Joss Whedon's The Avengers is all that you prayed for, and more. Thankfully the 'more' is more words than action. For such an anticipated superhero tentpole, Whedon keeps it nicely grounded. Almost all of the first half is build-up, and the conclusion has some intelligently woven interactions amidst all the earth(Manhattan) shattering set-pieces.
While some sequences moved as I had expected(thank you, Mr. Impatient Trailer-Man!), some were surprisingly well-crafted- the confrontations, the minutely detailed and precise back-arcs, the interconnections, the self-references really make this one a balanced and satisfying blockbuster, quite a rarity.
Whedon makes you sit through long conversations(usual dysfunctional family stuff but with costumes)and lets you relax and work your geek-logic out while the newbies are still trying to figure out who is who. His affinity for few characters(Black Widow, Cap) is pretty visible here and lends an individual voice to the genre which is fresh and not Nolan(what more could a Silver Age fan want?!).
Cap definitely leaves an impression, with all his out-of-place-ness, and that's all credit to the writers and Whedon. It is easy to make an Iron Man or Agent Coulson look cool(they are, aren't they?) but fleshing out arcs for a Hawkeye(why should we care about him anyway) or Natasha Romanoff and her 'red ledger'? Interesting stuff.
Having said that, the money shots do make you leap from the seat and revel in what may be the only few films to bring the head-rush on screen this year, Spidey and Bats may take a hike in darker realms.
Poster Courtesy: Rhys Cooper
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