Reel Low: The Avengers [2012]

"The Avengers" by Mondo (variant)

Oh, my god, that was fun!

I got out of the theater a few hours ago, and I'm absolutely going bonkers over how much I enjoyed The Avengers right now. So much better than I'd let myself believe it could be. If you've watched the five prequel movies to The Avengers, you will very likely love it every bit as much as I did.

The Marvel movieverse has taken an interesting path to bring their comics world to a mass audience, mixing plot and character points from various storylines and universes that worked best with their casting decisions, today's CGI and the best possible costume design for the screen. Personally, I've enjoyed all of the films from Marvel Studios that have served as precursors to The Avengers to varying degrees -- loved most of Iron Man and Captain America but both failed to deliver outstanding villains, thought they spent too much time on Earth in Thor, forgot to add in the heroic side of the big green machine in The Incredible Hulk, and with its abundance of characters Iron Man 2 now looks like little more than a two-hour reminder that The Avengers was coming in a couple of years (despite its good parts). But even those missteps were worth it to make sure similar pitfalls didn't strike for the grand reveal of this superhero team.

All the best elements from these five movies were woven together masterfully by writer/director Joss Whedon, and then enhanced at nearly every conceivable opportunity. For any fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer out there (the TV show, not that abomination of a movie), it'll come as no surprise that he was able to bring an engaging and exciting story to the screen, brimming with intelligence and humor while this collection of misfits toys save the world. And with all that he still manages to tug at your heartstrings at times. Essentially this is a "get the band back together" flick with a bevy of characters, but Whedon brought the perfect balance of screentime to all of our main six protagonists and the big bad, while still leaving some choice moments for Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, Maria Hill and even Pepper Potts. While I would certainly have loved to have seen more of certain characters (Hulk!!!), I also don't think a single one of them was shortchanged. And that balance extends to the battle sequences, the quiet moments and the absolutely laugh-out-loud banter. Perhaps most impressive was how he enabled the (relative) newbies of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow and Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye to fully realize their characters in an action ensemble film, and more-so with Chris Evans, who in my opinion came to embody Steve Rogers with even greater command than in his own movie! And any fanboy who doubted Whedon's ability to direct action before watching this film should find some crow to chow down on, because I think it's pretty safe to say The Avengers is filled with the most exciting string of one-on-one action sequences ever assembled.

Look, there are things to nitpick here -- I really think they should have been forced Johansson to use at least a hint of a Russian accent, for example -- but these are little more than the extreme grumblings of a uber Marvel fanboy. These are things I think even the most hardcore Marvel zombie can let slide.

On the plus side, there are so many wonderful moments for us True Believers, and not just the now-standard Stan Lee appearance. While not at the frequency of past movies, there were still plenty of Easter eggs for the comic fan to appreciate, from Dr. Banner wearing a purple shirt beneath his suit to a reference to life-model decoys to the guy that shows up in the first post-credit scene (and there is a second one, so keep your butt in the seat until the end!).

The Avengers was so good, Iron Man 2 may have just become better because of its obnoxious prequel shoehorning. Well, probably not, but I at least want to re-watch it for the first time since leaving the multiplex in 2010 to make sure. Jokes aside, it triumphs as the best pure superhero film to date, finally showing all those normal folk out there these comic book stories and characters are smart, addictive, inventive, enthralling, heart-breaking, poignant, and -- above all else -- fun. In other words, they're just as great as any other fantastic work of fiction. Assemble your friends to the theater. You'll have blast.

Best of 2011 - Films of the Year

Welcome to part 3 of Genres & Judgements' Best of 2011 lists, this bad boy is for the ten best films I saw last year.

Soooo... once again, I didn't finish this article as soon as I wanted. Hopefully you're still interested in lists of this nature this late in the game. There were plenty of movies I missed out on for one reason or another, but I know that these 10 are still worthy of being listed. May I impart once again that this is a list of what were the best films of the year to me. TO ME. Carry on.

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10. Super 8

No other movie in 2011 packed as much old-school cinematic magic as JJ Abrams' love letter to his childhood did. Accompanying buzzwords "Spielberg" and "Goonies" are spot on. This has to be the best collection of young actors is some time. Extra special props go out to Elle Fanning (she isn't gonna be known just as Dakota's little sister for long). Unfortunately, those kids and Kyle Chandler couldn't save its third act from leaving quite a bit to be desired, as it keeps the movie from being entirely mint. That and those damn lens flares (seriously, dude. Stop.) But there's so much fun to be had here, I just couldn't leave it off the list.

