The summer movie season is finally here! A new Batman, Spider-Man, and G.I. Joe are on tap and ready to got for summer 2012. The Avengers is the first and there is a lot of hype around Marvel's big blockbuster team up. The movie is breaking records over seas and I won't go into how disappointed that an American Comic Book movie opens across the pond first. The question everyone wants to know is, does it work?
YES!! It has everything comic book fan boys will want to see and it is entertaining enough for the average movie goer. Action is there, comedy is there, and more importantly so is the story. There are moments where you may have to suspend belief, but that's what comic book movies are about. The film does a great job of picking up where the characters left off from their previous solo outings. They tell you how Thor comes back to earth, you are informed as to what Captain America has been doing, and Tony Stark is still, Tony Stark.
The movie works for two reasons. The first is the cast. Hemsworth and Evans are Thor and Captain America. The cast works brilliantly together. They are great alone, but in ensemble they come alive. Robert Downey Jr. was born to be Iron Man. He embodies that character. He steals the show, but it isn't all about him. The great thing about the film is the fact that everyone gets their share of time. Tom Hiddelston as Loki is a perfect villain for the teams first outing. I was a big fan of Edward Norton's Hulk. I thought he did a great job of nailing Banner, but Mark Ruffalo is certainly not a bad choice at all. The Hulk definitely works well in all aspects of The Avengers. It would've been to see how Norton would've played it here.
The other thing that works is Joss Whedon. He is a comic book guy and he gets it. Hollywood is notorious for trashing source material. I think they forget where the core audiences for these films come from. Whedon gives you everything. Larger than life characters, hints at other Marvel villains, and a good story that doesn't get lost in the hype a la Green Lantern.
Marvel hits another home run with this one. They brought your child hood superheroes alive in epic fashion. I was left wanting more and excited for the teams next outing. The Avengers is the perfect summer blockbuster. Be sure you stay for the scenes after the credits and don't be shocked when you see grown men and women in costumes. Is it the greatest comic book movie ever, no. It is , however, pretty damn good!