A cinematic Marvel in more ways than one

Rating: 10/10 (28 May 2012)

When the first Iron Man film came out, the studios behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe were embarking on something truly unprecedented in modern cinema. Iron Man was a relatively under-promoted movie with trailers that showed barely the surface of what to expect. I went to the midnight screening of the movie with a number of friends as a social outing, while they were the ones who were truly Marvel comics fanatics. By the end, I was absolutely blown away by the strength of the movie in both its action and gravitas. And after the credits, when Nick Fury arrived played by Samuel L. Jackson to announce "The Avengers Initiative", I was both excited and skeptical.
Although I wasn't an avid comic book fan at the time, most people my age knew who the Avengers were - the "World's Mightiest Heroes", comprising such characters which would be almost ludicrous to depict on screen. In this day and age, who would take a movie about Captain America seriously? Or Thor, who I knew of primarily as a chief Norse god and not a superhero? And yet, one by one, each of the movies blew away all my preconceptions and expectations.
The Avengers, the result of four years of meticulous buildup and hard work, does not disappoint. I am by no means a Joss Whedon fanboy, but you could see his work ingrained in the dialogue, the scripting, and the loving attention paid to a universe that he, as a comic book fan, clearly cares about. I remained skeptical all the way until I was physically sitting in the theater that this could be anything but an action orgy, yet through the most unlikely situations, they gave the film a heart.
The premise is surprisingly simple - Loki, Thor's brother from his film, is preparing to invade the Earth with the help of an unknown benefactor and an army called the Chitauri (who are in fact the Ultimate Marvel version of the notorious Skrull - minus the shapeshifting ability) while taking advantage of the artifact known as the Tesseract (which the fans of the comics would recognize as the Cosmic Cube). SHIELD's Nick Fury, recognizing the threat, tries to bring the team together with Iron Man, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Thor, and the out-of-time Captain America, while consulting Dr. Bruce Banner, whose angry side has been kept under control for some time, to help find the Tesseract. The initial interaction between them is, as expected, not a cordial one, though you do see the beginnings of some deep friendships beginning, including one between Stark and Banner - evidently brought together by a penchant for genius. While there are numerous shorter action sequences stringing the film together with character setpieces, the finale of the movie culminates in one of the most brilliantly shot 30-40 minute action sequences I've ever seen. The third Transformers movie attempted something similar, and failed at it, where this truly succeeded.
A few things really stand out in the movie. The first is the evolution of Tony Stark's character. In previous movies the main thing that had really been explored were (a) his ego and (b) his quest for redemption; as Rogers puts it, however, he seems to only fight for himself and is "all about style". Yet, in this film, he manages to portray not only a semblance of heroism, but participates in one of probably the most heroic acts depicted so far in a superhero film. His relationship with Dr. Banner manages to underscore just how strong his character has become - where the other team see Banner as a ticking "time bomb", as he aptly puts at one point, Stark believes that not only did the Hulk save Banner's life, it is something of his nature to be embraced and taken control of instead of feared. And ultimately, the faith he shows in him proves to be right.
Another strong element of the film, as in most Joss Whedon productions, is the uplifting of a strong female character, namely Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff had a bit part in the second Iron Man film, but wasn't the real focus of the film nor was she fully explored as a character. This film provides a strong focus into her psyche as a master assassin and highlights her relationship with Hawkeye, the master marksman. She's surprisingly one of the film's most inscrutable characters, showing only enough emotion as she needs, but being capable of great loyalty, compassion, and heroism. Despite her and Clint Barton being the two "non-superheroes" on the team, they provide an absolutely integral part of the team; their role is irreplaceable on the team and they kick as much butt as the rest of the hyper-powered team members. At no point in the movie did I feel like any one super hero was used to prop up the others like a crutch.
And finally, without a doubt, Mark Ruffalo's portrayal of both Bruce Banner and the Hulk is probably one of the best ever to hit the screen. Previous movies had touched on the strength of the Hulk and his potential for limitless strength while highlighting Banner's genius and compassionate nature, but it has never been done quite so well. He steals the movie, ultimately surpassing all expectations against all the odds. He grows rapidly (both literally and figuratively) throughout the movie, gaining a new sort of confidence. Before the film I wasn't a huge fan of the Hulk, but after-wards, I have infinitely more respect for the character - mixed in with a touch of respectful fear.
This movie is definitely worth watching in theaters, on the big screen. The experience is 100% worth it. All I can say is, The Dark Knight Rises has a lot to live up to if it hopes to do anywhere near as well as this monster of a film.