The Avengers Assemble – Does it Live Up to the Hype?

The Avengers Assemble is the biggest blockbuster of all time. Countless people have told me how good it is and that I need to see it. So, you can imagine I was sceptical about whether it would live up to all the hype.

The week before my visit to the cinema I watched Iron Man, The Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America, so when the preview trailers started rolling so did my excitement.

I like a film that throws you right in from the beginning and that’s what The Avengers Assemble does. We immediately witness the return of Thor’s snivelling brother, Loki, and we soon realise that he has plans to take over the world, and recruits a bewildered Hawkeye in the process. Not bad after less than two minutes on earth. Tom Hiddleston performance is even more evil and vermin-like than in Thor, and it is a tribute to the actor and the writing that he really got to the core of the character.

We are then introduced gradually to all the Avenger members. The fantastic thing about this film is that each character gets their moment in the spotlight – even if Iron Man does steal the show in every scene he is in, but that’s just the type of guy he is.

However, I could have seen a bit more of Thor. Each character had a big, defining moment. Black Widow helped turn off the portal and kicked so much ass I’m surprised there are any donkeys left. Captain America helped get all of the citizens out of danger. The Hulk saved Iron Man, kicked Loki’s puny little ass and beat off all the Chitauri. Iron Man restarts the damaged engine on the Helicarrier, gets rid of a nuclear bomb and flies it into the portal. Thor just does a little bit of lightning and fights his brother a bit – nothing too heroic. Yeah, he returns Loki to Asgard, but if you ask me they should have killed him there and then. I wish there was more of him, not just because he is super good looking (and even you men can agree on that) but because he is an interesting character.

There was also the pointless Gwyneth Paltrow. Seriously, why was she in this film? Was it part of her contract to appear in the movie, because I can’t see any other reason? Yeah, it might have been to show she was still with Iron Man, but they could have just shown him looking at a picture of her like they did with Captain America and Iron Man. Then you might argue that it would add to emotional drama when Iron Man enters the portal – but again, a picture would still do the job. In fact, if she actually answered her phone then she might have served more of a purpose.

The movie has a good blend of comedy and action, and the films success is due to the production company, the phenomenal acting and, of course, Joss Whedon. You can imagine that the writer and director went through millions of drafts before he got the script right, because it is perfect. He utilises everything that makes these characters so entertaining, such as Iron Man and his humour, Thor and that crazy voice and Captain America and his old fashioned behaviour.

I’ll admit that I was dubious about Mark Ruffalo taking over Ed Norton as The Hulk/Bruce Banner, but I honestly don’t know why I was worried. Not only does he seem intelligent and gentle enough to play Banner, but he looks exactly how you would expect The Hulk to look. I always thought that Ed Norton seemed a little bit too weak to be Bruce, too, but Ruffalo has the right build to sell it.

Black Widow was one of the biggest highlights for me. I’ve never been much of a Scarlet Johansson fan but I’ve done a  total 360 now. The past twelve months have brought female characters to the forefront of film, and both Johansson and Black Widow proved how strong female performances can be and she thoroughly deserves to be one of the biggest stars of the movie.

I know I said that I thought The Hunger Games was the film of the year on a previous blog, but I was mistaken. The Avengers Assemble is the best film of 2012 and I can’t see anything topping it – and maybe nothing will until The Avengers 2. Bring back Joss Whedon!

If you like or dislike what you read, then please leave a comment below and share your views.