By Dave Montalbano
www.AdventuresofCinemaDave.com
The hype for Marvel’s The Avengers began quietly four years ago after the credits in an empty theater when the crowd departed “Iron Man.”
Sgt. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) surprised Tony Stark, alias Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and asked him to join “the Avenger’s Initiative.”
When The Hulk, Thor and Captain America were introduced, the “Avenger’s Initiative” began to take form, a plan to unite the afore-mentioned superheroes and their sidekicks in defense of planet earth.
Sgt.Fury’s precaution proved to be justified, as Thor’s brother and demi god, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), plots to enslave planet Earth. For the first time in four movies, Sgt. Fury appears worried. Picking up where the previous movies left off, Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Dr. Bruce Banner, alias Hulk, (Mark Ruffalo) are assembled.
With great superpowers, come great egos.
Upon their first meeting, Thor and Iron Man get into a fistfight. Captain America can’t understand his teammate’s narcissistic tendencies, while Dr. Bruce Banner tries to keep his temper in check. Until the Avengers learn how to play well with each other, Loki’s road to world domination seems assured.
From this point, Marvel’s The Avengers crosses the wall from fantasy to reality, especially given the high expectations of this superhero team up and box office potential. The astronomical box office records for a non-holiday weekend are now a given, but the plot, characters and spectacle remain variables. Until you see the movie…
Director and co-writer Joss Whedon managed to give every Avenger and their sidekicks a moment to shine with great visuals and brilliant dialogue about teamwork, sacrifice and individual heroism. This film is so insightful and relevant, Coach Erik Spoelstra should take the Miami Heat to go see this movie to motivate them to sweep the NBA crown.
Beyond the clarity of vision, Marvel’s The Avengers presents simple moments of subtle depth. When Loki makes his first cruel appearance in Germany and demands that people kneel before him, it is the courage of one elderly individual who refuses, based on memory of the Nazi tactics. This little moment teaches a major history lesson about living a life in freedom.
Are heroes an old fashioned notion? Marvel’s The Avengers debates this question with good old-fashion popcorn eating fun. Yep, this film will be on my Top 10 list for 2012.
