Favorite #1: Joss Whedon Made It Work
Joss Whedon really is the man who pulled this thing
together. And I’m not just saying that
because I am a fan. I’m saying that
because it’s the truth. When Marvel Films
announced their plan of making a series of movies centered on different
characters from The Avengers lexicon; and then to bring those individually
established characters together for an Avengers movie I thought it was a brilliant
business and marketing endeavor. However,
I never thought The Avengers would work as a movie. And when I heard Joss had signed on to write
and direct I had to say a little prayer and muster up a little faith.
Joss is an incredible talent. I am a huge fan of all of his televisions series:
Buffy,
Firefly,
Angel,
and even Dollhouse, which I think is one of the most underrated shows of
the last decade. He has this incredible
gift of always knowing what the audience wants… and he delivers, while also
challenging and surprising his audience as well. At the same time, Joss has been plagued with
producers and networks who think they know better, when they really don’t. Ever since his first feature film, Serenity,
failed to strike a chord with audiences I’ve been concerned. And as the hype surrounding The Avengers
grew and grew exponentially… so did my concern.
If the film did not meet expectations… Joss’ film career would be over...
and he’d be back to fighting for respect from the networks.
All I can say is this.
Joss threw down the gauntlets and gave Hollywood the “what’s up”. Not only did The Avengers live up to
the hype. It exceeded the hype. It exceeded the hype in a world so cynical
that the very notion of exceeding hype seems impossible… magical. It
happened. The movie works. It’s fun.
It’s dramatic. It is action
packed. It’s funny. It’s Joss Whedon. His writing and directing style is all over
this movie.
Now, I can’t give Joss credit for reinventing the superhero
movie. Christopher Nolan did what with Batman
Begins, however I do believe Joss Whedon has reinvented the summer
blockbuster. He has made the ultimate
popcorn action flick. And if Marvel Films
is smart, they would hire Joss as their Chief Creative Officer.
Favorite #2: Clark Gregg
Shines as Phil Coulson
This was Clark Gregg’s fourth appearance in The
Avengers franchise; previously appearing in both Iron Man’s and Thor. In each of the previous installments, SHIELD
Agent Phil Coulson wasn’t exactly a likeable guy. Sure, he always on the side of right… but he’s
always been sort of a di… jerk. But now,
in The
Avengers we get to see a completely different side to Agent
Coulson. His softer side. His human side. And as a viewer, I couldn’t help loving
him! It was pretty masterful writing by
the way. Gwyneth Paltrow’s lovely Pepper
Pots set the stage for a loveable Coulson… and his fan-boy obsession with Captain
American made him accessible and endearing.
Rumor has it that he’ll be back for Iron Man 3... I can’t wait!
Favorite #3: Scarlett Johansson Best Performance… Ever
Okay, I am not a huge Scarlett Johansson fan… but she was
fantastic in this movie. I would even
describe her Black Widow as a scene stealer.
She was fantastic. Joss is known
for writing strong female characters and it was obvious here. I found Black Widow somewhat forgettable in Iron
Man 2… but there is no forgetting her this time!
Favorite #4: The
Handling of The Hulk
Mark Ruffalo is getting tons of great press for his portrayal
of Bruce Banner/The Hulk and he deserves every bit of it. The Hulk, in movies, has always been a point
of contention for me. I didn’t like the
version Eric Banna made with Ang Lee… and I thought Edward Norton’s was only
slightly better. And I think it is
because both movies tried to follow The Hulk’s creation myth. However, that isn’t The Hulk’s legacy. The REAL story of The Hulk isn’t about The Hulk
at all… it’s about Bruce Banner and him trying to keep his sh—together… the
internal struggle of man over monster.
This is why I think the television series was so successful. The Hulk told in the style of The Fugitive
(the television series, not the movie). And
before now, I had developed the opinion that television is where The Hulk
belonged… but I’m not so sure any more. Ruffalo
now has a six picture deal with Marvel… so I am sure we’ll be seeing a lot more
of him. Thank goodness.
Favorite #5: The On-Screen Chemistry of Robert Downey, Jr.
and Mark Ruffalo
There isn’t much more I can say about this one. The two make it look so dang easy and they
are a joy to watch.
Issue #1: Poor Use of Jeremy Renner… AGAIN!
You know? I just don’t
get it. I don’t get it at all. Jeremy is a fantastic actor. He’s been nominated for the Academy Award twice!
This is his second film in The
Avengers franchise as Hawkeye and I feel like they have barely used
him. When he popped up in Thor
I was like, “awesome!” And then after
about five minutes of screen time he was gone.
I was confused… but I knew The Avengers was coming so I figured
they had something big in store for him… but they didn’t.
Now, that said… they definitely laid the ground work the Hawkeye/Black
Widow relationship. These two have a
very long and sorted history together in the annals of Marvel Comics. I think it would be interesting to see a
movie centering about the two of them.
Issue #2: Cobie
Smulders
If you don’t watch How I Met Your Mother you probably
don’t know who Cobie Smulder is. I was
very interested in seeing Cobie as Maria Hill.
However, I don’t feel like they did a whole lot with her. It was just kind of a ho-hum performance if
you ask me. BUT! Maria Hill has a very interesting Marvel Legacy
as well. One that is very intertwined
with all of The Avengers, especially Nick Fury, Tony Stark, and Captain
America. So… although she isn’t
currently attached to any of the forthcoming Avengers flicks… she could pop-up
in any number of them. And I think that
is the kind of movie universe Marvel Films wants to create. A movie universe that mirror their comic book
universe. Now that the characters are
established and interconnected… anything can happen.
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