Marvel's Avengers Clusterspooge

Well wouldn’t you just know it. Joss Whedon, geek legend of Buffy and Firefly fame, doesn’t release a movie in seven years and then two come along in one month. Typical! But then there’s nothing typical about Marvel’s The Avengers (the UK title of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble can go fuck itself) as it’s an unprecedented attempt to merge successful superhero franchises into a cohesive summer event movie. Taking the four tonally different Marvel superheros of Thor (Shakespearean vibe), Iron Man (technology centric), Captain America (World War II retro feel) and the Hulk (brooding psychological drama) and merging them into a singular story that didn’t feel jarring or silly was a massive task which, although extremely exciting, was doomed to failure if the appropriate man wasn’t found to helm the project. Fortunately for all, Joss Whedon IS that man.

Tonal problems wasn’t the only Avengers issue Whedon had (and overcame) as he was also saddled with a multitude of different requirements in order to tell this particular story.

The biggest challenge was balancing the needs of a huge ensemble including the primary heroes of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and Hulk, the established peripheral characters like Nick Fury, Black Widow, Agent Coulson, Hawkeye and the villain Loki. Oh, and chuck in and extra SHIELD agent with Maria Hill. For every character whether they’ve appeared in a Marvel film before or not their personality, their powers, their back story, their job, how they’re connected to the global crisis and their relationships to all the other characters need to be set up during the course of two and a quarter hours. On top of that you’ve got to set up a story big enough to bring them together, which will allow all of them to have a purpose in that story and for most of them to go on some sort of emotional journey which will see them changed come the conclusion. It’s a tall order for such a large cast meaning that any given character must come into contact with most of the other characters at least once during the course of the story and each character must make an appearance regularly so that we never lose sight of their individual story arc.

Of course given his success with 2005’s Serenity this is something Whedon manages to pull off once again with wit and grace. To his credit Whedon simplifies things as much as possible so he can keep the focus on the requirements of the characters. The plot is driven by the Cosmic Cube (first seen in Captain America - The First Avenger), a McGuffin of unlimited power, which is stolen by Demigod Loki (first seen in last years Thor) in order to invade Earth with an alien army. Simples. Thematically, The Avengers is a war movie, which is not only defined by the army that awaits them but by the emotional adjustments each character needs to make in order to adapt to the unprecedented situation.

As screenwriter Whedon also keeps this down to basics. The film has a classic three act structure (along with a prologue to establish the threat right from the studio logo.) The first act introduces the Avengers themselves and rounds them up in the same location (including Loki). The second act, aboard SHIELD’s impressive Helicarrier, puts the characters into conflict with each other before spliting them up, while the third makes good on the threat and unleashes chaos allowing for the motley crew to reunite and fight together to neutralise the enemy. And each act concludes with an epic action sequence that tops the previous one.

It’s probably true that despite the epic scope, Marvel Studios had a tight reign on the budget, meaning that the contained structure would also keep costs down. Whedon also limit’s the locations down to a few key areas. So you’ve got SHIELD’s underground base of operations, the SHIELD helicarrier, Stark’s penthouse and an iconic area of New York City (just in front of the library, also seen to great effect in I Am Legend a few years back). It’s economical, it’s streamlined and it means that the movie fucks by like warp powered rocket sledge.

The cast are just as good, if not better than in their individual outings with Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Mark Ruffalo’s recast Bruce Banner being particular stand outs. The Whedon trademark witticisms are present, correct and never funnier helped by a group of actors who must eat raw, unfiltered charisma three times a day, the action sequences are exciting and brilliantly staged keeping the geography of the battles clearly communicated along with the objectives and consequences if they should lose. The production is clean cut and simple, adhering to the golden age Marvel comic designs on which the narratives are all drawn from while Alan Silvestri’s stirring, non-electronic, old fashioned, orchestral score is a great accompaniment to the action. Oh, and Marvel newbie Cobie Smulders is cuter than a cute thing on a very cute day.

If I have a quibble it’s that Whedon’s vision isn’t as cinematic as those that have tackled the Marvel movie universe so far, being even less visually inventive than Iron Man’s Jon Favreau or even Whedon’s own debut Serenity. Perhaps it’s the 1.85:1 ration compare to the 16:9 widescreen we’re used to or maybe it’s the brighter photography, more vibrant colour pallet caught in a less grainy film stock. Whichever way, on a purely technical level the film’s visual style is more basic than has been seen from Marvel Studios before. The good news is that this matters not one jot as Whedon’s mastery of the moving camera, composition, orchestrating the actors and balancing the tone far outweigh the stylistic nit picks. Besides, the bright, colourful presentation fits snugly into the comic book world of a superhero multiverse.

On top of all the brilliance on display here, The Avengers does have an ace up it’s sleeve. The Hulk, as re-envisioned by Whedon, is one of the most joyful things I’ve seen in a film for an eternity and the movie is worth the price of admission for the characters inclusion alone. No longer in the Incredible Hulk a purely raging green beast randomly creating carnage…this Hulk interacts as a character with his co-heroes and takes pleasure in being able to apply his rage to a good cause…a pleasure the audience can relate to selfishly. There are at least five or six Hulk moments which will have you cheering, two of which are fall of your seat, head exploding hilarious.

Fun is the word which best defines this film. Joyful, exhilarating, laugh out loud funny, what cinema was invented for fun. Avengers will almost certainly be one of my top films of the year, maybe even the best film of 2012. Now it may not boast the most intense drama (this is broad stuff, but always feeling real and sincere), be the scariest or disturbing experience of the next twelve months, be the most profoundly moving, or even the most intellectually stimulating…I’ll bet my bottom dollar that Marvel’s The Avengers will be the most entertaining by far. With a year that has still to deliver Prometheus, The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit I may yet experience a more richly satisfying film experience in a movie theatre…but I can’t possibly imagine having as much fun as I did with Whedon’s pop culture masterpiece.

PS, On viewing Marvels The Avengers for a second time it’s comforting to see that it is a much better photographed film than I initially gave it credit for. Yes, it’s still the least cinematic of the Marvel bunch, but the rich colours and high contrasts at least make it professional and dramatic. The 3D also works very well with Whedon using the moving, dollying camera frequently to create a strong sense of the environmental depth in which events occur. Finally, it’s worth noting that the script is such a rich and tightly structured beast that a second viewing is recommended just to absorb plot points and joke that might have been missed on first viewing (probably because you were laughing too hard).