Across the Universe Podcast: Episode 24

Episode 24: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

In this episode, Mette, Sofia and I talk about the newest Marvel offering, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It's a super fun episode as we introduce a new feature, the uber-sophisticated game of "Fuck, Marry, Kill". As you can guess, we giggle the hell out of this episode but it's a fun one. We hope you enjoy it :)

Content: 

00:43: Chick-chatter
03:24: Trailer
03:55: Interesting Movie of the Fortnight
17:03: Main discussion on Captain America: The Winter Soldier
55:40: Fuck, Marry, Kill: Superhero edition
1:10:35: Plugs and Goodbyes

Songs:

David Zippel and Alan Menken "Star Spangled Man"

Marvin Gaye "Trouble Man"

Rufus Wainwright "Across The Universe"

Follow us at: facebook.com/acrosstheuniversepodcast
Write to us at: acrosstheuniversepodcast@gmail.com
Find us on iTunes: search for Across the Universe Podcast
Listen to us on: Stitcher Radio
Download episodes from: Our Dropbox page

Across the Universe Podcast: Episode 5

Episode 5: Kryptonite

This time 'round, Sofia, Mette and I discuss the new Superman movie, Man of Steel, and then do a Super-Duper Questionnaire about superhero movies. 

P.S. There are a number of places where I say "Superhero" instead of "Superman" because apparently I have trouble remembering words now. Sorry!

P.P.S. There is a lot of Henry Cavill gushing- you have been warned.

Content:

0:23- Chick-chatter

2:22- Trailer

3:13- Interesting Movie of the Fortnight

19:55- General discussion on Man of Steel

40:45- Super-Duper Questionnaire

1:15:14- Plugs and Goodbyes

Songs:

R.E.M. "Superman"

3 Doors Down "Kryptonite"

Cilla Black "Across The Universe"

Follow us at: facebook.com/acrosstheuniversepodcast
Write to us at: acrosstheuniversepodcast@gmail.com

Find us on iTunes: search for Across the Universe Podcast

"What's the S stand for?"

            SERIOUS it seems. When the first trailers of Man of Steel hit the net, I was a little concerned about it looking too grim. And well, it really really was.

           Man of Steel (2013) takes us back to the origins of the famed son of Krypton (a very accurate description actually), when Jor-El sends his only son Kal-El to Earth as their home planet is on the verge of destruction due to natural factors and the rebellious General Zod. Kal grows up as Clark Kent, raised by human parents who believe that the world isn't ready for his superhuman powers and his extraterrestrial truth. When he departs to look for answers about himself, Clark constantly, though discreetly, helps people around him. This grabs the attention of Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Lois Lane who tries to find out who this guardian angel is. When finally Clark finds out the truth, the fact that he is a child of two worlds, he has to make the choice about what kind of man he wants to be. In the midst of all this, an old enemy resurfaces.

              Let me start with what I really loved about Man of Steel, and that are its beginning and its ending. The film starts off in Krypton, but unlike the slightly bland planet shown in the first Superman movie, this is a wondrous alien world with all sorts of structures and creatures. One can understand why it is considered advanced. Here we meet Jor-El, played remarkably well by Javert Russell Crowe, trying to drill some sense into the Kryptonian bureaucrats and then kicking ass once Zod attacks. We see the kind of sacrifices made in order for Kal-El to live. It's a spectacular retelling of a story we're all familiar with. Then there is the ending, which after some two hours of oh so seriousness, shows us another well-known facet of this tale- Superman as Clark Kent, and also gives us much-needed levity and cause for hope. It is interesting to note that in a film all about hope and whatnot, it is this part that succeeds best.

        Now for the really big chunk in the middle. Right before I saw Man of Steel, I revisited Superman (1978) and properly watched for the first time Superman II (1980), and I really enjoyed myself. I thought it was a good idea to remind myself of the tale and the man before watching the latest installment of this saga. In retrospect, that hasn't worked out for the best as we should really not compare them. If anything, people should now start weighing all superhero movies against Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy. And this precisely was my biggest issue with Man of Steel. As much as I loved the trilogy, I hate that all superhero movies now think that they too need to get all deep and serious (except my beloved The Avengers of course). That formula worked with Batman, but it just feels off with something as fun and, well, slightly silly (you can try and make us forget the red underpants as much as you want) as Superman. Now I am not a comic book person so maybe I am getting this all wrong, but I really wish Man of Steel was a little more lighthearted than that.

            I understand that they were trying to make us more familiar with who Superman is, and I appreciate it as well, but it could have been done with a little humour, no? And I felt that the film had the right elements for it too. I really admired what Henry Cavill was doing when he was being slightly condescending to humans. Christopher Reeves's Superman too had that smirky endearing quality to him. Coming to the villain though, I was really saddened by how they made Michael Shannon's Zod kind of dull. Okay, he's bad and he has different motivations than Terrence Stamp's megalomaniacal one, but then? My favourite part of a superhero movie is always the supervillain (unless you are Tony Stark of course), and that's because they are entertaining. He didn't even say "Kneel before Zod" which is an awesome catchphrase! And honestly, where were the catchphrases? He was just evil. Meh. Before watching the movie, I was certain that I would get to see Shannon bring his special brand of zany villainy to the game (see: Premium Rush) but he didn't, and that was really disappointing.