9. Page One: Inside 

The New York Times

I didn't get around to watching any other documentaries in 2011, but this one was phenomenal and probably would've made this list even if I had seen others. This film gives an inside look at how the Times operates and how it has dealt with the decline of the newspaper industry, increasing budgetary constraints, new-found competition and living up to its own reputation. A perfect recipe for a journalism junkie like myself.

8. Attack the Block

Oh, man, this movie was fun. Going in, I was led to believe this was going to be a comedy. It does have its funny moments, but this is essentially Die Hard with aliens in the South London projects, which is so so so so much more AWESOME. The aliens aren't going to blow you away with their design, and I believe that's the point. Their makeup is the antithesis to all the Predator-esque aliens chasing their prey movies we've had for so long. While Abrams spent 2011 embracing his childhood, Attack's director, Joe Cornish, celebrates the now with these kids, some of whom are pretty hard to like at first. Coupled with some dashes of humor, we get plenty of energetic action scenes with those creepy aliens delivered with constant style. The best part is that it just never stops - just a wonderful job at pacing in a genre film. SEE THIS.

7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Yes, this is a summer-blockbuster movie. But it doesn't insult its audience or dumb much of anything down (at least not more than a movie about apes taking over a major American city has to). Look, I'm a big Planet of the Apes nerd. Like, really big. Like I had a PotA poster on my wall as a college freshman. (Still not sure why I didn't get laid often then.) So when word came out that this new installment was going to be a "reboot" of 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth and best of the original series, I was juuuuuust a bit excited. While Rise is not a full-blown remake of Conquest, it shares the similar plot of revealing the beginnings of the advanced ape population we see in the remainder of the series. Rise excels in making these intelligent apes realistic by employing the great Andy Serkis (in another CGI performance capture he's been so wonderful at in recent years) as Caesar and by utilizing modern science as a basis for the rapid advancement of the apes' cognitive abilities. All of this adds up to an intense action movie with a lot of brains behind it.

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Find out my top six after the jump...

Longbox Special: Under Siege

Instead of book tie-ins this week Marvel graced comic stands with three one shot books, each focusing on different players in the siege on Asgard.

Siege: Loki #1 was the most story expanding book of the three this week.  From the beginning it was known that Loki was pulling the strings, pushing Osborn to take down Asgard.  However, there was always the questions of how and why he would see it through.

We see Loki speaking to Osborn through the Goblin mask, creating the initial cracks in Norman’s already tenuous hold on his sanity.  Loki then moves on to secure the service of the Disir, monsters just recently seen in New Mutants.  With proof of the Disir, Loki moves to strike a deal with Hela, which he seals in a three-way agreement between the two two gods and Mephisto.  To what end?  Why, absolute freedom from destiny of course.

Siege: Captain America #1 dealt with Bucky and Steve and just how long it takes to resolve the Captain America issue.  Ever since Steve Rogers came back there’s been some argument over who should wear the mantle of Captain America.

The thing I had to keep reminding myself of was that Steve has only been back for a short amount of time relative to the whole Siege event, but it just feels like Bucky has been going on and on about the whole thing for forever.  However, this time around it is all internal dialogue as Bucky and Steve are called to help a man whose family is trapped in the rubble of Asgard.  Both Captains and their points of view are juxtaposed by their responses to the crisis at hand and how they handle the addition of a super villain to the situation.

Siege: Young Avengers #1 takes a look at a group of unseasoned heroes and how they’re reacting in the dust of Asgard’s fall.  In the wake of the destruction, the team of Young Avengers has been separated and a rescue effort has begun.  Two are trapped, two face off against the Wrecking Crew, and another is working his ass off to be a hero.

Wiccan and Hulkling survey the destruction and Wiccan opens up a bit to his alien boyfriend about his Norse fanboy history and why it is the siege has wounded him a bit deeper than one would think.  While searching the ruins come across the Wrecking Crew looting the place and the obligatory beat down begins.  Elsewhere, Patriot and Hawkeye (the non-Bullseye, female version) are trapped under tons of rubble with little air and lots of hormones.  Finally, Speed is out and about trying to rescue as many as he can while looking for his buried teammates.  His efforts are only hindered by his own need to overdo himself.  In the end, he receives some encouraging words from Ronin.

I was surprised that I enjoyed these three books as much as I did.  However, I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the books are well written, pulling the talents of some good writers.  These feel like they could have been easy, throw away chapters written over a weekend by a staff intern.  Mind you, they weren’t excellent works of staggering genius, but they certainly add to the Siege experience.  I’ll just be happy when the whole Captains America thing gets resolved.

