Fun summer blockbuster, Full Stop !

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2013)

I know that the one Billion Dollar and a half income causes dizziness, even for me! But who said that the highest-grossing movies of all times should be the best movies ever made?!
No doubt that Marvel Studios has done it, with the right ambition, order and budget. In 5 years plan, the release of 5 movies; The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and a calculated connection between all of them; they made a good foreword for this dramatic climax, which turned into a financial climax for Marvel itself, their plan, and the superhero movie in general. But, was it that good?!
It's good as a huge sci-fi action. Joss Whedon's love for the Marvel world did marvel! As a scriptwriter / director, he interweaved the heroes' story lines well, filled the movie with the ultimate action he could get, and made fair time on screen. Actually, the movie is made of fun.
Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron man stole the show, not merely because his power as an actor, but originally because his star-power which guaranteed him the bigger role, the best one-liners, and the heroic situation at the climax. Captain America was the weakest in powers amongst the rest, but that was compensated finely by making him the planner wise brain of the bunch.
I loved the formula of hot action always followed by funny one-liner. What I loved more was writing a motive for the movie's evil guy. Loki's speech about wanting desperately to be a king did satisfy something I used, since my childhood, to not see it satisfied in 99, 999 % of the American action movies!
The visual / sonic extravaganza was well-made. All the explosions, sound effects, etc.. dazzled perfectly. However, what merits the real praise should be the editing. Kudos to the editors of this movie, they managed brilliantly to cut the material reasonably and enjoyably. The movie didn't turn into crazy hurly-burly at any time. That's a big victory to be proud of, putting in mind the majority of the action flicks we get from Hollywood lately.
And the cameo of Stan Lee is welcomed as ever. For one reason he's funny and ironically used, and for another it's loyal and honorary to have him around. Age lengthened with the 90 year old Marvel Comics writer to witness his creation as movies, and yet be part of it too.
But, on the other hand, certain characters weren't up to the rest, and yes, I mean Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff, and Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye. They could have been fit for another movie instead (a regular spy movie for the first). Still the shot in which the camera rolls around all The Avengers while the end's fight makes me laugh, especially when I see Natasha holding her little gun as if a peer to the superpowers and super dangers around her!!
The plot permits some bugging questions to be asked. For instance; what was Loki's plan while being on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flying aircraft carrier? He didn't use the Hulk's anger as he intended to do! The problem of the Hulk wasn't clearly explored. I couldn't understand what was the matter of "the point is, I'm always angry"!! And why he got blindly furious on the carrier, then "Hello", he's fighting for the good side at the end!? Loki's army wasn't that threatening, only some bizarre enough goons to be killed later without any particularity. The way Dr. Erik Selvig and Hawkeye awake of Loki's charm is truly laughable (just a good hit on the head!!).
Pace-wise, I thought that between the end of the second act (Loki's escape from S.H.I.E.L.D) and the start of the third act (Loki's attack on New York City) there was something missing; like some events were rushed. Yet, the main shortcoming has to be the matter of lacking the inner motives. I know that Earth is at risk, and Agent Phil Coulson is killed, but the lead characters didn't have personal issues to overstep, which didn't add any "dramatic deepness" to the mix.
This is Marvell's promised ritzy festival, and it works, gathering all the audiences of the previous 5 movies, and the readers of the original comics behind them. I love it as fun summer blockbuster, with no thoughts allowed. I even long for part 2 and 3. But, to tell you the truth, while movies like Avatar, Titanic, The Avengers, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon are on the top of the highest-grossing movies of all time right now, I long to the day where not a "summer blockbuster" will join the list, and - why not - be its number 1. I believe that someday the people will get enough of the summer blockbusters, and go on a pilgrimage to something else, something more serious and less flawed, something that talks to the mind and the heart, more than the ear and the eye. Ahh, when will the ordinary people become better than the superheroes?!