Marvel's The Avengers (2012)

7 November 2016

Jacob sat down to watch this the other night and I joined him for most of it. I see why "The Avengers" is so well liked and why so many are invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Good

Pretty much everything about the movie is good. The acting (Robert Downey, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, etc.), excellent all around. All of the characters had interesting things to say and do, even the Hulk (though I thought Bruce was a touch underutilized). The story was entertaining. The script made a lot of sense and I liked the humor. The CGI was seamless and the action scenes flowed really well. Maybe it's not the best or the greatest of movies, but "The Avengers" does what it does to perfection.

The Bad

If there is anything not the best about "The Avengers", it is the universe the movie takes place in. Marvel/Disney is overreaching a bit; the universe it has created is not as tight as it should be. A good example of this is the mysterious World Security Council that Nick Fury answers to in "The Avengers", something I have never seen in "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."

The Ugly

"The Avengers" sets the bar for superhero movies very high. It is a genre-defining movie, even moreso than "Superman" or "Batman" back in their day. And, as far as I can tell, the movie stays true to its superheroes. Which makes me a sad panda when I think about Henry Cavill's Superman and the DC movies, and how hard they try and fail to reach that bar. Marvel has always been more grounded while DC is a purer product, even Batman. Which makes it next-to-impossible for DC to emulate the tone of a movie like "The Avengers". DC really needs to find its own way.

Notes
I am particularly impressed with Tom Hiddleston's performance as a femmy Loki considering he has been mentioned as a potential Bond, the end-all and be-all of masculinity. 

Dear God, how many franchises is Jeremy Renner attached to now? He has to be raking in the residuals from all the big budget movies he's done supporting turns in.

By the way, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."'s Bobbi and Lance are pretty blatant television rip-offs of Natasha and Clint, aren't they. Jeez.