Review: The Avengers

High Fashion

Oh...wait, that's not right...

That's better.

All I can say about Joss Whedon's The Avengers is "Wow." I think that it's the perfect climax to what the five Avenger-verse films (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, & Captain America: The First Avenger) had been building towards. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

When is RDJ not a (loveable) doucher?

The Avengers is the giant "Screw you! Do you see what happens when you let me do my thing, Hollywood?" from Joss Whedon that has been festering for years. Aside from his Oscar nomination for being one of the writers of Toy Story (he was the one who made you actually care about the toys), his track record in Hollywood has been spotty, at best. Most of the time, his scripts get butchered by needless rewrites or directors changing things during shooting (Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Alien: Resurrection come to mind), or his films are box office bombs, regardless of how good they are (Serenity & Titan: A.E.).

Don't remember this? Yeah, most don't.

If there's one thing that Whedon knows, it's how to become the darling of Nerdom. If there is a close second, it's how to properly make an ensemble piece. The Avengers is just more proof of that. He takes great pains to be true to each character, without weakening them to make the others shine. Though...

Oh look, Tony Stark's being a dick to the potential timebomb. Shock.

With limited screen time, Whedon has finally given the Hulk his due. You finally see the fallout of what Banner really has to deal with: not the wanton damage he causes while fighting off enemies, but the collateral damage and unrestrained terror that he causes to his allies. Unlike the previous two films based on the character, Whedon uses The Avengers as a way to not tell, but actually show Banner's greatest fear. and IT. IS. AWESOME. 

Avengers: Assemble...biatch.

Listen, I could gush about this movie all day I could go over why it's the single greatest film of all time (biggest opening weekend, biggest 2nd weekend, beloved by critics & audiences alike, audiences full of multi-time viewers, doesn't really solely on IMAX & 3D as money-making gimmicks, damn funny, damn entertaining, 93% at Rotten Tomatoes, etc.), but I don't want to get into any specifics. So, let's get to numbers:

Movie - 5 out of 5 Stars

Awesomeness - 5 out of 5 Undies Peed in Due to Glee

Hulk Smashes - ALL OF THE HULK SMASHES!!!!

Heehee...this makes me giggle.

Listen, if you are reading this article, I'm sure you've already seen the movie. That's cool. Go see it again. If you haven't seen it yet, what the Hell? Do you live under a rock? GO SEE IT NOW! But, I digress. All I know is that everything seems to be coming up Milhouse for Joss Whedon in Hollywood this year: The Avengers is the biggest movie in the world, The Cabin in the Woods is a bona fide success, and his upcoming film, a black and white adaptation of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing which he shot in 12 days...with a bunch of his friends...basically at his house, is one of the most hotly anticipated films to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival. The future's so bright, Whedon's got to wear shades. Which is a good idea, anyway...he's very pale.

Look at all the Whedon mainstays...

Fun Fact: Ashley Johnson is in Much Ado. She also played the waitress that Cap saves in the film's climax. More importantly, though, she played Chrissy Seaver on Growing Pains.