The Avengers Review

Introduction (Warning Contains Spoilers)

With an extended version of Avengers: Endgame arriving in cinemas this September, Marvel is attracting renewed attention.

Avengers: Doomsday is also scheduled for December, making this the perfect time for another MCU rewatch.

We have decided to revisit the Marvel films in chronological order.

Our journey now reaches one of the most important films in modern superhero cinema.

Released in 2012, The Avengers brought Marvel’s individual heroes together for the first time.

It was released as Marvel Avengers Assemble in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

It was a culmination of Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It was written and directed by Joss Whedon. It was shot by Seamus McGarvey.

It featured characters that people had already seen in the earlier films of the MCU.

Robert Downey Jr. reprised his roles of Tony Stark and Iron Man. Chris Evans reprised his role of Steve Rogers/Captain America.

The character of Thor was reprised by Chris Hemsworth. Scarlett Johansson came back as Natasha Romanoff and got her more prominence than before.

Jeremy Renner acted as Clint Barton and Hawkeye. Edward Norton was replaced by Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and the Hulk.

Tom Hiddleston returned as Loki, who was the antagonist of the movie. Nick Fury was reprised by Samuel L. Jackson.

The narrative starts with Loki stealing the Tesseract from a S.H.I.E.L.D. building.

The artifact grants Loki access to a huge source of energy. In response, Nick Fury activates the Avengers Initiative.

The goal is easy. Nick Fury must get Earth’s greatest heroes to unite. It sounds easy.

But getting these characters to interact is much harder than it seems.

Tony Stark and Steve Rogers have immediate conflict. Thor has issues with his brother Loki.

Bruce Banner is worried he will lose control. Natasha and Clint have a past of their own too.

Hence, it is essential for the team to deal with their individual personalities before facing an enemy outside of them.

It was certainly a huge task for Marvel. Every individual had created his/her own identity.

They also belonged to entirely different approaches in filmmaking. Technology and humour was Tony Stark’s universe.

Captain America, on the other hand, had a classic hero approach. Thor introduced mythology and fantasy.

The Hulk brought an edgier and more physical aspect. Combining all of these aspects might easily have failed.

However, The Avengers turned out to be a sensation. The movie set new records in the box office and raised the bar for superhero films.

Furthermore, the movie confirmed the validity of the Marvel long-term strategy.

Now the question is if the movie still impresses.

Direction

Joss Whedon faced one of the most difficult directing jobs in blockbuster cinema. He had to balance several established superheroes within one story.

Each character had to get enough attention to stay important. However, not one character could totally overshadow the film.

Whedon largely succeeds in doing this because he knows who the people are. Tony Stark is still sarcastic and self-assured.

Steve Rogers is still disciplined and old-fashioned. Thor is still powerful and Proud.

Bruce Banner is still intelligent and cautious. Natasha is still observant and resourceful.

These differences make conflict inevitable. The interactions at the beginning of the movie are especially good.

The characters do not become friends straight away. They disagree about who is in charge.

Tony is in disagreement with Steve. Steve is in disagreement with Tony.

Both the characters make Thor frustrated. This conflict creates real tension in the film.

Whedon is aware that humour may add up to character development. Humorous scenes always reveal something significant about the characters.

Tony hides his insecurity through jokes. Steve does not understand the world around him.

Thor takes everything too seriously. Bruce tries to control himself in spite of his danger.

The humour therefore serves the story.

Whedon’s direction is also strong during the quieter scenes. The conversation between Natasha and Bruce is a good example.

Their interaction reveals Banner’s fear without requiring a huge action sequence. The scene also gives Natasha greater emotional depth.

The film’s action is equally important. The camera pans around various heroes as the battle progresses.

All the characters get a chance to participate. This ensures that the entire action is not centered on one hero.

Iron Man zooms over the city. Captain America coordinates the ground attack. Thor battles against the invaders.

Hulk brawls his way through the opponents. Black Widow and Hawkeye add more human action.

