#6: The Avengers

I love how “The Avengers” blatantly rips off Power Rangers. Every hero has a set of casual clothes which is somehow colour co-ordinated with his costume. Bruce Banner (Hulk) has a purple shirt. Steve Rogers (Cap) wears a blue hoodie. Tony Stark (Iron Man) has a Black Sabbath T-shirt, the aul rebel. And Scarlett Johansson sports a low-cut skin-tight, black leather jumpsuit… wait, what? Who in God’s name would wear that in their spare time!? 

“By definition, a hero is a man who battles against overwhelming odds for a cause, an ideal, or for the lives of innocents. The cause and ideal may vary with the morning headlines – while the innocents in today’s world of muddy morality, may ultimately prove to be guilty.

Which leaves but one constant in the definition: that a hero is, above all, a man…

…A man subject to pressures and responsibilities far beyond those of his peers. Such is a burden that must take its toll, eventually, from even the most valiant warrior.

And it is then that the test of a true hero begins.”

That’s from Iron Man: Demon In A Bottle, widely regarded as the comic series greatest story arc. But it’s an apt quote for each the Avengers. Each hero faces his own unique challenge: The assassin must redeem herself. The scientist must learn self-acceptance. The soldier needs to adapt to the modern world. The prince must learn to accept the help of others. And the billionaire must learn selflessness.

I had my reservations about “The Avengers”. I was skeptical about how they could reconcile the Marvel film’s worlds of science and magic. The tones is each film veer from realism to sheer fantasy. How would one single film that ticks all the boxes? How would it live up to five films’ worth of hype? How would they give all six disparate heroes adequate characterization and screen time? How would they ever work as a team?

Fortunately for us, screenwriter and director Joss Whedon asked himself these same questions. In fact, he made that last one the dramatic question. Whedon was a brave choice by Disney – and a wise one. The creator of the cult classic TV series “Firefly”, he’s a master at balancing ensemble casts. And it doesn’t hurt that his writing is terrifically sharp and witty. Whedon did the impossible: “The Avengers” is not only consistently entertaining, it’s meaningful. Each character has his own interlinking arc. Each grows throughout the film. And each has a memorable moment in the epic (if overlong) finale.

Whedon also made a great choice in Loki, the film’s antagonist. Marvel’s villains mostly have weak characterization: contrast the Red Skull to the Joker. One’s a caricature, the other’s iconic. The Hulk’s enemies are uninspired and Iron Man’s have all the nuance of a Call of Duty baddie. As Thor’s overlooked half-brother, Loki has a Shakespearean quality to him. He vainly tries to obtain justice, to gain his “birthright” by hook or by crook. He is a sympathetic character is many ways. But his charisma, self-promotion and resentment of others make him a great screen villain. And The Avengers – the greatest blockbuster of the year.

Come back tomorrow when I’ll (fingers crossed!) reveal #5: winner of the “Movie Which I Put a Huge Bet on for the Oscars – But Now It’s Got No Chance of Winning because No-One Bloody went to See It!” award.