THE AVENGERS

Oh my god, I cant even think straight right now. If you can put adrenaline, passion, love, sex, and everything similar you can think of in a blender, puree it to hell, and down a dozen barrels of the concoction, you might just end up with a feeling similar to the one I had after watching ‘THE AVENGERS’. To say it is brilliant would be a gross understatement. It would be like saying the sun is warm or the universe is decently spacious. The movie is a miracle. Anyone who has even a slight understanding of the marvel universe, or has even seen the recent standalone pictures of Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk could fathom the insurmountableness of the task of putting them all together in one single two and a half hour movie. That’s like asking to fit the Hulk in a pepsi can. I can’t even begin imagining how one would even start with it, but if anyone can do it, it had to be Joss Whedon (Director).

I know a lot of people might be going to watch this movie just because of the lead characters, but for me the pull was knowing Mr. Whedon was at the helm. For those of you haven’t heard his name, think Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. I have loved all his previous works and expected a decent product from him. The trailers were a bit unconvincing though I must say but I was stoked enough by the time I entered the hall (I was the only guy there wearing an Avengers t-shirt).  The movie had a lot to live up for, mainly decades of comic book lore and the expectations of generations of fans, and I am glad to say that it not only meets them but surpasses them in Hulking leaps and bounds.

The movie first and foremost is about a team like none other. A team of heroes who are as likely to beat the crap out of each other as they are to pummel an enemy, and this is evident in every single frame. Captain America (Chris Evans) is your honorable, to-the-letter soldier, who has suddenly found himself displaced in time and struggling to keep up. His own stand alone movie left a lot to be desired, but in this outting I found myself cheering every time he stepped in front of the camera. His nobility has a way of reaching deep into your chest and tugging at the right strings to make you smile at his righteousness and courage. Robert Downey Jr. a.k.a. Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man is back to what he is doing best, i.e. pissing off every single person in the room. Be it taking on Thor in an all out battle (thundering), stealing secrets from under Nick Fury’s nose (cheeky), provoking Banner to turn into Hulk (comic), or taking potshots at Cap’ for his lack of modern day knowledge (witty), his blatant narcissism will win you over. And it doesn’t hurt that the Iron Man suit is more cooler than ever! (Yes Jaarvis, you too).

Thor will always be a tough character to tackle but as in his previous film, Chris Hemsworth fills the demi-god shoes perfectly. His otherworldly approach to every situation and his high-handed style of speech make him stand apart in this already heady crowd. Plus he’s got a super hammer and schoolboyish grin everytime he swings it, even at the Hulk whose praise I was leaving until the end.

First up three words – HULK! HULK! HULK! The show stealer, the show stopper, the master of ceremonies, the winner of the spotlight award -  the hulk yanks the movie all unto himself. If I loved the hulk before, I revere him now. He smashes, he busts heads, he is everything you expect from a superhero and more. You have to see it to believe it. His scenes will leave you screaming with joy and jumping from your seats whooping and dancing in the air. Hulk is the man! And Mark Ruffalo’s world weary, resigned Bruce Banner complements the severity of his alter-form completely. While the hulk is brutal, Banner finds repose in avoiding conflicts through wit. When the green rage monster will break bones at the slightest insult, Bruce will take everything thrown at him with a pinch of salt. It’s the perfect duality and my favorite character of the whole ensemble seeing that the Hulk has always been one of the most relatable superheroes of all time. The very concept of losing yourself to anger is a very humanly intrinsic characteristic, and knowing this allows you to appreciate his awesomeness even more.

And yes, yes, I have not forgotten – Scarlett Johansenn (Black Widow) is there too and she kicks ass like never before. She is stunning and beautiful and sexy and depending on your sexual preferences, the second best thing in the movie (the first still being the Hulk). Her story opens up even more and so does her relationship to Hawkeye (Brett Renner) who is also marvelous in his role too.

The most amazing thing in the movie perhaps is not the action (of which there is tones) but the amount of content that they have been able to cram into a single film. The character development is brilliant and even former fringe players like Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Agent Coulson get more etched out here than in all their other movies put together. All in all, each character is better represented here than in their own movies (Iron Man and Thor might be the only exceptions).

The story itself is a pretty simple one with Loki (Tom Hiddelston), banished from Aasgard at the end of Thor drifts off into space, returns with an alien army to take over the world, and Nick Fury assembles the avengers to defend us. But like they say, the devil is in the details, and so it is here. This movie is riddled with amazing conversations and meticulously placed jokes, most of them occurring in the midst of epic battles. Each characters relation with the other gets etched out during the course of the story and by the end what we have is a comprehensive understanding of what the Avengers are capable of – and with a major reveal at the end of the credits showing us the next villain -  you realize that this was infact just a two and half hour long prologue to what is yet to come. God bless us all.

IN SHORT: There is action, there is humor, there are heroes and there are villains. I wont spoil anything for you by describing any scene in length or short, because the whole thing is that amazing. This is a ride everyone must take for the love of their inner child. Unlike the recent dark turn comic book movies have taken since Nolan’s Batman, The Avengers embraces its roots unabashedly. Think of all the cartoons you watched, the comics you read, and the toys with which you played out fantasy fights. Whedon has captured them all. This is a movie meant for pure joy, and if you are even half as in love with any of the characters as I am, you will walk out with a major pain in your face muscles from carrying a ear to ear grin from title shot to credit roll.

VERDICT: BANG! brains blown out!