• The Odinson Reviews The Avengers

  Posted 4:52 PM May 11, 2012 by Odinson · 4 Comments
  Tags: Movie

  Greetings from the Odinson,
  
  Once every ten years or so, a movie comes along that raises the bar just a bit higher.  Though there are many really good movies, rarely does a film actually live up to expectations, or even better, surpass them.  In my lifetime there have been four such movies.  Again, there have been many really good movies, but these are the game changers.  The movies that are so good that to call them good is a severe understatement. 
  
  In my lifetime there have been four movies that meet this criteria.  In 1977 it was Star Wars.  This sci-fi fantasy about a young farm boy from a backwater planet that meets up with an old wizard and a pirate and goes on a quest to save a princess from a dark knight and defeat an evil Empire bent on universal domination IS the bench mark by which all other space adventures are judged.  In 1994, it was The Crow.  This dark gothic tale of love loss and revenge showed the world that comic books aren’t just for kids, especially when the creators and talent behind the project really have something to say.  In 1999, that film was The Matrix.  Up until this New Millennium sci-fi masterpiece hit theatres, movie making had become simply business as usually.  After this senses-shattering film opened everyone’s eyes, creators everywhere at that moment tore up whatever they were working on and went back to the drawing board.  And now, in 2012, that movie is Marvel’s The Avengers.      
  
  Like the other films on this list, to say that The Avengers is a great movie is to severely understate the obvious.  This is the movie I’ve waited my whole life to see, so my expectations were sky high.  The Avengers not only met my lofty expectations, it blew them out of the water.  I’ve been asked by those who have not seen the movie “what makes it so good?”  There is so much greatness in this film it’s hard to know where to begin and not spoil anything for those that have not seen it yet (which, by the way, according to the Opening Weekend numbers, there aren’t very many of you that haven’t seen it).  Anybody that says they don’t like this film either has an agenda or they’re doing a bit.  I’d have to say that one of the really big reasons why I loved this movie so much is that I did not have to sit through yet another 2-hour Origin Story.
  
  I just don’t know if I have it in me to watch Peter Parker get bit by a radioactive spider, again (Do we really need a Spider-Man reboot barely ten years later?).  Or watch planet Krypton explode, again.  Or witness Bruce Wayne’s parents get gunned down by a common purse-snatcher, again (I’m assuming four years from now we’ll have to sit through a Batman: Year One film when the franchise picks up again).  Between comic books, novels, cartoons, TV shows, and movies, I’ve seen these stories hundreds of times and done a hundred different ways.  I can’t take anymore origin stories for these characters!  James Bond has been in over twenty 007 movies and we don’t have to sit through his origin every single time.  Like James Bond, there should be a new Superman movie hitting theatres every three to fours years.  There are endless amounts of material to adapt.  But no, even though we already have the definitive Superman origin with the Christopher Reeve 1978 Superman: The Movie and Smallville for the last decade looked at his Superboy days from every possible angle, I’m sure I’ll have to sit through yet another Superman movie next year with scenes from doomed Krypton and a farm in Kansas with a young boy discovering he’s different from everyone else. 
  
  There’s a reason why The Dark Knight is better than Batman Begins.  It’s because it’s just a straightforward action adventure without all the baggage of origin storytelling.  I get why Iron Man and Captain America movies had to do it.  Those guys haven’t been introduced on the Big Screen before (not counting Caps straight to DVD venture in the early ‘90s and his B&W 1940s serials).  Thor wasn’t an origin story and it was fantastic.  And that is one of the biggest reasons for me that The Avengers works.    
  
  Now before you say, “But, Odinson, The Avengers is the origin story about the Avengers.”  I say The Avengers is as much an origin story as say The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, or Fellowship of the Ring are origin stories.  These are fantastic action adventure movies about groups of extraordinary individuals coming together to fight against impossible odds.  My point is names like Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman are so entrenched in pop culture that these names are as recognized as Mickey Mouse.  Everyone knows who they are and the majority of people know how they got there.  If the film absolutely has to have an origin in it, than approach it the way The Incredible Hulk did.  Between comics, cartoons, a long-running television series, and the Hulk film, the Green Goliath’s origin is well known by most.  So just address it in montage during the opening credit sequence.  Now we can all sit back and enjoy a new story. 
  