This gives an excellent feeling of coordination.

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some faults within the movie.

The first part is quite cluttered. Much happens before the Avengers even start coming together.

Also, some characters aren’t really explored enough in the film. Hawkeye is one such character.

Because he was already involved in Loki’s plans right from the beginning, he doesn’t get much character development.

Another issue with the film is that it relies heavily on Loki as the main antagonist. Loki is fun to watch because of Hiddleston.

However, the character’s plan is relatively straightforward. Despite those weaknesses, Whedon’s direction is a major success.

He successfully turns a collection of individual franchises into one coherent movie.

That was an enormous achievement in 2012.

Cinematography

Seamus McGarvey’s cinematography gives The Avengers a grounded blockbuster appearance.

The movie has to contain multiple visual styles. As a result, the film does not become too stylized.

Rather, the camera creates a relatively uniform visual world. This allows different characters to live in one universe.

Moreover, the film exploits the idea of scale well. The heroes appear amidst big backgrounds quite often.

It is especially important for the Battle of New York scene. The city acts as a huge background for the conflict.

The cinematography enables the viewers to know where each character is. This assists in ensuring that the entire process does not become too confused.

The camera is also dynamic during the action scenes. Iron Man’s flying scenes make some of the most energetic shots.

The camera follows him around the city. Thor’s actions are portrayed in a different way. His actions portray physical power.

Captain America’s scenes are usually straightforward. It shows his traditional heroism.

The movie also makes use of close-ups well. They are especially effective in group discussions.

One has to know the relationships among the characters. The cinematography thus complements the acting.

They become especially significant during discussions between members of the team. It is necessary for the viewer to realize the connections between the characters.

Thus, the camerawork contributes to the acting skills. Helicarrier is one more place that has visual significance in the movie.

It provides a confined space where the heroes are forced to interact. This helps create the tension prior to the last battle.

The lighting in the movie also adds to the atmosphere.

Environments in S.H.I.E.L.D. tend to appear very technologically advanced and regulated.

The Battle of New York is made more colorful and wilder. This visual evolution represents how large the story has become.

Nevertheless, there have been certain visual effects and environments that have clearly aged. This movie was made over a decade ago.

Contemporary viewers are used to seeing more and more advanced visual effects. Certain CGI environments may appear less believable now.

The cinematography itself remains effective. It gives the film a clear visual structure. Most importantly, it helps connect the different heroes.

Visual Effects

Visual Effects Played an Important Role in The Avengers. Marvel had to create a full alien invasion.

It also had to incorporate different superheroes in the same fight scene. This was an immense technological challenge.

In many ways, the outcome was really impressive. One of the most successful elements was the Hulk.

The performance of Mark Ruffalo helps make him more interesting. The Hulk no longer feels like a completely separate character.

He appears to be an extension of Bruce Banner. This is quite evident during the Battle of New York scene.

The encounters that Hulk shares with Thor and the other Avengers are quite interesting.

The Iron Man effects are quite spectacular as well. Tony’s suit appears to fit in nicely into the surrounding atmosphere.

His flying is quite spectacular as well with the help of digital effects. The suit also feels integrated with Downey’s performance.

Powers of Thor demand a different handling altogether. Effects such as lightning and energy play important roles in establishing his powers.

The Chitauri prove to be the biggest challenge in terms of visual effects within the movie. The Chitauri invasion sets up the scene for the scale of the climax.

It also provides the Avengers with a lot of enemies. However, the Chitauri can be termed as one of the weakest visual components within the movie.

They can turn out to be quite generic. They do not have the same kind of personality as the principal characters.

The climax scene is also filled with a lot of CGI. The destruction of New York needs many digital environments.

Not all the visual effects hold up well. A few digital explosions and backgrounds appear dated.

This movie succeeds in maintaining a proper mix of practical and visual effects. There are real locations and practical sets too.

The CGI then builds upon those environments. This is crucial since totally digital environments can at times lack weight.

