Marvel-ous

Rating: 9/10 (26 December 2012)

It was inevitable that The Avengers would be made, especially with the cinematic gold that was produced with the Iron Man franchise, Thor, and Captain America (though the Hulk films have struggled to find any kind of footing to speak of). In this critic's opinion, the individual productions dedicated to the aforementioned superheroes ranged from spectacular to borderline dreadful (I was especially disappointed in Captain America). To think that any one person could somehow blend all of these characters' story lines into something coherent—and, as implausible as it seemed, genuinely entertained—made me more than skeptical.
But, as the saying goes, never say never. The Avengers is a spectacle to behold; it's thrilling, funny, and actually musters up quite a bit of unexpected character development. How about that?
What makes it so fantastic is the fact that nearly every major player is given equal screen time. Wisely, Whedon decided to paint these otherworldly heroes flesh tone—that is, he makes them entirely human. Instead of being fodder for CGI carnage (which, paradoxically, they are, in a very good way) we become invested in them as individuals. They have their problems, and never is this more relevant than when egos collide aboard a floating fortress—a scene that almost sees the would be saviors of the world nearly tear themselves apart. Another well-played decision on the part of Whedon was to play up the sociological angle of the mayhem taking place. Specifically, the fact that the battle for humanity eventually moves to the streets of New York City evokes feelings directly reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks. This strikes a particularly vulnerable chord in most of us; even though it's been 11 years since the horror of that September morning unfolded, a general sense of unease still permeates our contemporary culture. The fact that The Avengers draws such clear cut lines between "good" and "evil" makes it unexpectedly powerful, and the musings by many of the characters that the world could do with a little "old fashioned" reverie is certainly a well-founded one.
Actually, I have only one gripe with the movie. It's probably too minor in many people's eyes to warrant mentioning, but, in light of the myriad accomplishments that define the movie, I simply can't ignore it. Specifically, it has to do with the Hulk's sudden ability to control his rage in such a way as to be mindful of what he is and isn't smashing. No explanation is given as to how he's able to do this in a hairpin moment of critical importance, and it's something that could have been easily resolved with a quick bit of dialogue or a thirty second scene.
For everything that could have gone wrong with The Avengers, it's a miracle that it's actually watchable; actually, it's a wonderful piece of cinema, not to mention one of the best action movies that I've ever seen. If you haven't checked this out, be sure to do so before it leaves the big screen. Skipping it would be doing your inner kidheck, your inner human a great disservice.