The Avengers

The Avengers (2012)\

Directed By: Joss Whedon

Written By: Zak Penn, Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Gwyneth Paltrow, Stellan Skarsgard
Rating: PG-13
My rating: 6 out of 5 stars (Hey, it's my blog)

Hang on just a minute..

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Okay, I had to take a nap really quick because I was exhausted after typing all of those names. The Avengers is a star-studded film, and it's probably the only star-studded film to come out this year that will be any good. I reserve the right to be wrong, of course, because if there is a sequel to New Years Eve, then, well, The Avengers, better just give up their Oscar hopes then and there.

The Avengers, for those who could possibly not know, is a Marvel comics story based on the combination of several different Marvel stories. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson; Pulp Fiction) is the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., who at one time was starting an initiative (The AVENGERS initiative) to put together a team of extraordinary heroes. That has since gone down the drain, but when faced with a threat from Asgard named Loki (Tom Hiddleston; Thor), he must act. He immediately loses one of his best men Clint "Hawkeye" Barton (Jeremy Renner; The Bourne Legacy) to a spell by Loki, as well as his number one scientist when it comes to the "tesseract" (which I grew up knowing to be defined as a wrinkle in time, but in this case apparently is a powerful little space box), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard; Pirates of the Carribbean: Dead Man's Chest). Down those two, and with a S.H.I.E.L.D. base destroyed, Fury, with the help of Agents Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders; TV's How I Met Your Mother), and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg; Iron Man 2). They call in Natasha "The Black Widow" Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson; He's Just Not That Into You), and she immediately heads off to Calcutta to recruit the leading scientist in his field, and occasional green rage monster, Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo; Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Meanwhile, Agent Coulson visits Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.; Iron Man) while he's with his assistant-turned-girlfriend Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow; Shallow Hal). Tony is reluctant but eventually "comes in" to "assist Dr. Banner". Nick Fury visits longtime frozen super soldier, Capt. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans; Captain America: The First Avenger) and asks him to lead this team of (some say misfits, I say) superheroes, against Loki. After Loki is apprehended is when Thor (Chris Hemsworth; Snow White and the Huntsman) arrives, and that's when the real adventures/battles/avenging can begin.

*WHEW*

That was a long one. I thought my last one had a confusing synopsis paragraph. Geez Louise.

Now for the review....

In all seriousness, I do not know where to start. 

Okay. Number 1, the first time I had seen this movie (at midnight in 3D in theatres with my beautiful now-fiancee and homely looking brothers), I had not yet seen Thor...or at least all of it. Now that I have seen it, the whole plot-line of The Avengers makes a lot more sense!

Number 2: This time I watched it with my buddy Graeme, who wants to make movies some day, so that was definitely an enlightening experience

Number 3: It's really fun to watch Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, especially while hurling Pulp Fiction quotes at the television while watching....not that I would know.

Now for the real stuff:

This movie is brilliant. The writing is fantastic. Nothing was over-the-top about it. The acting was all great, especially for playing such far-fetched characters. The bright spots for me were definitely Downey Jr. and Ruffalo. Ruffalo had not yet been in a Marvel film, and handled it brilliantly. Downey Jr. is ALWAYS brilliant, and he didn't disappoint. There were some funny moments, some moving moments, and some down right sad moments, but all of it fell together brilliantly. There was an always funny Stan Lee cameo, as there are with most of the Marvel adaptations, and it was just all around enjoyable. If you love superhero movies, Marvel comic books, or just plain entertaining action films...Go see it. I'd recommend seeing Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk first, but even if you don't, you will still be entertained.

I think that The Avengers should receive an official Oscar nomination for best picture. I'm not saying it will actually win, but it's behind only Titanic and Avatar ranking as the 3rd highest grossing film of all time. Titanic WON Best Picture, and Avatar was nominated, so I think The Avengers still deserves a fighting chance, don't you?

Anyway, thanks for reading. I know it had been about a month since I wrote last, but I'm actually like 3 movies behind, so expect some more this week sometime :)

Please comment somewhere/somehow (at least click the little clicky boxes down at the bottom and I'll be eternally grateful :)

Thanks for reading. God Bless!

NAH