THE
AVENGERS
Nothing like The Avengers has ever been attempted before. I don’t know how
history will regard it, but even as far back as Iron Man, only the most feverish of comic book geeks would have
dared to dream that The Avengers was
on the horizon. No movie studio had every tried something this audacious
before, so leave it to the ‘House of Ideas’ to usher in a whole new era of
franchising. The best experiments are always the ones that are totally insane
at the time but seem like a lay-down misere in retrospect.
It could have all been a total failure, of
course, had Marvel/Disney not made the spectacularly good decision to choose
Joss Whedon as the man to usher in this behemoth of a movie. Despite the physiques
of Chrisses Hemsworth & Evans, the charisma of Robert Downey Jnr., and the
quality support of Johannson, Renner, Hiddleston and (especially) Ruffalo, this
is unquestionably a Whedon film. Faced with the prospect of giving a team-up
film a new twist, he elects instead to simply give a really great sheen.
Everyone gets an awesome action beat, emotional moment and killer one-liner,
and while it isn’t perfect, it’s so much fun. It’s possibly the most fun you’ll
have at the movies (or on DVD) this year.
If you need any more convincing, this film
features the phrase ‘mewling quim’. What more could you possibly want?
Honourable
Mention: At the end of Skyfall, there’s a sense that the dark, brooding James Bond that
Daniel Craig has portrayed so far in his run as the superspy is going to return
to a few traditions. I love Casino Royale
and Skyfall and regard them as
among the best of the genre, but I wouldn’t be averse to seeing James Bond
return to one particular tradition: having a bit more fun. That’s not to say I
care about his awkward flirtation or cheesy kiss-off lines, but I think we can
allow for more of the wry comedy of circumstance Daniel Craig has shown himself
to be more than proficient at. Having said that, Skyfall is a treat, especially for James Bond fans.
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