The Avengers usually manages to avoid that trap. The visual effects are there for the spectacle without taking over from real filmmaking.

There definitely are many CGI effects. But the plot demands it. A superhero-based alien invasion can’t really be filmed otherwise.

But a more important question is if the CGI supports the story. In most cases, it does.

The visual effects also help differentiate the heroes. Each one of them has their own visual language.

It helps to better understand the action-packed sequence. Overall, the effects made an outstanding contribution for the year 2012.

Some parts have become outdated. But the best of the effects are still excellent.

Themes and Storyline

The central theme of The Avengers is teamwork.

Each hero thinks he/she can do things in his/her way.

Tony believes in technology. Steve believes in discipline. Thor believes in brute strength. Bruce has fear of himself.

Natasha uses her intellect to deceive. Hawkeye needs perfection. Gradually all of them are brought together in the movie.

The Avengers are unable to succeed at first because they are not able to act as a team.

This is one of the best concepts used in the movie. Their biggest obstacle at first is the distrust between each other.

The parts on the Helicarrier highlight this conflict. They start to get into arguments. There is growing tension among each other.

Loki knows that by splitting them up he will weaken them. This is his plan as a villain.

The concept of leadership is another theme in the movie.

Nick Fury is confident that the Avengers will protect the planet. But the mere assembly of them does not mean that everything will work out.

Steve will become the leader of the Avengers in the end. Tony stays independent. The Avengers’ differing approaches start working together in the end.

The sacrifice is one more theme. The death of Agent Coulson affects the Avengers’ outlook on life. Coulson’s death provides the Avengers with a motive for teamwork.

His relationship with the heroes also reminds them what they are protecting. However, this part of the story can feel slightly manufactured.

Coulson’s death primarily exists to motivate the heroes. Nevertheless, it works emotionally.

Identity is another theme of the movie. Steve Rogers is having difficulty adjusting to the new world. Thor has issues in his brotherhood with Loki.

Tony learns the responsibilities of being Iron Man. Bruce is learning to accept the Hulk rather than simply fear him.

Each character therefore has an individual emotional journey. The storyline does an impressive job of balancing those journeys.

But that is not true for all of the characters. Hawkeye is one of the best examples of that.

His inclusion in the story is necessary. He doesn’t get any character development.

Natasha does have some good lines. Her relationship with Clint is also suggested. However, their past is not developed within the movie.

Another intriguing character in the movie is Loki. Tom Hiddleston does a great job. However, most of Loki’s plans include taking the Tesseract and conquering Earth.

The character becomes more interesting due to the relationships. His conflict with Thor gives him emotional depth as a villain.

The running time of the movie is about two and a half hours. Despite the large cast of characters in the movie, the pace of the plot is quite fast.

At times, the introduction of the plot seems to be taking time. But the movie is not usually boring.

The Battle of New York takes up much space at the end of the movie. This gives room for the heroes to show their skills.

Performances

Robert Downey Jr. continues to be one of the main assets of these movies. His Tony Stark is easily recognizable.

Downey adds humor and charisma to each scene he performs in. Moreover, he adds some kind of tension in his relations with other Avengers.

The chemistry between Downey and Evans is especially good. Tony and Steve are absolutely opposite in their views on the concept of heroism.

Downey realizes that their disputes should be entertaining.

Chris Evans lends a more serious persona to Captain America. Steve finds himself in a world full of people from a totally different age.

Evans conveys confusion in Steve without making him look silly. He also makes Steve the moral compass of the team.

Chris Hemsworth continues to develop his performance as Thor. His relationship with Loki gives him emotional material.

Hemsworth also handles the comedy effectively. The confrontation between Thor and Hulk provides one of the film’s most entertaining moments.

Mark Ruffalo takes over Bruce Banner from Edward Norton. It was a huge change for his casting.

He instantly makes Banner have a new kind of personality. This one is much more calm and reserved.

But the menace of the Hulk stays there. Ruffalo also manages to build amazing chemistry with Scarlett Johansson.

