Yesterday
I finally got around to watch the Avengers movie (yup, late, I know). And, yes,
I admit Loki was a main reason for me watching the movie (not just because Tom
Hiddleston is a cutie, but also because Loki makes a damn interesting villain).
However, I was positively surprised and think I’ve definitely found a keeper
for my DVD collection.
Technically,
it started with Thor, which was on TV this Sunday (currently also known as the
day before yesterday). As there wasn’t anything interesting on TV apart from
it, I decided to give Thor a chance, arguing with myself that, even if the
story were bad (which is wasn’t), I’d at least get to see a few good-looking
guys. I have to admit that the trio of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), Thor (Chris
Hemsworth), and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) makes for very good family dynamics. And
there is this to keep in mind, too:
But
back to Avengers. Joss Whedon and the script writers have done an amazing job
with the story, which I greatly appreciate. I like action sequences (I like
them, perhaps, even more than quite some women), but I don’t want a movie which
is just made up of them. I have to add here that I haven’t seen the other
Marvel movies (apart from the X-Men ones and the Spiderman ones … the first
series I enjoy, the second annoys me). Ironman, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye,
and Black Widow, therefore, aren’t exactly that familiar for me (well, I know
the 80s version of the Hulk, that is). Neither do I know a lot about
S.H.I.E.L.D. or Nick Fury. I could look them up, but my Marvel Encyclopaedia is
buried beneath heaps of other books.
They
bring the group together in this movie, which means a lot of play with the
dynamics, which I enjoy a lot. Seeing the different characters with their
different world views act and react is a lot of fun. The action sequences fuse
with that, allowing each fight to be more than just a spectacle (they are
spectacular, no mistake about that).
My
eyes, though, usually are more on the villain than on the heroes, as the
villain has to be a lot more interesting. Among the heroes, we have the usual
mixture, basically. People who are good by nature (Captain America, Thor),
people who want to atone for past mistakes (Black Widow, Hawkeye, Bruce Banner …
though he atones for Hulk’s mistakes), people who are in it for fame (Ironman).
And a hero who isn’t a hero, strictly speaking (goes both for Nick Fury and for
Phil, I guess) So let’s start the unavoidable litany about the villain, shall
we? Here we go, take a deep breath.
I
just love Loki! There, now it’s out. It’s not just the actor, even though his
way of portraying Loki has quite some influence on it. The character of a
villain these days has to have depth, otherwise the whole ‘I will rule the
world’ business (the standard goal of every villain) will be boring. And Loki
is a prime example of a motif-driven villain. At the base of his plans is a feeling.
The feeling of always being overshadowed by Odin’s true son, Thor. Right on top
of it is his memory of the last time, when he was ruler of Asgard for a short
time. He had reached his goal, only to lose everything. Put a certain dose of
delusions de grandeur on top of it, add his view of humans as a weak race that
needs to be dominated, and top it off with his cesspit of a mind. This is a
villain I just love to watch doing his thing, even though I agree with Phil
that he’s destined to fail. Loki dominates every room he’s in, even if it’s a
cell. He has the self-assurance of a true god of Asgard, even though he’s not
technically one of them (in the Marvel universe, at least). He can be charming,
but can turn around and become harsh and abusive in the span of a short
conversation. He knows no scruples, yet he’s not ‘bad to the bone,’ either. He
might lack conviction, but he surely isn’t going to let that stop him.
What
else has Avengers got?
Humour.
Another thing I want from a movie, especially one with a lot of action. There
are loads of great one-liners and funny conversations in it. The script writers
have shown a great instinct for timing and punch lines in the movie. (I
personally love the scene where Thor tells Loki to listen before being tackles
by Ironman and Loki watches them move away and says “I’m listening.” … bad
timing for an attack, but great timing for a gag.)
Good
effects. The movie is balancing out the ‘futuristic to sci-fi’ with the ‘realistic’
quite well. The Helicarrier looks almost plausible (the sort that might be
plausible in 10 or 20 or 50 years). The weapons aren’t over the top, even
though they are that step ahead of ‘what we’ve got.’
Better
looks. Compared to former versions of the main characters, the current ones
have a lot more style. Not as close to the comics in some cases, maybe, but
much better for the big screen.
Effects
and looks together make the movie more believable, which is important for
movies based on comics. Comics never survive a 1:1 conversion. What works when
drawn on paper doesn’t necessarily work on the screen as well. Take your usual
superhero outfits, without some alterations, only very few of them work. Or take
technology, it needs to look realistic, even if it’s not. 2D to 3D (even if the
movie isn’t 3D, every prop in it is) does have its problems.
Overall, I enjoyed
Avengers a lot. I liked the story, the well-choreographed action, the looks. It’s
a keeper for my collection, that much is for sure.
