A day before the domestic nationwide release of "The Avengers," Jason Stewart of The Jim Rome Show asked his Twitter followers why he, a 39-year-old guy, should go see it. The answer for me, a nearly 38-year-old, is simple. A good few non-geeks out there stereotype nerds as socially-inept, virgin, mouth-breathing, supposed geniuses who dwell in their parents' basements.
Fantasy and science fiction is just that -- escapism. A chance to dream of the incredible, to imagine the possibilities. It's fun. It's entertaining. Do I obsess over "Star Wars" or "A Game of Thrones" or whether DC or Marvel is the stronger of the comic book manufacturer, around the clock? Not at all. But what a joy it is to escape my daily concerns -- a new house purchase in the works, family health matters, bills, job, cats' plans for world conquest -- by indulging in amazing tales of adventure, villainy and heroism.
This past weekend paid tribute to such an optimistic, fun-loving spirit that keeps alive the kid in each of us. This was the weekend, in early May, 35 years ago when the original "Star Wars" debuted. It was a game-changer in not only cinema but in popular culture. And it has been the weekend of Free Comic Book Day, a day for veteran comic book fans to celebrate this type of storytelling. It's a way to introduce the next generation to what we've enjoyed for years and decades.
Nothing wrong with staying young at heart. "The Avengers" shook my inner nerd/geek/child to the core. The entire experience of seeing the movie with my wife and friends at an advance midnight screening was the most fun I've had in a movie theater in quite awhile. It was cathartic. Dozens of fellow fans and I squealed, yelled, cheered, cringed, suffered and laughed together. There was good reason for this kind of sustained reaction. "The Avengers" is that awesome. It doesn't matter that most of the people going to see "The Avengers," like my wife, have had until this point no real idea of the character backstories. Some of these moviegoers have never read a comic book, much less The Avengers or any of the individual members. Moviegoers realize something special has come before us.
It's amazing to see on screen what director/writer Joss Whedon has accomplished. It's astonishing to see what Marvel Comics and Paramount have pulled off in building up fans' hopes and dreams with the "Iron Man," "Captain America" and "Thor" movies, leading up to this moment. One silently screams in awe, "Oh my God, there's an 'Avengers' movie on the big screen. It's big budget, larger than life and it exists in my lifetime." Whedon did well to exploit the flaws of each character early on in the "assembly" phase of things. The ego-driven bickering and arguments among Banner, Stark, Fury, Thor, Rogers and Romanova aboard the hellicarrier (which I want for Christmas, by the way) was a slow slimmer, a terrific build-up to Hawkeye's attack on the ship, which unleashes all sorts of beautiful mayhem.
We fans could nitpick all we want in story development and casting, but I found it pitch perfect. At this point in time, I can't imagine anyone else but Robert Downey Jr. bringing Tony Stark to life with such a devil-may-care attitude and scientific brilliance, where lines flow out of his mouth effortlessly. Chris Evans puts his firm mark as Steve Rogers. When Iron Man defers to Captain America in the insane final battle, you'd feel warm and fuzzy, too. Rogers was destined to be a leader on the battlefield: Brave, loyal, sturdy, straightforward. Chris Hemsworth may have come from out of nowhere these last few years in American cinema, but HE IS Thor through and through. And Tom Hiddleston perhaps has the most fun of anyone as Thor's mischief-making brother, Loki. He hams it up with a devious smile and a gleam in his eye.
When Thor and Loki argue about the latter's desire to rule a race of people, Whedon deftly applies a human and philosophical touch to the proceedings. Since the comic Thor and Loki are based on mythical figures in our "real" ancient history, it's fitting these two demigods would argue in an forest at night, about their troubled kinship on Asgard and mankind's apparent hidden need to be subjugated.
