REVIEW: MARVEL’S AVENGERS ASSEMBLE
It was in a short post-credits sequence in 2008’s comic adaptation Iron Man that Marvel first laid the groundwork for an Avengers movie: a superfilm of sorts that promised to one day unite the leads of Marvel’s film canon in a veritable orgy of punches, explosions and spandex/leather combos. Four years later, with the release of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, that promise has been realised, and against all odds the finished product delivers – and then some.
Avengers Assemble sees shadowy government agency S.H.I.E.L.D enlist Earth’s mightiest heroes in an attempt to prevent an alien invasion led by Norse god Loki. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth reprise their title roles of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor respectively, while Mark Ruffalo becomes the latest actor to take up the mantle of The Incredible Hulk. Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner round up the team as mercenaries Black Widow and Hawkeye, and it is up to Samuel L. Jackson’s enigmatic Nick Fury to handle the individual egos of the supersquad and get them in shape to save the Earth.
Let us just review: Norse gods, space aliens, cryogenically frozen super-soldiers from WWII, flying robo-suits, people named Hawkeye – looked at objectively, Avengers Assemble is insane. In comic books this is all well and good, but cinema has never really seen anything like this, and as such it is entirely possible to envision an alternate reality wherein Avengers Assemble is a camp, tonally uneven toy advert. Fortunately, Marvel wisely enlisted Joss Whedon to re-write and direct the film, and it is a testament to his ability that Avengers Assemble is actually a stellar action movie – funny, entertaining and emotionally satisfying – and apt to be enjoyed by comic book fans and regular moviegoers alike. That Whedon can pull in so many disparate elements and make it work is no mean feat, but he does so with a flair and style that makes Avengers Assemble one of the most outrightly enjoyable action films of recent memory.
An already proven master of the ensemble, Whedon gives each larger-than-life main character time to shine, both through dialogue and within the film’s many action sequences, and his focus on the interpersonal relationships of the characters provides an emotional core that rings true throughout all the superpowered fist-fights – and let there be no mistake, there are plenty. As you would expect, the action is lavish, exhilarating and near-constant, but most importantly works to advance the plot rather than detract from it. It is telling that the film’s 142 minute running time feels like no time at all: the film is lean, economically told and never dull, with Whedon’s sense of humour providing much-needed levity in a film to which dead seriousness would mean certain death.
It is certain (and fitting) that Avengers Assemble is by far the best of all Marvel’s movie output. Leaner and funnier than Iron Man, more fantastic than Thor and more satisfying and self-contained than all of them put together, Avengers Assemble is a superpowered, technicolour joyride that moves beyond sheer spectacle into something more substantial. What is perhaps most remarkable of all, however, is that we now live in a world where a film such as this – one in which the Hulk and Thor punch space aliens in the face together – can not only exist but can flourish. It’s a good time to be a comic book fan, and an even better one at the movies.
Words: Josh Hicks
