THE AVENGERS directed by Joss Whedon (USA, 2011)
I remember when I first saw James Cameron’s Terminator 2:Judgement Day in 1991 I came out of the cinema thinking that there’s no way this can be topped for audacious effects and technical innovation. Obviously, I was wrong, as a spate of movies since, not least Cameron’s Titanic and Avator have pushed the boundaries still further.
This is not to say movies have got better but they are certainly met audience’s insatiable demand for spectacles.
Joss Whedon’s The Avengers can be added to this lIst and after this two-hour experience I felt like I’d been pummelled by Thor’s hammer or been roughed up by Hulk (and I didn’t even see it in 3D!).
As Oscar Wilde once wisely observed, “nothing succeeds like excess” and having a squad of superheroes is a bit like having a soccer team full of Messi clones.
The end result is overwhelming but effective as they manage to save the planet once again.
It’s fun, fast and quite absurd but pushes all the buttons as a pure entertainment package albeit one that could be enjoyed with the brain on standby. Continue reading