Johansson gets more to do as Natasha Romanoff than she did in Iron man 2.

Black Widow does not have any super powers. She works because of intelligence and skills. Johansson makes Natasha a competent woman but not an invincible one.

Jeremy Renner is playing Clint Barton. Hawkeye is is an interesting character in the marvel comics. However, in this movie the character is poorly developed.

His first appearance is spent under control of Loki. Renner therefore has fewer opportunities to establish Clint’s personality.

Hiddleston is great as Loki. He makes the villain charming and menacing. Loki is also emotionally connected to Thor. This gives Hiddleston a character that is deeper than most superhero villains.

Samuel L. Jackson is a good choice for Nick Fury. He has a much bigger part than in previous movies.

Jackson makes Fury come across as the man who holds everything together. In general, the cast really works.

Overall, the ensemble works remarkably well. That may be the film’s greatest achievement. The actors make their different characters feel compatible.

What Worked and What Did Not

The greatest accomplishment in The Avengers is the casting of its ensemble. Marvel had been introducing these characters individually for many years.

The assembly of such characters may easily result in a messy film. But in The Avengers, the characters seem to match each other well.

Another great accomplishment of the film is the humor. Tony Stark adds a lot of fun moments in the film.

But there are other characters as well who add their bits of humor to the film. Humor usually comes through clashes of personalities.

The action also works wonderfully well. The Battle of New York is still one of the highlights of the MCU.

Every hero gets their moment in the spotlight. The camera switches from one to the other seamlessly.

It creates an authentic sense of teamwork. Hulk is yet another great success. Ruffalo adds humanity to the character of Banner.

Then comes the incredible spectacle of Hulk. Thor-Loki dynamic is very well executed as well. The family conflict helps create emotions in the story.

The plot of the movie is simple yet efficient.

Cooperation, sacrifice and responsibility make up the plot.

The movie successfully wraps up the Phase One plotline.

It shows that all movies that came before were leading to something good.

However, there are some flaws.

Hawkeye is not fully developed.

The character is important but not particularly satisfying.

Chitauri are quite typical villains as well.

It provides the audience with the army but no characters.

Most of the villainous personality is carried by Loki.

The plot is quite simple as well. The beginning can be overloaded. The film introduces a lot of new and old characters.

Thus, some emotional development happens rather quickly.

The final battle relies heavily on CGI effects. The special effects are still impressive. However, some of them look somewhat outdated now.

The movie can be somewhat destructive as well. New York is transformed into the battlefield.

It adds to the spectacle but decreases personal stake. Yet these flaws are rather insignificant.

The main achievement of the movie is incredible. It succeeded to show a superhero team as a group of individuals.

It managed to create a formula that a lot of future movies wanted to emulate. Not many movies tried to do anything on such a scale.

Overall Verdict

The Avengers still is a landmark achievement of Marvel Studios. The movie brings together the characters that were created in different films before.

Whedon is an excellent director as he can perfectly match their personalities. The visual language of the film is united thanks to its cinematography.

The visual effects are used in order to create the impressive scene of superheroes’ fight. The Hulk of Mark Ruffalo is especially great.

The performances are another strong point of the film. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson make the movie even better.

In addition, the movie has an attractive and entertaining villain – Tom Hiddleston.

Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks. For instance, Hawkeye does not get enough development.

Moreover, the Chitauri do not impress the audience by their appearance. There are also some outdated CGI effects in the movie.

Finally, the beginning of the film sometimes seems overloaded with information. Nevertheless, such shortcomings cannot ruin its success.

Avengers showed that the strategy of Marvel was effective. The film connected different individual superhero stories into one universe.

Moreover, the film changed expectations from blockbuster movie making. Battle of New York is still one of the most recognizable scenes of the MCU.

However, the most important feature of the film is that the characters become a true team at the end of the movie.

It gives the movie meaning. The film therefore succeeds as both a superhero adventure and a franchise milestone.

It remains one of the most significant movies in Marvel’s history.