accountable, again not seeing the minor detail that Tony was right and Steve being forced to admit that but rather seeing that Fury withheld the truth and people could die. After Coulson’s death he doesn’t see it as a way to make Tony feel bad but rather comforts him by asking if this is the first time he has lost a soldier. The 2 work together and get Black Widow and Hawkeye to help on the attack to defeat Loki. Thor Later appears along with the Hulk and they all follow Steve’s leadership. Steve was the only mortal the Thor didn’t come to blows with, Steve was the logical one and their relationship did not need to go further. Steve also is the only one who sees Bruce Banner as man and never draws attention to the Hulk, Steve tries to calm him when he gets angry and is the only one to see the danger of the Hulk. He is a sort of friend/rival to Tony, a help to Thor, a commander to Widow and Hawkeye, a soldier to Fury and a comfort to Bruce.Following Steve is the Hulk who is the root of much controversy because of fears that Mark Ruffalo could not live up to Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner and the events of that film might be cut. However this is not the case as Marvel very much “james bonds it” and keeps the same continuity just with a different actor. Mark Ruffalo at first seemed very sarcastic, very dry and angry but calm. He almost seemed to hate everyone and later we learn that the reason he hasn’t Hulked out in over a year is that he is always angry. Almost as if the Hulk persona merges with him which can be interesting as throughout the film they talk as if the Hulk isn’t Bruce but a different person. This Bruce actually retains his genius and it was nice to see that Tony and Bruce could exchange technical talk and stay in character with each other. It felt very realistic. The Hulk also has a line in this movie criticizing Loki’s godliness and it is interesting to see this Hulking beast has opinions and that he and Bruce share a mind causing strange crossovers in thoughts and behavior. Bruce throughout the film is very “Bring it on” and it almost feels as if Bruce doesn’t hulk out, but the Hulk “banners out”. He is not the weak scared man from the incredible Hulk, he is a strong and tired of running man. This is an ideal Hulk and he makes for something very fresh and very interesting in the future instead of the standard Jekyll and Hyde story.
The Final Avenger in this role call is Thor who is the brother of this film’s villain, Loki. Thor has finally embraced that Loki put people in danger and that they were never blood brothers but he still cares for him as a brother. Thor is angry, not at Loki, but at the fact that his close bond with his brother can be torn apart and Loki feels no remorse over it. Thor can’t accept that his noble brother has gone so far off the reservation. Reasoning with him does not work as Loki is hurt too. Nick Fury very clearly says Loki has killed and murdered and enslaved and he must come to justice, Thor agrees but only wishes to bring him Asgard for justice as he is a God and at the very least deserves that. The Tesseract is also returned to Asgard because Fury and the Avengers realize that it is too powerful for mortal hands. Thor was well established in his own film and here he sees the Earth under his protection but meeting Fury almost makes things political for him and he has a hard time seeing that these “petty” people protect and control this planet. Thor left the planet almost as if it was a vacation home from Asgard but returns seeing that is a realm and a kingdom all its own much like Asgard.The film shines with its villain, Loki. Loki starts out in some other dimension running on the power and help of some other race. They want the tesseract and in return Loki will gain an army to conquer Earth which is Thor’s domain, his brother’s prize that he wants to rip away. Loki is hurt that he was never truly an Asgarden and merely an adoptive brother, his pride is hurt and he lived in the shadow of his older brother Thor. Loki lived all his life with the notion that there was a chance he could be king but it turns out that this would never happen. He modeled himself as a king, a trained as one, commanded as one and presented himself as one and learns he could never be one. In his mind he was dirt with jewelry on and that hurt his pride. He thinks he is a king and he will humiliate the Earth to prove it. The scene of Loki killing Coulson and destroying the helicarrier are there so Loki can inflate his ego. He let himself be captured which is what the Avengers come to realize as he could have run at any moment. However he doesn’t want that, he wants to see these lost creatures and the people who are supposed to protect the Earth only to humiliate them and make himself feel like a king. With the portal activated Loki could have returned to his new master but he chose to attack the Earth and relish in its destruction. Loki who could never be the king of Gods the way Odin promised wants to enslave these earthlings who he thinks were made to be ruled. And with this planet under Thor’s protection it is a chance for him to get back at his brother for being forced to forever live in his shadow. Loki has a great ego, Loki lived to be king and once that was robbed of him he is in denial and continues to proclaim he is a king. He could have stolen the parts he needed and ran before Captain America and Iron Man captured him but he wanted to have people kneel before him. Loki lives for this feeling of ultimate sovereignty. The idea is almost sad and tragic. As seen in Thor, Loki was a wiser choice to be king and even at childhood Thor was the favorite and that caused Loki to become like this. Loki did not want to be a dictator in Thor, he wanted to have what he felt he deserved and to a certain extent he did deserve it. In The Avengers, however, he has lost everything that he had in Asgard and now needs nothing more than to feel his own importance. He tries to command the Hulk and tell him of his royalty but the Hulk attacks and instead humiliates Loki, leaving him stunned and confused as he has lost again and he cannot accept it. Tom Hiddleston is a great actor and plays Loki as evil and menacing but we can see the tragedy in his eyes and with the help of the script and his delivery Loki becomes a truly well-rounded and complex character.
