I should begin my review by admitting some concerns. While I love the graphic novel fan community that I am a part of, it is admittedly very black and white in terms critical discussion. There is absolutely no middle ground between the best and worst film ever. So when reviewing Josh Whedon’s The Avengers, I am going to make my point as clear as possible. While it is an entertaining film with some great dialogue and action, the sheer structure of the narrative’s progression rushes the smaller details to make a truly great movie.
After four years and five movies to establish the mythology, The Avengers brings together the iconic Marvel heroes for one film. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles a team that includes Tony “Iron Man” Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Steve “Captain America” Rodgers (Chris Evans) and Bruce “Hulk” Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to protect the planet from forces that mere mortals cannot fight. Specifically to stop an alliance between The Other and Asgardian God Loki (Tom Hiddleson) from opening a portal to bring an intergalactic army to earth. With the assistance of secret agents the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), this team of superheroes must learn to overcome their differences to save the world from destruction.
The first thing I have to do is give credit to writer and director Whedon for what he has attempted with The Avengers, there are a lot of very distinctive characters to try and juggle within the screenplay and for the most part he succeeds. Whedon is a very intelligent writer and challenges the conventions of the superhero genre through his dialogue while each character really gets their opportunity to shine. Downey Jr., Evans and Hemsworth are at this point very comfortable with their roles and it is well demonstrated in their ability to share the screen together, giving performances that are naturalistic for a movie that consists of men in capes and aliens. Even Johansson, Renner and Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson are given the space to properly develop their characters despite their limited screen time in the previous films. However, Ruffalo and Hiddleson give the best performances in the film. Ruffalo deserves special credit for not only having the time to develop the character of the Hulk after replacing Edward Norton, but for finding a balance between the emotional complexity and the anarchic joy of turning into a green giant that the previous incarnations failed to do. Hiddleson in comparison has a less complex villain role but is just so great at being sinister that you cannot help but embrace him. His performance really sums up the appeal of the film. The Avengers reminded me of being a six year old playing with my action figures and going wild with my imagination in the best way possible. There is such a relentless joy to everything on the screen that it is very easy to forgive the problematic aspects of the film.
That being said, the mentality that makes The Avengers a very fun movie is also what stops it from being a great movie. I know this is a strange complaint to make and I don’t want people to make the assumption that I am anti-fun, but for a Hollywood narrative to be captivating, the audience must feel like something is at stake. There should be a certain sense of unpredictability and danger that heightens our investment in the characters and their struggles. Why The Avengers lacks these stakes from my perspective is a combination of the nature of the film’s ambitions and its self-awareness. It is simply too smart for its own good. While Whedon distributes the screen time equally between the characters, there has to be some overall general threat to bring the heroes together, otherwise it would make Ben-Hur look like a three-minute short film. While the action scenes are well-shot and briskly paced, the general “saving the human race” goal does not leave room for character development or wonder that a film focused on a single character would have the ability to achieve. Instead the action becomes more about the set pieces, explosions and special effects with some humor sprinkled on top. I was never exactly bored, but I was never on the edge of my seat either.
It is not entirely fair to critique the film on this regard because once again, the appeal of the film is this group dynamic that is rather excellent. What I have a harder time forgiving is the excessive winks to the camera. A sense of humor is important to have and while The Avengers is a funny movie, Whedon robs himself of the gravitas that certain scenes could have by making a joke out of it. There is a difference between clichés and a logical character transition, you can poke fun at clichés, what you should not do is belittle the film’s intensity by having the characters make a quip while risking their lives for the greater good. It is especially disappointing, considering that Whedon has done an excellent job with both his previous television (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) and film (Cabin in the Woods, Serenity) experiences at maintaining this balance that I expected better judgment in this regard. However, it is a testament to how entertaining The Avengers actually is that my main critiques are not based on what is wrong, but what could have been better.
Sometimes both journalists and readers forget that criticism is not just about negativity. I like to believe that a good critic acknowledges what a film’s strengths and weaknesses are. Not only to inspire thoughtful discussion but to help future directors approach filmmaking in an intelligent manner. A film like Josh Whedon’s The Avengers is an interesting example because there are so many great elements to it. Yet it is because of the small details in the narrative, the overall product is just very good. Though in the grand scheme of things, I must settle for very good, this writer has very little to be upset about.
Author Biography
John Debono’s status as a cinephile began through the combination of Batman and Star Wars movies and Gene Kelly musicals that his Nanna pushed on him at a young age. He is currently a 3rd year Cinema Studies and Political Studies student at the University of Toronto.