          Next, the love interest. I was most excited for Amy Adams's casting as Lois Lane. I personally like Superman Returns, but even I can't defend Kate Bosworth who was terribly miscast as the feisty lady love of the man of steel. Adams seemed perfect, but alas, she caught the serious bug too. Again, I was intrigued by the film showing Adams's Lois as a proper, determined, intelligent, investigative journalist who is actually able to find out who Superman really was and who does not fall for that completely idiotic glasses on-and-off schtick of his. However, somehow in all of that, all her charm was lost which is insane because when I think of Amy Adams, I picture sunshine and rainbows. Sadly, none of that made it into the movie. Margot Kidder was absolutely adorable as Lois Lane in the original Superman movies and I really believed that they would get this right with Adams.

          And then there was the romance. I think I prefer Superman II a little over Superman except for two sequences in the latter, both of which had to do with Superman's and Lois's relationship. The first was when Superman took Lois on a flight (that's literally what it was) and it is simply one of the most magical scenes in film history. And then when, spoilers for those who haven't watched the film yet, he turns back time to save her. I mean, god that's romantic and where can I find a guy who can do that for me?! But I digress. Of course the ending gives us hope for such things in the definite sequels, but my problem here was that Man of Steel lacked that magic that their relationship brought to the other films. And I didn't understand why, spoilers again, they even had that romantic moment. They had this mutual respect thing going on that I could get behind, but then that happened and I was left very confused.

            My final issue with the film is the fight sequences in the climax. They just went on and on and on. I was completely desensitised by the end of it, and somehow I think so was Superman. The amount of destruction that this film shows possibly surpasses those in any other such films. It just felt really pointless and counter-productive, to be honest. And it was so weird to see Superman really not caring about any of it and just going on fighting and probably destroying more things than the villains would have done themselves. I think if they had cut out one of the three major action sequences at the end, probably the first one in Smallville, it would have been so much more effective and less brain-hammering. The seriousness followed by all the chaos and noise became too much for me at times.

             Even though all this makes it sound like I hated the movie, I assure you I did not. I liked it actually, just not too much. I praise the overall look of the film. Most of the wide shots were absolutely breathtaking, and the effects with Krypton and their very unique-looking technology were really cool. Some of the fight scenes, especially the hand-to-hand ones did look video game-y at times, but that can be ignored.

         As I touched upon earlier, I thought that Henry Cavill was quite commendable as our hero. He fits the role as snugly as the new suit fits him ^^ He was just really believable as this extraordinary man, both physically and emotionally. And as the female soldier says in the end, he's hot and that does not hurt one bit (all the chiseled jaw-ness *sighs*). Again, Russell Crowe did a pretty good job too, even though I laughed the loudest when his character died. Well, no one else actually laughed but that's because their sense of humour sucks. Kevin Costner, who played Papa Kent, was also good, although admittedly I did not like the character a lot till we saw what he did for Clark in a really fantastic scene that resonates with me more than that entire cacophony of a climax. My favourite supporting character in the film however was Martha Kent played by Diane Lane. I absolutely loved her. She was so wonderful and caring and her relationship with Clark was perfect. I have nothing to say about Lawrence Fishburne's Perry White except that he was boring and forgettable.

          Zack Snyder, who directed the film, was an interesting choice for it. It must be noted that he *has* made one of the best superhero movies ever, Watchmen. As I said, even though I liked that he showed us how Superman came to be, properly and in detail, I just wish he had been less heavy-handed with the material. He got the tone so right with Watchmen, it is a shame that he got side-tracked with the Nolanisation in this. Of course Nolan is a producer and though that will bring audiences into the theatre, I don't know how happy it will make them once in there.

             I went to watch this with my little brother and my mother. My brother absolutely enjoyed every second of it and my mother got a headache and therefore hated it (thank god, we didn't go for 3D. I would not have heard the end of it). Though I am more on the side of my twelve-year-old-going-through-a-weirdly-aggressive-preteen-phase sibling, I can understand my mother's viewpoint too.

         If I were to make an equation for Man of Steel it would be Snyder's Superman + Nolan - Charm. If you are up for it, do go and watch it.

"You know, it's moments like these when I realize how much of a superhero I am."

         Just as Iron Man had a lot riding on its back being the first film in the Avengers Phase 1, Iron Man 3 also comes with sky-high expectations as it starts the cycle of Avengers Phase 2. Added to that, it is following-up to what I believe is the best "superhero" superhero film ever, The Avengers, and the slight disappointment that was Iron Man 2. The odds were pretty well-matched as to whether it would fail or pass. Thankfully, with the help of a slightly mature but not overly-serious cough*The Dark Knight Rises*cough storyline, a very interesting villain, spectacular effects, a super hot Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr.'s Robert Downey Jr.-ness, what we have is a solid superhero movie that is a great start to this year's summer blockbuster season proper.