The action sequence and the drama is incorporated very well with the help of the amazing script written by Joss Whedon. There are a number of perfectly timed shots and full 360s in the action sequences that make for a very fun ride. Even humorous lines in the dialogue are played off very well during tension filled dramatic scenes. My favorite example being Nick Fury exclaiming how evil Loki is but Thor defends him as still being his Brother. Black Widow says “he killed 80 people in 2 days” and Thor replies “…he’s adopted....” My favorite shot also happening near the end when, without cutting, the camera travels all around New York and sees The Avengers fighting as one. The action and comedy are there in heavy bits but the character development is also very layered and dense and with the exception of Maria Hill everyone gets a chance to shine, and even that isn’t completely true as Hill’s dialogue with Fury contributes to her but she still needed more drive and motivation (the same can be said for Hawkeye)
The Action is superb. The dialogue is fresh, funny, quotable and perfectly delivered by an all-star cast. The characters are layered, interesting and can be studied more personally and further in sequels (either solo or together). Some ideas don’t work such as: why isn’t War Machine helping? And the underdevelopment of Maria Hill and Hawkeye but it overcomes that with its other complex characters. So what exactly makes this film better the Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight and Batman Begins and so many others? My answer to that is: The Avengers (2012) is actually about the comic book team known as The Avengers. The statement is so simple but so strange at the same time. I can best explain this by picking one movie widely considered the greatest comic book film ever made and do a comparison of it and my choice in that comparison is The Dark Knight (2008)
I am honestly of the opinion that Batman Begins was a better Batman film then The Dark Knight (The Dark Knight still being a superior film in general). Batman Begins was actually about Batman. It shows his drive, his growth as a character and maintained focus on him as the events in the story unfolded. The Dark Knight had many themes, ideas, villains and incredible subtext but all of it was with the use of multiple Gotham characters and the movie never really felt like it was about Batman and how he deals with this as a character. It felt more like a film trying to raise issues and ideas rather than a film raising issues and ideas in regards to the title character.
I praise The Avengers as the greatest comic book film ever made simply because it is about the team, their stakes and growth and how they come together. The film spends time with each character and gives the audience something to take away from with each character without being a 7 hour movie with 7 characters all independent of each other. The Avengers are a team and there relationships and faults are examined as they relate to the threat or each other. The film is first and foremost about the team and why they would even do what they are doing and the plot is a way to get them to these points logically. Plots holes do appear but most can be fixed by simply examining the characters. “Loki could’ve escaped anytime, why didn’t he?” Loki has an ego and loves show so he stays and observes to inflate his ego. All of which is in the script and all of which is obviously presented. The Dark Knight has these character moments but they do not work like this. Rachael’s death is used to push Harvey over the edge and he dies to metaphorically symbolize Gotham and Batman’s sacrifices. That’s fine but the film forgets that these are still people, Bruce and Alfred do not grieve as if they lost their childhood friend, the death is there for Harvey Dent and that’s all it adds up too. What’s done is good but Batman has so little say in the events making it feel more like a film about symbolism and issues rather than a film raising issues and developing the title characters. Every character is used as a metaphor for something but no character is used as if they are real, complex people in a completely absurd situation which is what a well written superhero film and comic book are about.There is no wrong way to make a film, but certain points must make sense objectively while others are left to opinion. I’ve always loved The Dark Knight but if someone asks me my favorite Batman film, I’d say Batman Begins. If someone asked my favorite comic book/superhero film I’d say Captain America: The First Avenger (prior to The Avengers). What gravitates me to Batman is the complex psychology taking place in Bruce Wayne but I can also live with the complex environment that is Gotham, the complex ideas and villains that are the Joker and Scarecrow and the allies and civilians such as Jim Gordon which is in the film. My dislike of The Dark Knight comes from the fact that the creators and its fans say that the film shows that comic books can be for adults. My problem is that the film is showing people that a man in a tight, underwear on the outside costume batsuit can be for adults by CHANGING him into a man with padded armor and a tank to make him more adult. I don’t want that, I want a Batman film that shows me why a man in a batsuit with a brightly colored sidekick, and bat-themed caves and vehicles can be for adults. They say The Dark Knight draws from the comic book The Long Halloween but all it borrows is the origin of Two-Face being tied to his working with Batman and Gordon to take on the mob. People forget that there was a court room of villains, Solomon Grundy and strange characters like calendar man all over the book. The Avengers works better as a comic book/superhero film by using all of these ridiculous ideas. A man who built a suit of armor in a cave, a Norse myth that lives in a world of gold and rainbows, a hulking beast that wears purple pants and smashes everything in sight, a star spangled man with a shield. As mentioned before, Nick Fury tells Steve the costume isn’t cheesy in modern times; it comforts people and gives them hope. And in my theater, no one laughed at Steve’s Suit. They clapped as he saved the old man and referenced his days in World War II. The cast played it straight and the ideas were mature and dramatic enough to keep the audience engaged. Grant Morrison’s Batman shows a rainbow Batman can be interesting and The Avengers shows brightly colored heroes can be complex and interesting. They don’t change the established history; they work with it and respect it. That’s why The Avengers is a great adaptation of the works of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It is true to their spirit and keeps the same tone as a comic book should have while still staying mature and letting the characters being the key figures, not as stand-ins for some metaphor but as actual people in an absurd situation. Nothing is perfect, The Avengers has flaws in characters and plot but what’s presented works and restores my love of Superheroes: strange other-worldly people who look crazy but have characters and motives that invest and hook me. Both fun and mature.
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