Pauls Valley, Oklahoma —
Experience has taught me well in my mastery of Geek-Fu that while there is no limit to how much you can indulge into one’s dork obsessions, there comes a point where your brain rebels and kicks you into drooling mush mode. This summer’s box office assault on the collective fan boy world seems to suggest a potential record time spent in cerebral disconnect and it seems almost cruel when this particular entry is only the start of the blissful agony.
Though an idea of this magnitude was almost guaranteed to at least dominate in it’s opening weekend, the one thing puzzling moviegoers was if the minds behind it could bring all these separate personalities together into a tolerable story. The result, those pondering this quandary can not only breath easy, but expect an impressive ride that leaves little which could be improved. Prepare yourself to be thoroughly entertained by “The Avengers” and a high bar for the rest of the heroes yet to save the day in 2012.
While it is not a requirement to have fun watching this, those new to the storyline would best serve themselves as well as know a little bit more for this adventure if they watch both Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) flicks, the Thor movie (Chris Hemsworth) and the Captain America film (Chris Evans) before assembling at a theater nearby. The story pretty much picks up after Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) gets banished from Asgard and begins his plans for revenge using the earth as the focus of his vengeance.
Of course Mr. Lunatic Conqueror doesn’t quite have what it takes to do this on his own and thus enters a mysterious ally with his own intergalactic (Chitauri) army standing by known as The Other (Alexis Denisof). It’s up to SHIELD Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to find a way to stop this from happening as well as pull what starts out as a bunch of selfish supers together in order to win a war. Despite how much that could make one’s brain hurt, Joss Whedon and his minions actually find a way to do this and guarantee fans keep following this for sequels to come.
This may be an echo of other reviews out there, but each of the actors are the reason why this works so well from Downey Jr. winning with his arrogant comedy to even not so established characters like Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) or Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) each being given just enough for us to want to follow along. Heck, it’s not quite a man crush, but I too felt won over by Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal as Hulk host Bruce Banner, placing it well above the last two movies and hopes that he will fill the role in many more opportunities.
The only character who wasn’t quite as good as in the previous chapter was the awesome Captain, who came across a little less mature, though by no means near an insult. Otherwise without these guys delivering, the story would be barely standard fare and quick to sink out of memory. In the end, I highly recommend taking the whole family for what without a doubt deserves all the hype it receives, earning “The Avengers” four and half out of five earth’s mightiest heroes.
Movie viewing experience courtesy of the Royal Twin Theater of Pauls Valley.
Arts
Related Photos
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Movie poster for "The Avengers," showing this week at the Royal Twin Theater of Pauls Valley. Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures.
Discussion
‘The Avengers’ is the balance fans could wish for
Movie Review
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