Initially I was skeptical that The Avengers could be awesome. I saw Iron Man 2 as being decent, the Captain America film didn’t really wow me as much as I wanted, and The Hulk movies had received so many bad reviews that I never bothered seeing them. Loki seemed too wiry and mustache-twirly to be an interesting threat for an entire movie. And to top it off, a handful of man-divas all in one movie felt like a disaster of epic proportions waiting to happen… then entered Joss Whedon (Buffy, Firefly, Cabin in the Woods)… then came the first trailer. It was nothing but a love fest after that.

There are spoilers here so if you haven’t seen the movie, bugger off.

The movie was a thrill ride from the beginning to end. The heroes were believable. I was extremely on the fence about some characters like Captain America, The Hulk, & Hawkeye but by the end I was a giddy as Agent Coulson meeting Captain America for the first time. Since then, I have seen the movie twice, reviewed it twice on the Sci-Fi Party Line Podcast, put Avengers wallpapers on everything from my computer, to my Facebook cover photo and all my iDevices. I’m in full Avengers fever mode! I’m so pumped up that I want to take this character by character! I’ll try to go in the order in which the characters appear in the movie as per my memory (which can be sketchy so I may get a few wrong).

Nick Fury

Prior to the movie I didn’t realize that he was supposed to be a leader but a leader known for not telling his crew the whole truth. I just pegged him for the guy that is always doing the right thing. I still feel that way because his subterfuge doesn’t seem to be for the harm for the team but to motivate them. Did he make an arrangement with Agent Coulson to boost the team’s morale? Did he stage the whole fight just to show the world that Earth has some bad muthaf____s? Does he even need the friggin’ eye patch? I don’t know but Samuel L. Jackson did a great job. I believed him, his fight scenes look real, and any one that can jump out of a flaming helicopter, land with a tuck and roll and can pull himself together enough to start shooting gets my respect.

Hawkeye (Clint Barton)

So Katniss and the Hunger Games have worn out my childlike fascination with archery. Yes, it’s still cool but now there are 3 movies and a TV show with heroes who are badass archers; Hunger Games, The Avengers, Brave, and Arrow. Not only that, it sucks because Hawkeye doesn’t really get to shine until later in the movie because he was possessed by Loki’s “tip” early on. I will admit that I love seeing how he tracks a target with his eyes. He looks without looking which is pretty awesome. He’s good, he can hold his own in a fight, he’s arguable better than Katniss but who is he really? I’m not really sure if I care enough about his character to see a movie based on him. I am however ready to see Jeremy Renner as the new Bourne!

Maria Hill

Meh. She feels drowned out by all of the other awesome that is surrounding her. She’s a good soldier. She looks good in her uniform. I do like how she isn’t afraid to question Nick Fury. She backs down but he knows that she knows he has his secrets.

Agent Phil Coulson

I love this guy! I am a fan of dry humor and even-tempered people. I love how he’s at the heart of all of the previous films with Avengers in them. I love how dedicated he is and how persistent he is. I’ve moaned on Twitter on several occasions that I wanted a movie focused on just him. I know it won’t happen but a girl can wish. In this recent film, I love his interaction with Tony Starks and Pepper Potts. It’s ridiculous for Stark to be jealous of this guy but when he says “Phil? I thought his first name was Agent” it gives Coulson some humanity and really takes him from being the faceless suit to one of the team. Agent Coulson’s man-crush on Steve Rogers is also a great scene. Coulson isn’t much too look at. He has no bulging muscles, he’s not jumping out of helicopters, and his suit doesn’t do anything special. He is armed with loyalty, a gun with an unknown function, and a heart of vibranium. And what does Joss Whedon do? He treats him like Wash and KILLS HIM! Prior to the movie I knew nothing about Life Model Decoys so I was extremely pissed about his death. The only reason I stayed after the credits is because I’d hoped we’d see Agent Coulson on an operating table in some secret lab being fitted with bionic parts or something. I really hope this isn’t the end for Agent Coulson.

Loki

I have to give it to Tom Hiddleson. He really knows how to play an irritating jerk with delusions of grandeur. I had problems with him being the main baddie of The Avengers movie because he didn’t seem like a strong or interesting enough character in Thor. He seemed like an evil Pee-Wee Herman with soccer mom flip curls and an ego as big and ridiculous as his helmet. I didn’t think he could be scary enough. In all fairness, he wasn’t scary but he did release the crazy. Opening a portal for super soldiers on hover crafts and as Carl called them, floating hell whales is pretty intense. I will admit that Loki’s entrance was pretty rock star. I don’t think the film was on for five minutes before he started shooting and exploding things that resulted in leveling military facility. It is impressive but why must he go through all of this just to outdo Thor? I guess Loki can’t help but feel inadequate to the shining ray of handsomeness that is Thor. Thor’s massive pythons should piss off any man. It is still no excuse for killing Agent Coulson. I do wonder how he could completely turn his back on the people who raised him. Sure Loki doesn’t have the best origin story but having some family should be worth something to him. Finally, I couldn’t figure out why he had the muzzle on at the end of the movie. I guess no one wanted to hear another one his diatribes.

