Just been to see Avengers Assemble, it was even more epic
than I was expecting, and I was expecting something huge! As expected on the
opening weekend, the cinema was packed and I was desperately grateful for the
extra space and better view granted by my VIP seat, even if the Westfield
London cinema is redonkulously expensive. I was slightly miffed that a foolish
woman came in late and then proceeded to fuss over her seat right in front of
me, blocking my view just as Loki appeared on screen for the first time; I’m a
massive Loki fangirl so I was somewhat enraged and was not silent in my
displeasure. At least the rest of the crowd were respectful of the momentous
occasion and we didn’t have to deal with people talking all through the film.
So now I’ll do my level best to explain how and why this film
is AMAZE! with a minimum of spoilers, which will be difficult because it just
so hilariously quotable, but here goes…
To everyone who has yet to see it and has been led to
believe that it is the “greatest super hero movie of all time” as per the
rumours on the grapevine, you will not be disappointed. It was excellent from
start to stinger, a fact that is due in equal measure to the excellent
characterisations and script writing. The action started up as soon as the lights
went off in the theatre and was kept pretty consistent throughout the whole
movie, a combination of poignant moments and perfectly timed humour carried the
story along even when no fists were flying, and a few sharply surprising events
kept the suspense from falling (one particular moment left me properly
stunned). The actual main plot isn’t
hugely innovative, (villain plans to take over earth, heroes attempt to stop
them but villain stays ahead of them, heroes eventually work together to defeat
villain) it’s the subplots, subtle embellishments and the wide range of different characters, as well
as the interesting ways in which the characters and their abilities work
together that make Avengers Assemble so exciting.
Characterwise, we get the same humorously cocky Tony Stark
that has developed through the Ironman films, although with a couple of
character developments influenced by his relationship with Pepper.
Natasha’s skill set
is broader than shown in her minor roles in previous films, and we actually get
a chance to see her personality, which is nice, as well as some of her history
with Clint Barton (aka: Hawkeye).
Personally I felt Clint was the weakest in terms of
characterisation, though this may be due to having significantly less of his
backstory revealed than other characters (my friend suggested that a joint
Black Widow – Hawkeye standalone film might have potential, which I agreed
could work considering how closely their stories are linked in both the film
and the comics).
Bruce Banner and The Hulk instigate a surprising amount of
comical moments which help to pull the movie out of his otherwise quite
depressing backstory. His interactions with Stark were unexpectedly amusing and
refreshing too, offering a little extra insight into both of their characters.
Steve Rogers (Captain America) is portrayed adorably in his
attempts to understand the modern world and references to pop culture, and
provides an interesting comparison to Thor, the other Avenger not entirely
familiar with modern day earth.
Thor is quite different from his characterisation in his
standalone film, slightly darker and more serious than previously, he also
offers a witty humour that was decidedly lacking from his character’s
previously more light hearted comedy. Like Natasha, we see more of Thor’s
abilities than in previous films, with much greater emphasis placed on his
ability to manipulate lightning, which I personally think was a good decision
considering that Captain America and The Hulk both represent the super strong
and resilient heroes and it could have been tedious to have Thor equipped with
the near exact same abilities. Thor’s interactions with Loki also offer an
interesting contrast to the other characters’ simple dislike of him and their
brotherly relationship is depicted perfectly even as they try to kill eachother.
Which leads me to Loki. As I mentioned earlier, I am a huge
Loki fangirl, both in regards to the Marvel character and the god from Norse
mythology, and I genuinely couldn’t have been much happier with his
representation in this film. Avengers brings much more of his persona as the
god of mischief to his character, giving him a wry sense of humour that wasn’t
found in the Thor movie which overall made his character significantly lighter
and even somewhat more likeable. We get to see more of him actually fighting,
rather than just angsting, in Avengers too which makes him appear even more
awesome than he did in Thor (which I had thought near impossible – colour me
impressed). Followers of the Norse myths will also pick up on a little nod to
myth-Loki towards the end of the film that other viewers may not notice as
significant (look up his interactions with the Dwarves in the myths if you want
to get it). Tom Hiddleston’s ability to shift emotions so quickly is what
really makes his character stand out and adds an extra dimension to his persona,
bringing in the God of Lies persona in such a way that you’re never entirely
sure of his motivations or convictions. I am exceptionally pleased to see that
IMDB already has him listed in the Thor 2 lineup, which is due to come out next
year.
And if all that hasn’t encouraged you to go see it then a
97% fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.com should do the trick, those guys are
exceptionally hard to please.
But when you do, do yourself a favour and stay after the
credits. As has become the norm in the Avengers series there is a stinger that
gives a very strong suggestion of a sequel, or at the very least provides
insight into the plot of the next film in the Avengers circle of films. The
number of people who left as soon as the credits started rolling was actually
quite surprising – have they not watched the other films? Did they not notice
the pattern? Regardless the chance of another Avengers movie had my friend and
I debating possible storylines and additions to the crew of heroes before we’d
even left the theatre, so even after the excitement of Avengers Assemble calms
down there will still be plenty to discuss and get psyched up about, though it
will be a few years yet before we see the whole gang back together again,
Ironman 3 doesn’t start filming until next month and if any new heroes are
added they will likely have their own films to bring out before they hit the
big one. Not to mention that Avengers apparently doesn’t even come out in
America until Friday (which is amazing, the UK never gets the good films first
O_O).
Aaaand I’m getting excited thinking about it again – I’ll be keeping a
very sensitive ear out for info on the upcoming films, no doubt about that!
Now go! Go see this thing of beauty and be awed by its
awesomeness – but don’t forget to stay for the stinger!