  Sorry.  I did not mean to go off on a tirade.  The Odinson is just not a fan of the origin story, especially when there are so many great stories in this genre that can be told.  Now back to The Avengers.       
  
  Going into the film I had a criteria that I wanted met if I was going to enjoy this feature.  I wanted Captain America to be a leader and awesome in battle.  Iron Man had to be cool.  Thor had to be powerful.  And the Hulk had to be strong and smash.  Well, after seeing the film (three times now), I can tell you spoiler-free that Cap is awesome, Iron Man is super cool, Thor is majestic and the Hulk is the strongest one there is.  Black Widow is sexy and dangerous.  And movie Hawkeye, dare I say it, may be even cooler than comic book Hawkeye.  And I would be remiss if I did not mention the film’s Big Bad.  Tom Hiddleston is an amazing actor.  He takes a complicated and complex character like Loki and hits every single mark.  On the Mt. Rushmore of movie villains, Darth Vader, Hannibal Lector, Agent Smith and the shark from Jaws will now be joined by Hiddleston’s Loki. 
  
  I am a huge Joss Whedon fan and could not be prouder of the man as he gave us his best directorial undertaking yet.  The movie was almost 2 ½ hours long and it went by all too fast.  It’s action packed, full of great character interactions, and Whedon also manages to squeeze in his signature humor.  There are at least four really great laugh-out-loud moments.  And even more opportunities to cheer.  But this wouldn’t be a Joss Whedon project if he didn’t surprise you.  And not to get too spoilery on you, but this movie finally answers the age old question – Why are they called the Avengers?  What are they avenging? 
  
  For the Odinson, in over thirty years nothing had ever challenged Superman: The Movie for the best comic book movie of all time.  Iron Man came close, but it’s The Avengers that may have finally knocked the Man of Steel off the top of my mountain.  Not only is The Avengers now the greatest comic book film of all time, like Star Wars, The Crow, and The Matrix, it is a benchmark by which all other films of its kind will be judged.

  Odinson Rating: 5 out of 5 Hammers and a Thunder Strike

  This is Odinson bidding thee farewell     

  4 comments so far:

  #1) Joseph L. - 5:56 PM, May 16, 2012

  Hello Michael--
  
  I love everything about Lone Star Comics and have been a customer for a long time. I especially love your column in the newsletter I get, and it was very easy to see the passion you have for the Avengers in general, and this movie, in particular.
  
  I totally agree that this was one of the movie events of my lifetime so far. I was excited about Star Wars and even more excited about Lord of the Rings, but there is something about seeing multiple Super Heroes together in one movie that puts this at the top of the list.
  
  While there is no doubt that the movie was everything I hoped it would be, and will be one of the classics of all time, I admit to being a little disappointed about certain things and, you are right, it is because I did come into the movie theater with an agenda.
  
  I have to admit that I am more of a THOR fan than I am an Avengers fan, and I have had many debates with many a Marvel fan as to why Thor is the most powerful Super Hero of them all. I have a very good Super Hero criteria that distinguishes Super Heroes into four categories. The weakest category is the ordinary human with a special uniform or gadgets, (this would apply to Iron Man, Captain America and, from the DC world, Batman). The second category is for those who developed special skills and power through unusual circumstances, (like Dr. Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk, Peter Parker getting bit by a radioactive spider to become Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four, X-Men, among others). The third category is simply the Super Hero being no more than an alien, only developing power because he comes from another galaxy, (like Superman and the Silver Surfer).
  
  But none of these categories approach Category Four, which is that of being an immortal, all powerful god who should not really be challenged by any of these other Super Heroes. Of course I am talking about the Mighty Thor. In fact, his status as a god is so superior to the other Super Heroes listed that his only real competition was other gods like his brother Loki and Hercules.
  