Captain America (Steve Rogers)

So… I wasn’t the biggest fan of Captain America: The First Avenger. I thought it was a solid film. It was entertaining. I was gorgeous to look at but it wasn’t as cool as Iron Man’s first movie. To make matters worse, we are introduced to him punching a punching bag which was a glorious sight to behold let me tell ya BUT instead of seeing some of the badass things that he’s done, we get a sob story and flashbacks to the movie that I thought was just ok. It was a boring start for him but Steve slowly built his momentum. By the end of the film he was a tough leader not afraid to challenge people, kicking ass, cracking jokes, honorable, a true team player, and an all-around great character. Sure it took a second viewing of the film for me to see all of this but it’s there and worth it to see his character growth. I think a second Captain America film might be better than the first if the stick with him as he is now. The Captain was in some of my favorite scenes. Who knew a vibranium shield mixed with the slam of Thor’s hammer could level a forest? When he tried to order the NYPD around, they was not receptive to a man in tights but they saw him slam around some aliens like rag dolls and they had no problem listening to him. He was willing to sacrifice himself for those people in the bank. I didn’t notice it the first time I saw it but it looks like Steve wasn’t sure he was going to make it out of that alive. He looked visibly shaken yet heroic in the scene afterwards. I think that was when I understood his character more. Yes, he built like Hercules but his wholesome spirit and good heart is really his super power. That was the point of his first movie but it was done better in The Avengers.

Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff)

GIRL CRUSH! I love her! All she has is a leather cat suit, two guns, and a whole lot of viciousness! I love her reverse interrogation technique. Villains are such idiots. They see a pretty girl and think they have things under control; think again! I think Johansson’s escape-from-the-chair scene may be better than Statham’s escape-from-the-chair scene and that’s saying a lot. I love the way she uses her whole body as a weapon and literally throws her weight around to her advantage. She’s not a weepy character but she isn’t an ice queen either. She gets scared, she feels, she gets shit done, and I like that. Something else I like about Black Widow is something that was pointed out by Hawkeye. She’s only a spy, not a soldier. To see her matching blow for blow with a guy with enhanced muscles, a green beast, a man in a metal suit, AND a GOD is beyond impressive. To be fair to the guys, she is Russian so that gives her an unfair advantage.

Iron Man (Tony Stark)

This is my first Avengers love. I love a snarky smart ass. I love a man who loves gadgets. I love a man that can put his hands on something and create something out of nothing. Going in to the Avengers, I was a little afraid that because of the success of the Iron Man movies that Tony Stark would overshadow all of the other characters. Not so. He was tempered by Captain America and even humbled a bit. His new fly-in walkway that removes his suit as he is walking into his building is amazing. The bracelets that automatically suits him up, even in mid-air, is beyond awesome. I love how Tony’s mention of shawarma is boosting shawarma sales.

The Hulk (Bruce Banner)

I think Hulk had the best showing of all. After two mediocre Hulk movies, I did not want to see the Hulk. I thought the Hulk would be the weakest, most annoying character of all. Boy was I wrong. I was concerned about Mark Ruffalo being the Hulk. I didn’t see it at first but he took the character and made him vulnerable and easy to relate to; heck, he was even lovable. I would love to see a feature Hulk film now with Mark Ruffalo as the big guy. The audience loved all of his best scenes. Him punching Thor, him knocking Loki around, and his grin at the command to SMASH.

The Mighty Thor

I love this god! If Iron Man is my first love, Thor is my true love. I really miss the big, huge blonde beef cake action hero. I love his face. I love his voice. I love his shirtless, glistening chest and those extra-large “guns”. His entrance was as action packed as Loki. He rode in on lightning, entered a flying helicopter, smacked Iron Man, and took off with Loki. His fight with Iron Man and Captain America was epic. I never thought about putting him up against the Hulk but it worked because, next to Iron Man, I think Thor is the only other person that can go round for round with Hulk. I hope there is another Thor movie.

This movie was an excellent thrill ride from beginning to end. I’m finding it hard to find fault or nitpicks other than Agent Coulson dying. I hope there is another film. Until then, I’m considering buying my third ticket.

 

Marvel’s The Avengers was released by Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures May 4, 2012.