The Avengers are a perfect six-pack of ultimate superheroes.
On the roll call are many of Marvel Comics’ favourites: Robert Downey Jr., as Iron Man, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. They’ve all been assembled by S.H.E.I.L.D. representative Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) when Thor’s brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) threatens to invade Earth with his army. The film promises to be a veritable who’s who of superheroes. But is it six movies in one? Does it cut the mustard?
We say, see it, puny humans.
TAYLOR: I generally expect good things from comic book movies and am usually disappointed. I’m gonna say right off the bat that The Avengers is flippin’ awesome and I loved it.
HOWE: I was expecting some cheesy, money-grabbing comic-book-to-big-screen conversation and I’m pleased to say it isn’t. I was very, very impressed. From the opening scene to the credits it had me hooked, and that says a lot about these sorts of movies. Loved it.
TAYLOR: It can be tricky to come up with plausible premises for evil-doing in these sorts of movies. For as you have superheroes, so too you have supervillains. I thought the invasion scenario served the story well. This team needed something worthy to fight against for the audience to root for their victory, or at least me.
HOWE: Even if you haven’t seen any of the characters from their own films you don’t have to worry. In The Avengers they do give a little bit of background information on them. For example, I hadn’t seen Captain America, but I now know that they thawed him out of a popsicle.
TAYLOR: That’s true, I was disappointed by both incarnations of the Hulk and I haven’t seen Captain America or Thor, but you can be sure I’m going to watch them now, because this thing is gonna go round and round, for years. There are at least four Avengers related projects in the works right now.
HOWE: The special effects where very good, nothing seemed dodgy or looked out of place. I did enjoy the fight scenes, in other movies (Transformers) too often they are spoiled by either going too fast, being blurred or they are so close up you can’t see what’s going on. I watched the 3D version and I feel this was the best one I’ve seen this year.
TAYLOR: I saw it on cheap night in regular D, but my wife and I still had a ball — packed house, a lot of laughs and tons of loud action. I almost cheered — almost.
Howe gives The Avengers 4.5 hammers out of five.
Taylor give it four fits of green rage out of five.
The Avengers is playing at the Pen Mar Cinema Centre May 18 to 24 nightly at 6:45 and 9:45 p.m. with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 1:10 and 3:50 p.m.
Brian Taylor and Peter Howe are movie reviewers living in the Okanagan.
