The Avengers - A Review

I am the youngest of three siblings, the older two being brothers. I was educated to a large degree by my brothers’ love of music, movies, toys and comics. I guess I could have been called something of a tomboy, but maybe in every female lives the heart of a Superhero!

When I was a little girl and snuck my brothers’ comics to read, I was always VERY impressed by the efforts of Superheroes who could save the day. It always boiled down to a fight between Good and Evil and, needless to say, I always rooted for Good. I didn’t really think about the fact that most of the heroes were male, until heroines were included in the picture. I must admit, at that time, I did find Superman far more interesting than Superwoman. I would attach a towel to my shoulders with big safety pins and swoop around the back garden, down the hill and around the house being Superman! I even climbed up trees and got onto the roof of our house! I would SO have loved the costumes they make for kids today. I made sure that my son had enough of those and he enjoyed them to his heart's content!

I was not familiar with all of Marvel’s Superheroes, but my son will attest to the fact that Spiderman, Incredible Hulk, Thor, and D.C. Comics’ Superman and Batman, are all alive and well in the imaginations of little boys and girls everywhere (and maybe not-so-little boys and girls!) I have photos to prove it. Everyone loves a hero, and I am no exception. I went to see “Thor” and “Captain America” and thoroughly enjoyed both offerings.

The Avengers are Superheroes on Steroids! The fact that the movie shattered records by earning a stupendous $207.4 million in the opening weekend leaves one without any doubt. The last time I left a movie feeling totally energized, ramped up and raring to go, was most likely when I saw “The Ghostbusters,” “Star Wars,” “Flash Dance” and “Dirty Dancing.” As you can tell by the era of each movie, I was a lot younger then. The same heart beats within my chest, however, and as you may or may not know, dear Reader, as we live our lives through the years, though our exteriors may fade somewhat, we do not age on the inside! As a matter of fact, all the individuals in our party (roughly the same age), were immersed in the movie and were all enthusiastic upon emerging from the movie with its rousing score developed with the London Symphony Orchestra.

This movie is an adrenaline-pumping, electrifying and exciting marriage of Superheroes, Technology, Choreography and fantastic Cinematography, all of which serve to highlight gorgeous and talented actors. Ever since I saw Robert Downey Jr. in “Chaplin,” I have been a fan of his artistry. I love his Ironman and the humor with which he delivers his lines, not to mention his ever-so-cool turbo-charged flying suit. (Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be able to fly everywhere and even had flying dreams!) Chris Evans, the old-fashioned Captain America, has eyes one could swim in, and is wonderful to watch, including his rear! I thoroughly enjoyed Mark Ruffalo’s conflicted Dr. Banner who dares not lose control for fear of unleashing a HULK of gigantic proportions, which reminded me of a pumped-up, seeing-red, giant green Rottweiler. I loved the scene where he is given an instruction that he follows with abandon: “SMASH!” I also laughed uncontrollably when he was unleashed on a perfectly-played vile Loki, by actor Tom Hiddleston, whose beguiling face and compelling eyes belie his vengeful and hate-filled character. He reminds me of one of the sable antelope which grace the entrance to the Palace of the Lost City in South Africa, when he wears his full costume.

Amongst all this heart-pounding testosterone, Scarlett Johanssen’s Black Widow is smooth and sexy but no pushover. Her character is a new addition for me and she does her role justice. Apart from the multiple roles women play in life (particularly being a single parent - a role I became intensely familiar with) such as Mother, Father, Nurse, Teacher, Cook, Housekeeper, Taxi, Peacekeeper, Social Secretary to name but a few - it is good to see a woman as an actual Superhero! The Black Widow is no ordinary ex-Russian spy. Not only does she physically put men in their place (so to speak), but she psyches them out and then applies balm to the wound (when they are deserving). She displays great skill in one so lithe, athletic and beautiful - (or perhaps her body double does)?

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is mighty and imposing indeed, and what a Hammer. I definitely look forward to seeing more of him! Jeremy Renner plays a delectable and lofty Hawkeye (and as my Readers already know – I have an interest in and affinity for birds!) Throw in a handful of good-looking and intelligent agents and bunches of ugly and evil aliens bent on taking over our world and the end result was entertaining, exciting and uplifted by a lovely sense of humor which accompanied the action, and enough eye-candy to satisfy the hearts of both women and men! Yes, we will always appreciate a heart-throb!

All of our yummy heroes are brought together to fight a common enemy and they are loosely held together by a tall and imposing Nick Fury – who would not recognize the magnetism of Samuel L. Jackson? Aboard a vehicle I would most certainly love to have – one which holds many surprises and revelations of futuristic technology, we accompany S.H.I.E.L.D. and witness the movie’s non-stop narrative of extreme action and exciting scenarios as our heroes band together to defeat Evil and we are taken along for the ride. If you have read comic books, or seen other movies with a similar theme, you'll pretty much know the plot. 'Nuff said.... as we all know, united we stand, divided we fall. Which will it be?

As you may well have noticed, dear Reader, mine is not the type of critique which movie schools teach their students, but you may always find in my reviews, a personal reaction and one which reaches into my experiences as a human being. I hope you find these entertaining and enjoyable to read and would love to hear from you about how a movie impacts itself on you. Don't forget to rate it when you've seen it :) Thanks for reading and please visit again soon.