Review of The Avengers (2012) by Josh2Blonde — 04 May 2012

Please don't listen to the snobby anti-genre movie reviews. As a guy who enjoys a good introspective, quiet indie full of symbolism and heavy thought... this was a GOOD movie. No, a GREAT movie. I laughed, I clapped, I felt for the characters on screen. Joss Whedon remains a figure of cult hysteria because his scripts tap into the minds of a generation, and rightly so. He does nothing less in this film, and every single actor is up to the challenge. Of particular note here are Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk - and the best version so far. It's hard to tell how much of this is creditable to Ruffalo's display as Banner and how much credit goes to the writing and CG wizards behind this version of the not-so-jolly green giant. But I will say that this movie finally shed the idea that a proper exploration of the Hulk has to be cerebral, introspective, and outright depressing. This Hulk manages to be both affecting AND fun, and Ruffalo's Banner is just as interesting as the "other guy.".

RDJ as Tony Stark continues to impress. Honestly, there's no real weak link in the cast. I was a little worried about Sam Jackson's ability to wrap his mouth around Whedon's poppy dialogue, but his Nick Fury carried a fantastic amount of gravitas and screen presence, and really added dramatic weight I was surprised to see from an actor who has become (sadly) better known for his culty larger-than-life persona than his acting.

All in all, this is just a fantastic film, and one I plan to see in the theater again before it leaves - an activity I rarely do in the time of high-priced entertainment. Kudos Whedon, kudos Marvel. I am in awe.