In honor of the release of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’, I decided to post a review I wrote three years ago for ‘The Avengers’ for a school blog. I only updated the review to fit my current format but I did not change any of my original views. I’m sure some of my opinions have changed from the first time I watched it but either way I want it to stay original and my ultimate feelings towards the movie haven’t changed. I might have to call this review, and any of the other reviews I write for movies that are more than a couple years old, the From Off the Shelf reviews (referring to the movies I have in my personal library). But I’m not totally sold on the title so I really might change it later.
First Words
Ever since ‘Iron Man’ was released in 2008, the anticipation for ‘The Avengers’ began to increase rapidly. FOUR YEARS LATER AND THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME! ‘The Avengers’ has finally been released for all of us to potentially enjoy. With that said, after seeing the movie once, I felt it was a must that I see it again less than 24 hours later.
Plot
After making a deal with the alien race, the Chitauri, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) attempts to go steal the Tessaract from S.H.E.I.L.D. for the Chitauri. In exchange for the Tessaract, the Chitauri agree to help Loki take over Earth. Once the stealing of the Tessaract is a success, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and the rest of S.H.E.I.L.D., is forced to gather up Earth’s greatest heroes to form the Avengers to stop Loki and the Chitauri. Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) must overcome the tension created from trying to work together to get the job done.
Yeah, I Liked That
ENTERTAINING! ENTERTAINING! ENTERTAINING! ‘The Avengers’ used the perfect amount of comedy to make its 2 hours 23 minutes running time fly by. When your favorite Marvel characters weren’t on the screen fighting their enemies, or even each other, they were taking turns trying to get some laughs out of the audience. As I expected, the action disappeared while the Avengers were assembled, but other than that, throughout the movie all the heroes were given their chance to show off their strengths. Lately, action movies like to end off with an epic battle scene that takes place in the middle of a city, destroying plenty of buildings throughout. ‘The Avengers’ isn’t any different but it’s still done well. My enjoyment for it was up there with the battle scene at the end of ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’. Viewing the movie in IMAX 3D makes the whole experience even better. The combination of IMAX screen with the 3D makes it almost feel like you’re in the movie.
A few characters stood out among the rest of the pack. Once again Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Starks brought his same personality he had in both ‘Iron Man’ films. His constancy with the character really paid off, especially when he delivered one funny line after another. When it came to the action, The Hulk was easily the most fun to watch. His
relentless, destructive style of fighting was very entertaining. Every move he did was quick but very destructive and powerful. This Hulk is easily the best portrayal so far. Lastly, Tom Hiddleston as Loki was great. Compared to his performance in ‘Thor’, Loki felt more evil and menacing. It was shown through his facial expressions and the way he delivered his lines.
Yeah, I Didn’t Like That
When you have such a great movie, you don’t want to admit where the faults occur. Although small, there are still a few there. First off, I was little bothered by how some of the dialogue used for the stories that development was hard to follow. So many, as some people would say, “Big, scientific words” were used at some points that I became a little confused at what they were talking about. I’m not saying the script should have been completely dumbed down, but I’m sure there are easier ways to say the same thing they wanted to say so that it’s understandable to more people.
Although all the Avengers were given their time to shine, it almost seemed like Thor was the hero that was forgotten at some points. He had his moments but when he was fighting with the rest of the Avengers, I almost forgot he was there. It even seemed like Joss Whedon and the team of writers didn’t work on focusing on his character as much as
they did with the others. They quickly skimmed over how Thor returned to Earth when in ‘Thor’, it was made out to seem like it would be much harder for him to return to Earth in the future.
Last Words
I could ramble on and on about how I enjoyed ‘The Avengers’. I could ramble on and on about how good their $200 million opening weekend is but I’m not even going to start on that. It’s hard to say if it lived up to the hype because I personally set the bar pretty high, but I don’t care because it’s still really enjoyable. What a great way to start off the summer blockbusters. And we still have ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ to look forward to in 2 months.
RATING: Must Own
P.S. Once again here is my rating scale. There are four different levels. Below is each level in order from best to worse and what each one means.
Must Own = A movie that is so good that I must add it to my Blu-ray collection when it comes out.
Would Accept as a Gift = I enjoyed the movie but don’t necessarily have to buy it (especially if I don’t have the funds to) myself but I would take it if someone bought it for me.
Might Rent = A movie that if I have the urge to watch again then I’ll just rent it from somewhere or Netflix it.
Never See Again = Very simple. I don’t want to ever see this movie again.
(Photo Credit: Russ Burlingame – http://comicbook.com/blog/2013/06/22/the-avengers-now-streaming-on-netflix/; http://hdwallpapersdesktops.com/wallpapers/2012/04/25/the-avengers-wallpapers-movie/the-avengers-2012-wallpaper-full-hd-1080p-25/; http://artwallpapers.biz/wallpaper/archives/4006/the-avengers-2012-hd-wallpapers-1920×1080-7)
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