The Shortbox 2/8/08

Captain America #34
writer: Ed Brubaker
artist: Steve Epting
Marvel Comics, released 1-30-08
By now, those of you that follow the comic industry probably know what has occurred in this particular issue -- a new Cap has emerged. Who is it? Well, I'll let you read the book or another site to find out, but in this humble reviewer's opinion, Brubaker has written another fantastic issue. Looking past the hype, it's a solid individual story. It sets the stage for the next arc while displaying what the new Captain America can do, including a few things Steve Rogers either couldn't or wouldn't have done. Steve Epting may be my favorite artist in mainstream comics right now, and this issue is a great example of why. Say what you will about the design of the new Cap outfit, but taken for what it is, Epting draws it well. But really it's his action scenes that shine over all aspects of this book. The man was born to draw Captain America throw that shield. This is definitely an issue worth owning.
9 out 10

Ms. Marvel #23
writer: Brian Reed
artist: Aaron Lopresti
Marvel Comics, released 1-2-08
I'm sure that there have been fans of Carol Danvers since her inception years ago, but the modern take on her introduced by Bendis in Alias and his House of M series has increased her profile immensely. As discussed previously at LowBrowMedia, Ms. Marvel has decided to mold herself into the greatest superhero on the planet, the title she held in the House of M universe. It's a fascinating and ultimately refreshing take for a superhero book to go on a quest of self improvement in the age of desconstructionalist approaches ala Frank Miller.
After the less-than-inspiring Civil War arc, this book has gotten back on track as of late. Reed is mixing together a very eclectic cast for Ms. Marvel, consisting of potential boyfriend Wonder Man, Sleepwalker, sidekick Arana, the hilarious Machine Man, and the surprisingly mysterious Agent Sum. Sum should have died several issues ago, but has an unexplained healing power. He is a very impressive leader in the field and, apparently, a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. officer. His backstory is one I've become very interested in, perhaps even more so than Carol's personal mission. However, because of Ms. Marvel's inevitable involvement in the upcoming Secret Invasion event, he is also a potential skrull risk. I would be pretty disappointed in that revelation, but only because I feel his value as a support character in this book is greater than most.
In any event, this issue is strong with action, humor, emotional depth, character history and a couple of very nice twists. Lopesti hits it out of the park with his art and is a welcome contributor to the title. I assume that his new duties as regular artist on D.C.'s Wonder Woman will mean that he won't return to this book any time soon, but I hope he does. And I don't want to forget to mention Greg Horn's covers, which continue to impress. It's a solid book worth your attention.
8 out of 10

The Mighty Avengers #8
writer: Brian Michael Bendis
artist: Mark Bagley
Marvel Comics, released 1-30-08
Bendis and Bagley are back together again, and the team that brought us Ultimate Spider-Man for 110 issues combine forces for the best issue of The Mighty Avengers yet. Before this issue, I hadn't gotten very excited for this title thus far. Coupled with the long delays, the unconventional use of thought balloons, and a team full of mostly heavy hitters, the book just was really not my cup of tea. I'm a big fan of the work of Brian Michael Bendis, so this was definitely a surprise to me. I much prefer the more street-level feel of the current New Avenger squad since the split of the teams. That said, they are much more suited to deal with the symbiote problem in this issue. I've always loved Venom and Carnage (many of my first comics read as a young teen involved the original symbiote characters), so a slightly new spin on it was welcomed. Each panel had a lot of crazy action going on in it, and Bagley is well-suited for such a task. But the real treat of this issue is the interaction between the Mighty and New Avenger teams. The tension when the groups stand on either side of the same street is extraordinary, especially considering it all occurs on one page. I also have to congratulate Bendis on his use of thought balloons. Thus far, he has utilized the internal thought balloon in an almost Faulknerian manner, showing us more of their subconscious thoughts than the classic conscious monologues made famous in comic books of yesteryear. I haven't decided yet if I've gotten used to them or if he is simply doing a better job writing them, but issue 8 was the first time where I felt that they did not distract from the story.
Overall, this is my favorite issue of The Mighty Avengers. I still feel it could be better, but now I know that I'm not dropping it until after Secret Invasion at the earliest.
8.5 out of 10

The Overman #2
writer: Scott Reed
artist: Shane White
Image Comics, released 1-2-08
The tag line at the top of this comic is "Welcome to the end of the future." It's the kind of thing you'd expect to see on a one-sheet of a Sci-Fi Channel original movie, but I'm not even sure a screenplay of this mini series would be optioned. This issue was better than the first installment, but that's not saying much. The first issue was bizarrely complicated and a clear example of how not to introduce your reader's first glimpse into a new world. It wants us to think of it as a high-concept science fiction epic, but I just haven't seen actual examples of it yet. I'll check back in with this one after it concludes, and maybe it will live up to its creator's ambitions. For now, give another independent book a chance instead.
5 out of 10