THE AVENGERS (M)
Where: General release
When: Now showing
AFTER several years of teasing at the end of every Marvel movie, comic book fans have been frothing at the mouth for the long-awaited The Avengers.
The House of Ideas team brings out the big guns, including Robert Downey Jr’s loveable rogue (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America) and our very own hunky Aussie god of thunder, Chris Hemsworth, as Thor.
Buffy scribe Joss Whedon is on board for writing and directing duties, and his trademark rapid-fire wit abounds. When Cap’s having a tiff with Tony Stark aka Iron Man, he challenges: “What are you without that suit?” With impeccable comic timing, Downey Jr spits back: “Billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist.”
The are plenty of fan in-jokes and visual gags, with Stark Tower – the unofficial home of the Avengers in the comics – losing all of its letters except for its A in the final showdown.
Where The Avengers excels is its breathtaking action sequences and stunning special effects. Big and bold all the way, the fight scenes are thrilling, especially when the Avengers are scrapping among themselves – the Hulk versus Thor smackdown and its comedy reprise is a stroke of genius.
Downey Jr’s bravado is always a pleasure, and Mark Ruffalo does a good job as the third actor in as many years to play Dr Banner/Hulk. Scarlett Johansson has great fun as Black Widow minus the Russian accent, while Hemsworth’s Thor is a deftly judged balance of gravitas and humour. And Samuel L Jackson is effortlessly cool as Nick Fury.
Where Whedon lets himself down is the plot, which makes little or no sense for the most part. The motives and machinations of main villain Loki, played with creepy superciliousness by Brit Tom Hiddleston, are wobbly at best and the plot holes are as big as the Hulk. Pretty boy Evans is a damp squib as Cap and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye is a non-event.
The Avengers is a young gun full of fun, but it’s lacking Buffy’s emotional depth and strong plots. It’s no Dark Knight, but comic fans will love it all the same.
The Avengers will certainly assemble again, with the obligatory post-credit fan gasp setting up the sequel.