  This is not just me who feels this way about Thor. Let's go to the master himself, Stan Lee. After all the other Super Heroes were already created, and Marvel was in need of a shot in the arm, here is what Stan Lee had to say when he was creating Thor:
  
  - The Marvel Comics superhero Thor debuted in the science fiction/fantasy anthology title Journey into Mystery #83 (cover-date Aug. 1962), created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby. Lee in 2002 described Thor's genesis early in the Marvel pantheon, following the creation of the Hulk:
  
  [H]ow do you make someone stronger than the strongest person? It finally came to me: Don't make him human — make him a god. I decided readers were already pretty familiar with the Greek and Roman gods. It might be fun to delve into the old Norse legends... Besides, I pictured Norse gods looking like Vikings of old, with the flowing beards, horned helmets, and battle clubs. ...Journey into Mystery needed a shot in the arm, so I picked Thor ... to headline the book. After writing an outline depicting the story and the characters I had in mind, I asked my brother, Larry, to write the script because I didn't have time. ...and it was only natural for me to assign the penciling to Jack Kirby... -
  
  I somehow remember there was an elimination Tournament held between all the Marvel characters to see who was the most powerful, and I remember that Thor defeated Hulk in the finals. This surprised a lot of my friends, but I was very pleased with the results. I also thought I remembered a Marvel vs. DC tournament where Thor beat Superman in the finals, and this again shocked a lot of people, but left me feeling very pleased. I remember the heading was a God vs. an Alien. Do you have any more information you could give me about these two tournaments, and whether my memory was correct or not?
  
  Anyway, back to the Avengers. I obviously was extremely disappointed in how little Thor was actually in this movie, even though Loki was the star villain! Not only did Loki have a lot more lines, and Hulk/Bruce Banner, and Iron Man and Captain America, (which I expected going in), but also Fury and Black Widow and Hawkeye as well! I think Thor was actually in the movie for ten minutes! Not only that, but he was totally manhandled by Hulk, which really bothered me, (as well as Hulk pounding Loki after Loki was pointing out that he was a god--guess that doesn't go as far as it used to), but when Iron Man got the best of Thor in their fight--IRON MAN!!!! --I turned to my friend and said that it was an absolute joke. I am very sad to say that I let the interpretation of the characters ruin the movie for me as I really feel that Thor does not get the respect he deserves in these movies.
  
  I know that you are a Thor fan, but you obviously had no problem with how short a time he was in the movie and how he contributed nothing to the victory and got pounded in the two individual battles he had. I guess I wanted to hear if my views regarding Thor as superior to the others are valid in your opinion, and, if it is, why he was not portrayed as highly as the others, and why it did not bother you even a little bit that he was not.
  

  #2) Odinson's Reply - 5:59 PM, May 16, 2012

  Hello Joseph,
  
  Thanks for the kind words. Let's get right to it. As for Thor's power level? He is absolutely the most powerful. You would not believe the heated arguments my friend (a die hard DC and Superman fan) and I (a die hard Marvel and Thor fan) get into about who would win - Superman or Thor. As far as strength Thor does has rivals (i.e. Superman, He-Man, Captain Marvel, the Hulk). But what sets the mighty son of Odin apart from these other titans is exactly what you said - he is a god. Thor is on that power level that separates guys like Superman and the Hulk from that next tier of guys like Galactus and the Anti-Monitor.
  
  Now do I think Thor handles any of them with ease? No. Though Thor would win in the end he isn't so much more powerful than Superman or the Hulk as to just manhandle them. Think of it like that old joke. If Superman and the Hulk on a scale of 1 to 10 are 10s, Thor's power level goes up to 11. Though Superman has a billion powers and the Hulk is immeasurably strong, Thor will always have the hammer, and the hammer always wins. It's all in the name SuperMAN, Thor GOD of Thunder.
  
  Now, as for the Avengers movie and Thor's roll in it. I read an article on screen time for each character and Cap & Iron Man got the most, but of all the rest of the cast, Thor got the third most screen time (and it was only like 7 minutes less than Iron Man who was second). When it comes to his battle with Iron Man there's one major factor to consider. When Thor shoots him with lightning, Iron Man's armor absorbs it and his power level shoots up 300%. Now a 300% amped up Iron Man would give the Odinson a tussle. However, as the battle escalates you'll see Thor become angrier and more focused, and the tide begins to turn quickly. Even to the point where Thor is crushing Iron Man's arms with his bare hands. And when Cap shows up, Thor simply swats Iron Man, who is spent, aside pretty easily to face this challenge.
  
