Movie Review: The Avengers

So, I was not entirely sure whether I should take my son to see the hottest new movie out right now, The Avengers. Perhaps it would be too violent, or too....well, not appropriate, in any case, for a six year old little boy, right?

But I weighed these potential disadvantages with what I had heard about the movie thus far. It grossed over two hundred million dollars on the first weekend of it's release alone. I had heard positive reviews, and even that some people were suggesting that this was the best superhero movie of all time. Also, I personally know some people that and seen it, and were gushing over it. Almost everyone seemed to love the movie. Even a stranger who had overheard me talking to Sebastien about it stopped and started talking to me about it, saying that it was such an awesome movie, and that the end was even truly inspiring!

Obviously, the expectations were high, then. Which is why it was a bit disappointing that the movie was not nearly as phenomenal as the billing.

Not that it was a bad movie, or anything. Not by a long shot. But the greatest super hero movie ever made? No, it was not (to me, anyway). When was the last time that a movie, any movie, was given such high praise, and actually lived up to that kind of billing, anyway? It's been a while.

The thing with Avengers is that it is quite a bit over the top. It carries the theme from last year's Thor movie, by introducing other worldly bad guys intent on Earth's subjugation, under the direction of that movie's villain, Loki. In the old Marvel comics, Thor's arch nemesis is, of course, Loki. That much they got right. But this Loki just seems a little too cliche at times, being hell bent on forcing people to be submissive, on being slaves and not free, outright. It harkens back to the days of the old Marvel comic books, perhaps. e wants to be king of the world, and opens up a can of worms that even he cannot control, seemingly. by the time he understands this, of course, it is too late, of course. Perhaps one thing that can be said for the movie is that is maintains a theme that remains true to the old comic books, which I personally remember from my own childhood.

Don't get me wrong: the movie is not bad. Just a bit over the top. A bit too much action-oriented, and perhaps so much so that it comes at the expense of a storyline, at times.

That said, there are some very positive things to be said. The humor is strong through much of the movie, and mostly carried by obert Downey Jr.'s Tony Starks/Iron Man character. He, perhaps predictably, gets the most laughs throughout, although the Hulk also gets some funny scenes towards the end of the movie, as well.

Also, I must say, although saddened initially to hear that Edward Norton was not going to be playing Dr. Bruce Banner, Mark Ruffalo actually did a terrific job in the role. He seems almost vaguely familiar in the role, and this might be because he is reminscent of the late Bill Bixby, who of course played the role in the television series of the late 70's/early 80's. Ruffalo was understated as Bruce Banner, and in a movie that tended to gravitate towards being over the top, this was a refreshing change.

Captain America and Thor were more or less true to the old Marvel comics interpretation of the characters, and Nick Fury, played by Samuel Jackson, was good in the role, drecting the action behind the scenes, like it was his personal chess match.

All in all, a good movie, and it was enjoyable. That said, don't expect it to blow your world away, or to be the best movie, or even super hero movie, that you have ever seen. Again, few movies that are so highly billed quite live up to the hype, and this one, though good, is no exception to that rule.