The Avengers, Part 2

The Avengers (2012)
Directed by Joss Whedon

So I just got home from seeing The Avengers with the girlfriend.  Don't worry, I won't be posting any spoilers in my review.

We arrived at the theater around 9 pm.  We waited in line outside the theater for an hour while Lockout finished its last show of the night before being seated.  The next two hours passed quickly as the theater filled to capacity.  Then the commercials and trailers began, only three of which are worth mentioning.  First was the final Dark Knight Rises trailer, which commanded the most silence I have ever witnessed while watching a trailer in the theater.  Second was one of the original trailers for Prometheus, not quite as interesting as the most recent international trailer, but still amazing.  Lastly was an Amazing Spiderman trailer which I had not seen before.  And then the Avengers assembled.

To be honest, I was less than excited about this film to begin with.  I was skeptical of how well Joss would meld all of the previous films, all of the characters, and all of the mythologies into one cohesive and engaging story.  While the film was by no means perfect,  I am definitely convinced that my doubts were unfounded.

So what did I like the most about it, you ask?
The effects were awesome, there was enough action to fill ten blog posts, and ScarJo is HOT (and luckily not Jossed, but I'm not saying who is).  But my absolute favorite part of the film is something that Joss is know best for: character interactions.  Not the times when everybody is together delivering exposition to the audience though.  The moments that, in my opinion, make the movie more than just a summer tentpole actiony popcorn flick are the small moments, the one-liners between characters at the most random and unexpected times which truly reveal the characters' identities, even as the end of the world is potentially swirling around them.  The moments are quirky, original, and last only a few seconds each, but they make the characters immensely  relateable, which is quite an accomplishment when the characters are superheros battling aliens who have come to enslave the earth.

I have to be a little nitpicky though.
Ironically, since my favorite part of the film was some of its dialogue, the part that disappointed me the most was also some of the dialogue.  Without going into specifics, majority of the dialogue in the beginning of the film is overly expository.  Granted, there is a lot of information and backstory to be assimilated, but I feel that it could have been worked in to be less obvious.  Also, a few of the actors seemed to do less-than-stellar line readings for  parts of the film.  Overall the dialogue was well delivered, but there were a few times where the line readings were distractingly stiff.  Lastly, the 3D conversion didn't do much for me.  I don't know if it was just me, the projector, or just a bad conversion, but at times the images didn't fully line up, especially on the sides of the frame.  It didn't ruin the film for me, but it pulled me out of the moment.  The main point of 3D is to enhance the experience, but all too often it becomes yet another distraction.

The Final Word:
Go see it.  It is a fun, action packed film, perfect for viewing in a crowded theater, although if you didn't see it tonight you definitely missed out on a good experience.

4.5 out of 5 stars
Viewed 12:01 am, May 4, 2012