“Avengers,
assemble!”
It is my
personal belief that for a film to be good, it must be first and foremost entertaining. But unlike the mindless, sense-destroying
spectacle that often masquerades in its place, true entertainment on the big screen is that which genuinely engages
me as an audience member—and perhaps more importantly, as a human being. There
are a lot of ways to connect on this level, and humor is definitely one of them.
The Avengers has managed to bring
something entirely new to the table of superhero movies—the fact that it was actually
funny. And we’re not just talking here
or there, but throughout most of the film. This is a rare achievement for an
action flick, but as the box office can testify, one not to be underestimated. (Also,
it’s a fairly safe bet to say that laughter will always be welcome in a movie over two hours long.)
While I
believe this to be one of the greatest attributes of The Avengers, it is by no means the only one. The film works on an
astonishing number of levels, the most impressive of which includes balancing six
protagonists, giving the better portion of them character arcs, and then presenting
an antagonist that is actually able to threaten a world that has six active superheroes
in it. This is not an easy formula.
In fact, as far as screenwriting is concerned, Avengers must have been nothing short of a nightmare!
There is one issue
I have with this film. Despite its many accomplishments, I found myself thinking
as I left the theater, “That was cool. It was smart, it was fun, it was
witty... but ultimately, what am I taking away from it?” The story seems to be
lacking the kind of message that can be truly thought-provoking. While the heroes
did find deeper meaning for themselves, there was nothing deeper for the
audience.
But here’s
the thing: would there be any way to implement this kind of message without changing
the basic nature of the film? I’m not entirely sure there is. Had they tried, it
might have resulted in a story much too convoluted to fit neatly into one film—and
not to mention possibly destroying its entire tone. Avengers has so many good things going for it that perhaps, in this
case, it was better they left it alone. Still, as it is something I have seen successfully
done in this genre before, it was something I missed.
Overall,
this was a wonderfully smart and entertaining film, full of surprisingly good structure
and wit.
Yes, the film was packed with star power in front and behind the camera. And surprisingly funny, especially for an action film. From a screenplay standpoint, they allotted a fair amount of dialog to each protagonist, I was surprised with that. It didn't feel lopsided or under served the characters. Granted they'll have to make a sequel to explore other characters and tie up loose ends. They did operate on a simple level, too: group must learn how to work as a team. And once they learn simple quality they fight the bad guy. Their individual stories are not very deep or emotionally probing, I would have liked to see more of that. But, its marketed as an action flick and it capitalizes on explosions and special effects. And in that regard the film hit its mark. I think.
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