At last we have a Hulk that convinces.

Rating: 5/10 (17 June 2012)

I dragged my heels when it came to Avengers Assemble. Did I really want to see yet another comic book adaptation that will be rehashed in ten years for viewers with goldfish memories (The Amazing Spider-man being a case in point)? Apparently I did.
I've never been a great reader of graphic novels though I dipped into the odd Batman and Flash Gordon book while still building camps in hedges but in recent years my forays into pictorial literature have been less frequent and more specific; the favoured and most notable examples being Joe Sacco's Palestine and, a particular high point for me, J. M. DeMatteis' The Compleat Moonshadow.
But I digress.
Avengers Assemble concerned me; with so many disappointing and, occasionally, disastrous adaptations out there (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, both of the Hulk adaptations to date) what hope was there for a film that threw together a smorgasbord of superheroes all vying for top billing, one of which hasn't been tested on the public with a big screen outing of her own? With so many egos and so little time it would be a task and a half for the scriptwriter, Joss Whedon, to adequately divvy out the lines.
I needn't have concerned myself with such trivialities. Whedon, who also directs, does an admirable job of bouncing the dialogue between characters without swaying too heavily in one direction. There isn't a clear star in this grand ensemble piece although that success leads to a new issue in that none are able to engage us with a fully fleshed-out story of their own. It doesn't matter with the likes of Robert Downey Jnr's Iron Man, who has had two hugely successful outings, but is frustrating in the case of Scarlet Johansson's Black Widow.
There's no need to go into detail on the plot; it's a superhero flick so naturally something or someone (Loki, Thor's adopted brother in this instance), threatens the existence of mankind and the superheroes fly into action to save the day. It's formulaic but a lot of fun, if not particularly original or inspiring. It's difficult to surprise cinema-goers nowadays and plots are recycled, embellished and reimagined more often than conceived, but that needn't be a major issue in a genre film on this scale when the viewer isn't demanding any more than to be entertained.
The cast is superb and, in the case of the principals, either recognizable as stars in their own right or courtesy of the roles they are reprising here. Mostly they do as you'd expect and deserve neither great plaudits nor condemnation; it's not that kind of film. However, beyond the obvious star-billed cast, there are some who delight absolutely. Tom Hiddleston (Wallander, The Deep Blue Sea), as Loki, is effortlessly compelling and avoids melodrama in his wickedness that so many villains lean towards, while Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Town) is an actor who's been around for a few years and co-starred in a number of excellent, if not huge, films. As Clint Barton he again lends solid support and proves to be a most watchable and compelling actor. It's just a pity that he's given little opportunity to develop his alter ego, Hawkeye, and one can only hope the inevitable sequel will rectify that.
The unexpected quality comes in the form of the Hulk. With two major Hollywood adaptations to date, the kindest comment one can make is that their stars, Eric Bana and Edward Norton, were both put to shame by the dated Bill Bixby performance. In Avengers Assemble, though, Mark Ruffalo truly shines as the tortured, reluctant recruit, Bruce Banner. The CG big green lump is created more convincingly, though still not flawlessly, here than in previous attempts but it's as Banner that Ruffalo proves himself. For once we have a portrayal of Banner that lays his soul bare for us all to see the demons running around inside it. And, at last, I'm actually looking forward to the solo outing they must surely give Ruffalo's Hulk. Let's just hope it's third time lucky.
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