Big, Noisy, Heartless

Rating: 4/10 (8 May 2012)

Great anticipation. Great cast, terrific writer/director. What could go wrong? Plenty.
I suppose the challenge of presenting the The Avenger's assembly was a thankless chore. So much needed exposition, the Marketing Department's requirement to wow audiences, the pressure in creating a summer blockbuster. And that's the issue; a blockbuster was concocted rather than a film with heart in the tradition of the Marvel-Film. (Or any film with damaged characters.) The first 30 minutes are a slog. The last headache-inducing in much the same way the noisy Transformers films were (Transformer's action being the template for the coda of "Avengers").
Mr. Whedon forgot to truly assemble these divergent superheroes. Tossed off one-liners do not replace or exemplify heart and truth. Instead, we lurch, uncaring, between sequences: this one belonging to Iron Man and Captain America, the next Hulk and Thor. Ms. Paltrow must have enjoyed a (multi) million dollar pay day for a few minutes of screen time. Mr. Hiddleston becomes tiresome in a one-note part. In a lapse, Ms. Johansson bears no trace of Russian accent. (Guess Rosetta Stone should be congratulated.) The amazing Mr. Renner (with two pages of dialogue, tops) is simply a placeholder, as is Thor, whose continuing grudge with brother Loki is toothless. Missed opportunities all.
There are a few bright spots. Mr. Ruffalo as both the troubled Banner and Hulk, and the unforgettable Mr. Downey whose attitude is enough as he delivers the best lines. Forget the rest. They're interchangeable and disposable.
Yes, it is fun and top notch in FX. So what? Any big budget, FX driven film lays claim to those same superlatives. The result here is a disappointment. Maybe Whedon should resurrect Buffy.
Maddeningly, way too much but not enough, much like the coterie of villains in "Spiderman 3" where Peter Parker's struggle to own his responsibility is lost in the noise. Mr. Whedon is not the first director to lose sight of story in whiz-bam-boom, and here he's not sure-footed in the execution. Maybe Avengers II (pre-sold with the Skrulls) will be better now that we (kinda) know more about these assembled superheroes.
Technically, the 3D showed a few seams: grainy and indistinct. This seems part and parcel of conversion in Post rather than in capturing in the format.
There's no sense asking you to pass. You've probably already seen it. Dissenting voices are few, but please carefully consider before reflexively braying, "IT'S GREAT!!!"