I may or may not be
SLIGHTLY OBSESSED WITH THE AVENGERS.
There! It's out. I AM A NERD AND I DON'T CARE WHO KNOWS IT. No seriously. I've seen it in theaters 3 times in the last 2 weeks, and I'm already starting to go through withdrawals. I can feel my eye twitching as I type.
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A SEVERELY AND UNAPOLOGETICALLY BIASED FILM REVIEW. JUST SO YOU KNOW.
Now, this...enthusiasm (we'll call it that, for now) may not be new to a number of you. If you've seen or had any sort of contact with me at any point in the last 2 weeks, chances are you've seen me A) find a way to bring The Avengers into the conversation, B) find a way to bring some sort of spiritual parallel from the movie into our conversation C) gush about the epicness of the manliness overdose that is The Avengers or D) talk for 20 minutes straight about how deliriously attractive I find Tom Hiddleston to be. (I'll go into detail about that later...)
So, maybe you haven't seen Avengers yet. If you haven't, please, I beg you, get off your laptop, desktop, smartphone, etc., go to the nearest theater to you, buy a ticket, sit yourself down, and watch it. You will thank me. If you have seen it, then you'll know what I'm talking about.
First of all, on the most basic level, this is a great movie. I seriously don't think there is anything more the makers could have done to make it any better. The graphics, the scriptwriting, the musical score, the phenomenal casting, the perfect balance of drama and humor--freaking Ironman, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, and my namesake Natasha the Black Widow duking it out and saving the world from the throes of evil --does it really get much better than that in Hollywood?!? Maybe it does get better. But I haven't seen it done yet--and I watch a lot of movies. :D Plus, there's a great balance of fair screen time for each of the main characters--each one gets moments to shine, but without eclipsing the others.
Let's take it one character at a time, shall we? I'll start with Loki, who is basically the most likable villain I've ever seen in my life.
I mean come on, how can you hate a face like that? Ok, yes, he's most definitely crazy--his head is more or less "a bag full of cats" as Bruce Banner so aptly put it. His villainous rhinoceros hat is also pretty hilarious, too. But you've got to hand it to him--he is elegant, unnervingly charming, and even laughs along with the jokes the characters make about him. He's the perfect concoction of a guy who takes himself far too seriously, yet has an ironic sense of humor. Granted--I am probably projecting a lot of my favorable views of Tom Hiddleston onto Loki's character. Oh well. Anyone who announces his presence by saying "I am Loki of Asgard, and I am burdened with glorious purpose" deserves a round of applause in my book.
Insert gratuitous picture of the actual Tom Hiddleston, whose voice and beautiful accent alone reduce me to a puddle:
Keeping it in the family, let's talk about Thor:
I know. He's a beautiful work of art. He's corny as all get-out, but when it's time to put the literal and proverbial hammer down, Thor/ Chris Hemsworth is your man. He's quite the paradox--he brings a lot of gravity and epic quality to the film, but contrasted against the likes of Iron Man, he ends up becoming a source of comic relief, too. Best lines ever?
Thor: Don't speak of Loki that way--he's my brother.
Black Widow: He killed 80 people in 2 days.
Thor: He's adopted.
Now, was it me, or did Hulk almost steal the show? :D Who would have guessed that this:
could have thrown down like this:
One minute he's a mild-mannered, quiet scientist who just wants to get his stuff done undisturbed, the next he's smashing the living snot out of New York, aliens--and of course, Loki. Um, can we say BEST SCENE EVER? I'll bet Loki will think twice before he dares to call himself a god in front of anyone, ever again. Winning points for the Smash Machine.
Three words: Iron stinkin' Man. What happens when you take a millionaire playboy philanthropist and throw him into the arms of destiny? You get this right here:
You can count on him being his usual cocky, suave, sophisticated, hilarious self--except this time, he's learning to be a team player, too. And what a team player he is--beat-up Iron Man suit and all.
Then there's Captain America--the one who dares to stand for God, home, and country--even in a spangled supersuit.
He's a man's man--he defends the weak; he's serious-minded (he has an ever-so-slight tendency to get high strung, but whatever); he has awesome fighting skills, has ridiculous biceps, and can blast punching bags straight across a room. And he actually makes spandex work.
Best lines ever?
Black Widow: Don't mess with these guys--they're basically gods.
Captain America: There's only one God, ma'am, and He sure doesn't dress like that.
And it would be a cruel injustice to separate Hawkeye and the Black Widow--a dynamic duo if there ever was one:
Sure, it takes them a while (and a few blows to the head with blunt objects) to get them back on the same page, but once they do--LOOK OUT Jatari! It's about to go down.
Epic moments? 1) Natasha taking out 3 men--hands tied behind her back--with nothing but a chair. 2) Hawkeye shooting aliens behind him without even looking. Certified bosshood.
What I loved most about The Avengers, though, is that it's about more than just a whole bunch of heroes being epic. It unabashedly hearkens back to older days of classic heroes who stand up for good and defend the weak. There's something nostalgic about the way it pulls at the heartstrings of the audience--something captivating about the way it praises honor, compassion, courage, and above all, sacrifice. What's beautiful about the film is not just what it teaches, but the way it teaches--by inspiring its audience to live life "burdened with glorious purpose," knowing that whether you have superpowers or not, you're someone's hero. An "old fashioned notion?" Maybe. But I think our day could use some old-fashioned inspiration.
So, basically, this is an awesome film, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And when it comes out on DVD, I'm getting two copies, so that when I play the first one to death, I'll have a backup.