  As for the Hulk vs. Thor scene - It starts out mano y mano, fists against fists. And yeah, the Hulk tosses him around a bit, but Thor holds his own. And don’t forget, Thor sees Hulk as Banner, even calling him by name, so he’s holding back as not to hurt this mortal. Remember, the madder the Hulk gets, the stronger he gets. So when the Hulk takes the battle up to another level so does Thor. He summons Mjolnir and the fight quickly, once again, turns in Thor's favor. They are interrupted by that F14. As for Hulk vs. Loki, that was just funny, because it was so unexpected.
  
  To summarize - The screen time for the characters wasn't quite that big of a difference (it was a big cast). I think if you watch closely, and knowing the character the way you do, you'll realize Thor actually got the better of Iron Man. As for his fight with the Hulk, it ended the way most of their comic book tussles do, undecided (but we both know who would win in the end). If anybody ever brings up JLA/Avengers where Superman "beats" Thor, I interpret that as Mjolnir taking matters into its own hands and deciding that JLA vs. Avengers was not the battle our heroes should be fighting, kind of like it did in the Avengers movie when Thor slammed Mjolnir against Cap’s shield.
  
  In the realm of comics where mountain movers like Captain Marvel, Silver Surfer, Thing, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Hercules, Hulk, and Superman walk the earth - Thor is the strongest one there is. Period.
  

  #3) Joe G. - 4:57 PM, May 17, 2012

  Hello from a fellow fan-boy!
  
  I wanted to say your article on the Avengers was dead on! I agree with every word you said. I had high hopes for the Avengers and great fear that if done badly it would be a disaster. My hopes grew with every new Marvel Movie, Iron Man, Hulk, Iron Man II, Thor, and Cap. I could agree with the reboot of the Hulk and although I liked Ed Norton as Banner I really liked Ruffalo as Banner and Hulk. I am with you I think they hit all the notes and marks perfectly.
  
  Unlike Transformers or some other big hits I never felt the story dragged or that the special effects in any way detracted form the live action and story.
  
  The only thing I think I might disagree with is that the next Spider-Man may not be needed. I suspect they will tie in to the Marvel Cinematic universe that they are establishing and I think the new movie will be more true to Spider-man than the others. I suspect we will see an appearance by Nick Fury or some other representative from SHIELD. Well, I have hopes anyway.
  
  Thank you for your comments and I am really excited with what Marvel has done. If they remain true to the characters and stories I think the future will be in good shape for the Cinematic Universe.
  
  By the way I am sure you may feel this way too but I have been loving the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes animated series. In the films and in those cartoons I love seeing the Hulk interact with the other heroes like this. Why it has taken Marvel so long to do this in the comic universe I have no idea but maybe the new Avengers Assemble title will change that.
  
  Anyway many thanks for your comments and observations. They are a real treat.

  #4) Odinson's Reply - 4:58 PM, May 17, 2012

  Thanks for the kind words, Joe. The Hulk was definitely a scene-stealer in the film. I will also definitely give the Amazing Spider-Man film a chance (mainly because I want to see the Lizard and Spidey throwdown), I'm just not looking forward to watching his origin, again. As for the Avengers animated series…I've only seen the first season and I absolutely loved it. I've been meaning to talk about it in my column but the live action movie came upon us so fast. I especially enjoyed the Ultron story. They have done a wonderful job with that show and it gets an A++ in my book.
  
  Like you, I too would love to see the Hulk (the real Hulk, Bruce Banner) become a true part of the super hero community. Check out Incredible Hulk: Pardoned if you haven't already. This was period of time when the Hulk was actually excepted and he became one of the greatest heroes in the world. If written right, they could do this again. With Hulk alongside Captain America, Thor and Iron Man, nothing could stop the Avengers. Just ask Loki. lol.
  

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