Considering The Avengers

I don’t actually go to the movies very often. Way too expensive to happen as often as when I was younger. So, I wait for the movies that beg for the big screen: action. The Avengers is one of those movies whose siren call I could not resist. And I was not disappointed.

I really wasn’t into comic books as a kid. Some of my friends were. The medium was just lost on me. Seemed too much like the children’s books. I don’t know. But I’ve always enjoyed the movies starting with the Superman series when I was a teenager. Okay, just the first two. Did they make any others?

This year will be comic book hero heaven as they wrap up the Batman series, re-boot the Spider-Man series with a darker take (why did they do this again?) and introduce The Avengers series. They have been building toward this with the 2 Iron Man movies and then both Thor and Captain America last year. Those two movies introduce some key elements to the plot of The Avengers. I only saw Captain America, but I was fully able to follow along with what was happening in The Avengers. Some of the other characters appeared in some of the Iron Man movies.

Mark Ruffalo is in there, somewhere

So, you walk into the movie having back stories on some of the Avengers. This is the third movie for Hulk, and the third actor playing him. The second was essentially a reboot of the first (and much better). Edward Norton did a great job as Hulk, but apparently fans just miss Bill and Lou because Hulk, despite his incredible strength and jumping ability can’t get off the ground as a series of movies. Enter Mark Ruffalo with his take on Hulk (this is turning into the first Batman movie series: both Kilmer and Keaton were very good, and Clooney utterly horrendous). It is almost like the other two movies didn’t exist. Mark is sort of the hippie Hulk. The laid-back genius who is supposedly angry all the time. He was better than Eric Bana, but … Apparently I am in the minority because Ruffalo has been signed to additional movies. Sadly, Edward Norton has gone the way of Val Kilmer: a great actor with a bad reputation for working well with others (rumor has it, that in Val’s case the directors probably should have listened to him more often but you know how that goes).

Hawkeye and Black Widow share a moment

The two we know little to nothing about are Black Widow and Hawkeye. They share a bond that has yet to be explored. They reveal bits and pieces of their history. They are not the “stars” so it will have to do, for now. They are important, but lack the powers of Hulk or Thor.

I think by now you may be realizing there are just too many tangents to take when talking about this movie. Joss Whedon is the writer and director, so there is a cohesiveness to the vision (similar to what you find with the Nolan Batman franchise). He works with the flaws of all the characters (Stark’s narcissism and paranoia, Black Widow’s guilt, Banner’s anger etc.) to create tension between them. But there is enough humor to keep it from getting too serious. It is a fun action film that doesn’t get too campy. Some of the humor is in the dialogue. Some in the ironies. Stark wears a Black Sabbath t-shirt through much of the movie. There is one scene where Banner needs clothes after a Hulk episode.

This movie has lots of action. It starts with a bang reminiscent of The Terminator as Loki appears in a flash of energy. Some of those fights are between the Avengers which adds to the level of interest. It is part of the plot line, how will these largely independent people work together as a team. They are just not wired to work together. But they need something to draw them together and function with a common purpose as a complementary unit. The impending invasion of the earth by aliens allied with Loki is insufficient in itself.

Super Heroes need super villains. Loki is essentially Thor’s equal. The story line was not an equal number of similar villains, but this invading army from outer space. They needed Loki to come ahead and form a wormhole. This process is what takes up most of the movie. The Avengers are too caught up in their personal conflicts to actually stop Loki, so they have to face the alien army in the lengthy action scene at the end. We see a familiar pattern from history (secular and sacred) as those who should be allies are so focused on insignificant differences that they lose sight of the enemy who is able to take advantage of their folly. Whedon uses this to magnify the impending crisis. It can’t be too easy for the Avengers. They must be tested and tried to really be heroes instead of just having super powers.

The pacing is pretty good. There are slower moments where characters are developed and tension is allowed to build. You need time to breathe. But people don’t come to this movie for character development. They come to see Hulk smash, and all of that. There is plenty of action to be had here. I did watch the movie in 3-D. One early scene with Black Widow didn’t come off well. 3-D doesn’t do well in the hand-to-hand combat scenes. It does much better in the destruction of the city. My one complaint, if that, would be that we only see Hulk twice. In terms of the plot, that is one of the tension points of the film. But I wanted to see Hulk.

Unlike the other movies, Hulk speaks. And recognizes allies, sometimes. That was the one twist I struggled with at times. We do see his ability to recognize the woman he loves in the Ed Norton version. That is when his rage increases, to save the one he loves. So there is some Banner left in Hulk. It just seemed like the bond happened to easily.

The best quotes of the movie came from Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. Not funny (that would mostly be Tony Stark), but profound. There is a theme here about freedom. Loki thinks we exist to be ruled. He’s right, but not by just anyone. In many ways he is like Satan. He speaks enough truth as is necessary to sell his lie. Like Satan he is bitter and looking for revenge. He decides to take out his mis-placed hatred of his half-brother Thor on the planet (and people) Thor is sworn to defend. It is one of those moments when Loki makes a comment about being a god. Rogers’ reply is that “There is only one God, and he doesn’t dress like you two.”

Working together … tougher than you think.

Rogers and Stark have philosophical differences. Rogers sees military strength as a good thing, so you can defend yourself. Stark, in his misguided repentance, resents all attempts to build better weapons. He acts like MAD was a bad thing. The Cold War was much better than a massive land war. So he resents Nick Fury and S.H.E.I.L.D.’s attempt to make new weapons in light of the threat posed by these new forces they now have to contend with. People don’t want to be dependent upon the Avengers and at the mercy of either the Avengers or the super villains. But Rogers is no pawn of Fury’s as Stark seems to think. Though not as intelligent as Banner and Stark, he’s the one who seems to be able to keep track of the big picture. But Steve’s willingness to sacrifice for others rubs against Stark’s narcissism which often expresses itself in always looking for a way out. “Sometimes there isn’t a way out” is his reply.

So… there are some things to chew on here in addition to Black Widow’s attempts at redeeming herself. It is not mindless fun. But these very human heroes give us a window into some of our own struggles and conflicts. These disagreements can play out in our lives: work and home. They also play out on larger scales in national and international politics. For instance: how much defense is enough? Depends on the threat you face! Or the issue of energy which is through the movie. They are seeking to use the Tesseract to create unlimited energy. Stark has his own attempts to create clean energy. But energy is not always used for good purposes. As we look for new energy technologies, we have to recognize the dangers of that new technology. It is the nature of humanity to distort good things for evil purposes.

So, grab a seat and some popcorn and enjoy this larger than life adventure. It is one of the few movies that is worth the money. But tell me, is there a reason those 3-D glasses are so uncomfortable?