Avengers Assemble (2012)
142 min - Action | Adventure
Iron Man. Thor. Captain America. Scarlett Johanssons bottom. Hulk. Hawkeye.
The line up is impressive.
So where does one start when faced with the task of assembling these heavyweights into one kick-ass movie, without losing something -or someone- along the way?
Wisely, writer/director Joss Whedon let's the characters do most of the work, and these are well established (with a couple of exceptions), well loved characters already.
Predictably, Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark does indeed get most of the best lines, but when you look at the line up, it's hard to imagine which of the others could deliver them as well. Wittier than ever, and here with so many potential targets for his unique brand of mockery, it's Stark who for much of the movie comes across as the Godfather of the largely Lycra-laden luminaries. Strutting like a peacock in the face of would-be pretenders to his throne, there are brilliantly funny and thrilling face-offs with the likes of Captain America, (classily played by Chris Evans) and Thor (a mostly posing, but perfectly pitched Chris Hemsworth).
As for Johanssons bum and Jeremy Renners 'Hawkeye', we see enough of them both to warrant their inclusion with the rest of the double hard bastard brigade. Johansson in particular is given some of the best moments in the film, not least her introduction, a witty 'reverse interrogation' scene, itself the pre-cursor to a great one-on-one with Hiddleston later on. Also this time round we see Black Widow flexing more of her 'action' muscles, and doing so very impressively. In eye-wateringly tight attire. Moving on.
The villain of the piece is Loki, sometime brother of Thor, and all round bully. If I'm honest, i thought the character was just slightly too weedy and pathetic in Kenneth Branaghs 'Thor', lacking any real menace. This time however, it's a showstopping turn from Tom Hiddleston- a stylish performance filled with unnerving moments of terror and pent up emotion, at times a subtle turn, but one that manages to feel almost Shakespearean in size. There is terrific support in the form of familiar faces Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg (no relation) as Nick Fury and Agent Coulsen, and newcomer to the series Cobie Smulders also impresses, in a role likely to be reprised in future outings.
Saving the best til last, smashing in and stealing the whole darn film is Mark Ruffalo as Dr Bruce Banner, a quiet man with anger issues. By rights, Brando-alike Ruffalo should be garnering all the praises for his quiet, restrained, yet always compelling take on a character not yet nailed (until now) in feature film. And what of 'the other guy'..? As opposed to previous efforts, this Hulk is brilliantly rendered by a winning combination of technical wizardry, great writing and action sequences so cool they could be bottled up and sold as Fonzie-ade.
It isn't just the big guy who has all the fun though, the action sequences and effects are set at WOW across the board. The all action finale is so engaging, its 30 odd minutes fly by in a frenzy of jaw dropping destruction that is so well handled, you may feel yourself punching, kicking and stomping along in your seat.
Rating:
4 Fassbenders out of 5
CLARKE CONCLUSION
Quite possibly the best comic book superhero type film yet. Very different to the darker stuff out there, but packing just as big a punch. Everything you hoped it would be. See it. See it now, fool!
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