MOVIE REVIEW ... THE AVENGERS

 

For nearly 50 years ‘The Avengers’ has been a mainstay for Marvel Comics.  Home of heroes such as Spider-Man and The Hulk the self-proclaimed ‘House of Ideas’ has effectively used this flag-ship title to promote its roster of white knights.  With some finding cinematic success, it was a given they’d be grouped together for a heroic mash-up.  That it succeeds is a testament to the longevity of their creator Stan Lee’s vision as their original comic strip panels spectacularly come to life.

Wanting a band of super-heroes to protect earth, SHIELD agent Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) creates a lethal team. Consisting of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and others, their abilities are soon needed.  When evil God Loki (Tom Hiddleston) reveals a plot to destroy the world, earth’s mightiest heroes assemble to defeat any potential threats to a world they’ve sworn to protect.

Whoever had the good sense of hiring Joss Whedon to direct ‘The Avengers’ deserves praise.  Knowing how to create good fantasy as his various productions such as ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ shows, his imaginative abilities are well utilised.  It’s not his handling of the action which impresses – although it’s suitably amazing – it’s his good story sense.  How he manages to bring together such iconic characters and allow each to have their own ‘moment’ is ‘The Avengers’ main asset.

In some ways the characters of Thor, Captain American and The Hulk are much better defined in a group setting than their solo outings.  Much of this is due to an excellent script but also the performers who seem more confident in knowing how to play their roles.  They are ably assisted by some stunning CGI although Whedon is careful to balance the necessary character development with the awesome effects.  It’s a fun ride which doesn’t waste a second delivering an eyeful of astounding delights.

‘The Avengers’ is a highly entertaining superhero movie showing how good the genre can be.  Stan Lee should feel proud his creations have been well realised and happy knowing they will endure like many of his other virtuous hand-drawn champions.

Movie Review Rating  8 / 10

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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