Movie review: “The Avengers” (2012)

Oh my god, there aren’t enough adjectives to describe how awesome this movie is. I specifically scheduled my days off so that I’d be able to see it on opening day and IT WAS SO WORTH IT. (Do I thank the movie pirates for forcing Marvel to release the movie in the Philippines ahead of North America?) I also got to watch it with 30 other geeky friends so that added to the enjoyment methinks, PLUS I got to see it again last night in 3D with Aids 😀

You know Joss Whedon directed and/or wrote the script because of:

1. badass female character kicking everyone else’s ass
2. the copious use of snarky one-liners. Iron Man doesn’t have a monopoly on them anymore.

I’m all for #1 but #2 is somewhat 70/30. The one-liners are great and in-character when they’re coming from Iron Man but they were a bit off coming from someone like Thor or the Cap.

Why I love this movie:

1. JOSS WHEDON IS THE MAN.
2. It’s fast-paced and action-packed. No resting here!
3. The ensemble cast worked out brilliantly. I figured it would be okay but didn’t want to have any expectations because of all the big names (and potentially big egos) involved. So glad to be proven wrong. Btw, I found the order of names in the credits interesting. Despite being the newcomer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mark Ruffalo got higher billing than Chris Hemsworth. I guess not even Hemsworth’s rippling abs could compete with Ruffalo’s longer resume.
4. It finally comes together! Whoooo! The after-credits bits and pieces over the years and the two-hour lead-up that was Thor was totally worth it.
5. I LOVE the continuous shots during the big battle. I love it. It gives you a great sense of how the battle is going and showcases each of the characters’ individual capabilities and their greatness as a team.
6. They fleshed out the characters even more, especially the non-headlining ones who have yet to get their own movie (Hawkeye and Black Widow). The nuanced performances from the ensemble cast came at the expense of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki but I didn’t mind so much as Loki was meant to be the villain that gets beaten.
7. The Iron Man/Captain America scenes were gold. I loved seeing their oh-so-different personalities clash and also their eventual reconciliation. I liked that Iron Man eventually became humble enough to defer to the Cap for orders. Hurrah for character growth!
8. Jeremy Renner did not look short! YAAAAAYYYY.
9. I now ship Hawkeye/Black Widow. That is all 😛 Hopefully they get Jeremy Renner a decent archery coach for the next movie so that he can learn the proper form (it just kills me when movies mess up that details that are so easily fixed). Of all the movie archers I’ve seen, Orlando Bloom has the best form. The only time he looks wrong is when he holds his bow sideways, though that’s excused because that only happens during closeup shots when seeing his face is more important.

   

Nick‘s text after the movie: “I wanted to see your face whenever Jeremy Renner’s biceps were in focus!”

Overall rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Tips:

• If you’re a Whedonite, watch out for Alexis Denisof and Enver Gjokaj!
• As always, stay for the after credits. You should know the drill by now 😛