The Avengers

Was going to do this last nite/ this morning, but decided to wait until I had a bit of sleep and then bacon.

I have a benchmark for comic book movies, it is the Dark Knight. This is what I think comic book films should achieve to be or be better than. I am let down on many occasions. Now that isn't to say there aren't descent comic films, however to be truly worthy of praise, the Dark Knight is what I expect. After last nite, I have an addendum. If you can't be Dark Knight, then be The Avengers.

This film was a comic book come to life, more so than any of the predecessors. "But, Ian all comic movie are like that." Well they really aren't. This one really is!

I won't spoil anything and just hit my thoughts. No plot summaries or anything below, just my brain workings about the film.


The Avengers has an episodic type pacing. It felt like several books broken up on film. There is a ground work or issue #1 if you prefer. The idea is laid out and everyone ball gets rolling. There are the next couple issues where the team is introduced, there is some action and the bad guys get going. There is the bridge issue where the major plot points are revealed and bit of horrible happens. Then finally we get a couple issues of splash page nerd-gasm action that ends with the conflict resolution and everything but an official volume #2 advertisement.

If you can't be the Dark Knight, be The Avengers. The characters all played well off and with each other. That was something I was hoping for. This being written by Joss Whedon only helped. He does ensemble cast stories really well. Every character had something going and some thing to do. The only real non-issue was Robert Downey's Tony Stark kind of stole the scenes he was in, but that is something I expected. Sure Captain America is the team leader, but Iron Man is a bit larger than life on screen and people now expect him to be the big mouth in the room. However, when Steve Rogers needs to be Cap, the film makes sure he is.

The story is descent and very Marvel super team. There is a big ole' problem and Earth's Mightiest are on to solve it. This pulls the last few Marvel (non-Xmen) movies together well. There are appropriate nods from Iron Man 2 through Captain America. I am glad they did this and was pretty sure they would., but I have had disappointments in the past.

The action is pretty top notch! There is just some great fight sequences here. Everything from the standard hero vs. hero to the gigantic end confronting is done well. There are also a ton of shots and sequences that look so much like the Ultimates comic (go read the trade paperback Ultimates volume 1 it is worth it). If you don't know, that is what this movie and "universe" is loosely based upon. Several shots were comic page made life and that made this nerd ecstatic.

Is there a down-side. Well some may say it drags a bit in the middle. For me it didn't, but I was super-psyked! Black Widow and Hawkeye's roles were bigger than they should, well maybe. They are sort of the "every men" on the team so it was almost expected. The one thing I was truly awaiting didn't happen. Not a spoiler, but for me it was a bit of a loss. There wasn't the "HULK SMASH!" moment. You know when Hulk just crushes the shit out of something and hollers that phrase just seconds prior. That is more for me than for everyone. It might be cliche, but I frakin love it! That might be my only non-gripe. No wait they dust off Stan Lee and throw him in the film. We all know it is going to happen, I am just wishing it didn't. WE GET IT! YOU CREATED THIS STUFF! NOW GET ON WITH IT STAN! DAMN! Well there that is out of the way. Other ethan that this had pretty much everything I would want from a giant comic book team-up; action, comedy, giant threat to planet, a descent villian, more than a 100 minute run time and a ton of comic nerd squeeeeee! moments.
If you can't be The Dark Knight, Be The Avengers.
This is my new comic book movie mantra. Where Batman mad comic book movies good, Avengers made comic book movies come to life. A feast for the comic nerd, and a good time for any of the normies, in this film. A great time and something I look forward to seeing again and probably soon. You do miss a bit at a midnite showing, with  the mass (and I mean a lot of it too) of humanity there.