It's a shame the previous two standalone Hulk movies have not lived up to the hype. I can't explain exactly why. We all have our theories. But I know this much: Mark Ruffalo dominates as Banner this time around. He channels Bill Bixby's tormented, fidgety Banner from the TV show better than Eric Bana or Edward Norton could ever hope to do. Even the CGI'd Hulk, this time around, is the best adaptation yet. Banner and Hulk are slowly, surely, learning to co-exist. When Banner quips toward the end, "I'm always angry," you can't help but smile and Hulk/Banner's universe makes more sense. And when Hulk beats the tarnation out of Loki, you can't help but cheer and laugh. Everybody in the theater did.
Whedon is known for highlighting kick-ass heroines. He did Scarlett Johansson and her Black Widow justice compared with her bit role in "Iron Man 2." She has her moments of glory in battle, to be sure, but her psychological battles are more impressive. Romanova sharing the pain of her bloody past with Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton/Hawkeye, also, was key. It balanced the otherwise sheer fun, colorful excitement. Whedon was great in how much attention he paid to each hero, but it wasn't at the expense of the total package.
Alas, this was a true Avengers movie, not a SHIELD flick. Samuel L. Jackson is his usual self as Nick Fury, but maybe played down a tad from the previous lead-in movies. Clark Gregg had his moment to shine as Agent Phil Coulson as did Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill. (OK, she got the short end of the stick here, but methinks she'll be higher profile in the sequel.) Even Stellan Skarsgard had nifty moments as Dr. Selvig.
If there's any real letdown, for lack of a better term, it's Loki's rented alien army, the Chitari (which to some extent, are Skrulls). Sure, they're a plot device. When it's time for them to attack Earth via New York, the battle could've been more epicer. Epicier? The army seems overwhelming, but nothing Earth's mightiest heroes - after they've finally put aside their differences - couldn't handle within a relatively compact piece of Manhattan real estate.
Ultimately, Whedon achieves what many thought was impossible -- assembling prime time comic book, heavyweight superheroes in a sprawling epic. But not one is larger than the moment. The heroes complement each other with help from Whedon's strong, smart script. The movie is fast-paced, humorous, adventurous, brilliant. There's technobabble, but it's so quick that the viewer isn't hit over the head and made to feel stupid. There's a hint of tragedy, but so maddeningly sad. Even the post-credit scenes...well, I won't give anything away, but one makes comic book fans sit in awe to think of the fun yet to come. The other scene, simply, is a hilarious throwaway gag, but it's worth the stay.
Another shortcoming is the music. Yes, lately theme music in most superhero movies have lacked the gravitas of the original "Superman" movies or even Tim Burton's "Batman" flicks. Nothing terribly memorable here. Not even the new song from the reformed Soundgarden. Gotta do better than that, Chris Cornell and company. All the geek exuberance contained in Whedon's past works - "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Firefly," "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," "The Cabin in the Woods" (I'll be honest: meh on "Dollhouse") - is present in "The Avengers." This is how a superhero/comic book hero movie should be done. If possible, the right characters can be brought to life in a big, splashy way, in the right hands.
Is it right to compare "The Avengers" with "The Dark Knight"? No, it's apples to oranges. Can't and mustn't be done. Christopher Nolan's vision via Frank Miller has been a perfect way to tell Bruce Wayne's Batman story. Is it right to call "The Avengers" a game-changer, perhaps "Star Wars" for our generation? Too soon to tell.
Is it greedy for me to wonder what this "Avengers" film could've been with Spider-man, Wolverine, Ant-Man and Wasp, possibly any of the Fantastic Four, dropping in to take their shots at Loki and his army? A nerd can dream. "The Avengers," big budget as it is, stands out as my top geek film of 2012, albeit with close competition from the Whedon-produced "Cabin in the Woods" and "Chronicle."
But three things are for sure: One, I don't know how DC Comics and Warner Brothers could ever hope to get their stuff straight and mount an equally triumphant Justice League of America, big-screen movie, in our lifetime. Two: "The Avengers" -- as in secret agents Emma Peel and John Steed from the lovely '60s TV series turned failed '90s movie -- could we try and do better on that? Three: I can't wait to see "The Avengers" at the theater again. Me and repeat viewings at the cinema don't happen very often except for special occasions. Thanks, Joss Whedon, this is indeed special. My inner child is smiling.
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