           The film starts after the events of The Avengers, when Tony Stark had had a near-death experience while fighting the aliens in New York which has left him shaken, so much so that even the mention of "aliens" or "New York" gives him panic attacks. His fiery lady-love Pepper Potts is concerned as this is taking a toll on their relationship. Plus there is a new baddie in town called the Mandarin who likes sending out really well-edited video clips of his terrorist attacks as "lessons" to the American president, amd may or may not have something to do with a very jaded Aldrich Killian. When the safety of his friends and Pepper is put in harm's way, Tony has to take "good old-fashioned revenge" with the help of his best friend Colonel James "Iron Patriot/War Machine" Rhodes, and his occasionally unreliable iron suits.

          That's so much for the basic plot. The Iron Man movies for me have always been about Robert Downey Jr.'s plain awesome portrayal of Tony Stark. I tend to side with the supervillains in most cases, but not here. Casting Downey Jr. as Stark has been one of the most inspired casting choices in perhaps ever, and that is not only because of the cockiness and the one-liner spewing splendour that he possesses, but also because he is a fantastic actor who can act with just his face in most of his "big" scenes. Before going for this film, I saw the first two Iron Man movies and realised this. I mean yes, the iron suit is cool as hell, but we wouldn't be half as crazy about Iron Man were he not played by Downey Jr. His Tony can be both a narcissistic jerk and an emotional, caring man, sometimes at the same time. Just watch all of his scenes with the precocious kid, Harley, in this film and you will agree with me. Also he gets to do a lot without the iron suit in it and we see how he is a hero through and through. He IS Iron Man.

         I have always loved Gwyneth Paltrow's performance as Pepper Potts. She is someone who is an equal to Tony, and can both reprimand him and care for him. Iron Man 3 sees her doing so better than ever. She was just incredible in this movie. I am not going to talk about what she does or what happens with her, but trust me, she is as kick-ass here as Natasha Romanoff was in The Avengers. Totally fangirling.

            The rest of the impressive cast includes Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Ty Simpkins and of course Sir Ben Kingsley. As I said, I just rewatched the Iron Man series and while I still have a soft spot for Terrence Howard's portrayal of Rhodes, Cheadle does a more than decent job with the character. He gets to do a lot of stunts in this film and his chemistry with Downey Jr. is excellent. I think for spoilers sake, I will not go into much detail about Pearce's and Kingsley's characters, Killian and the Mandarin respectively, except that they are both very effective antagonists to our man of iron (see what I did there?). Kingsley particularly shines after his big twist is revealed. I felt that Hall was quite wasted in this film, which is a shame because she is a very engaging actress. My favourite supporting cast member however turned out to be a child actor, Simpkins, who plays Harley. He ends up being a total match for the wit and sarcasm of Tony Stark himself and completely holds his own in all of their scenes together.

           Among the returning cast members, we have Jon Favreau as Happy who very good as comic relief, especially with all the Downton Abbey-loving and Paul Bettany who voices Jarvis and I feel is a very integral member of the movies as he tends to be as much a part of the Iron Man suit as Tony. This is the first time we don't see much of S.H.I.E.L.D. though there is a tiny morsel of something related in the post-credits scene.

          The story was written by the director Shane Black and Drew Pearce. As I said in the opening paragraph, it would not have been easy for them to write something that follows The Avengers but they did quite a good job, especially when it came to integrating the events of The Avengers and making Tony a much more human figure as a result. He is, after all, a man with as many problems as the rest of us, though he deals with them differently since he is a genius, playboy, philanthropist, millionaire. The scenes when he has to fight back as himself, without the iron suit, were very well-written and just added layers to the character of Tony. I also liked how they represented evil in the form of Mandarin. The dialogue of course was as snappy as they come, and if this indeed is the last solo Iron Man movie as the closing events of the film seem to suggest, they have written a perfectly satisfying and enjoyable end to the trilogy.

           Black has done a remarkable job of directing this film. The cinema crowd that I saw the film with broke out in applause a number of times while watching the film and rightly so. It was quite a tight movie that kept us rapt and entertained throughout. Effects-wise, the "barrel of monkeys" scene and the entire last act was very impressive and even awe-inducing at times. Those of us who are Iron Man fiends will have a field day seeing ALL of the iron suits that the film, well, shows off.

           Many people are calling this the best film of the trilogy. I still believe that the first one was the most perfect film of the three and remains as one of the best action movies I have ever seen. Iron Man 3 does falter in parts, with its slightly incoherent plot regarding Extremis and a rather rushed ending, but it is still leaps and bounds ahead of Iron Man 2 (which personally I don't find *that* terrible).

          A true summer blockbuster with a superhero for the ages, do check out Iron Man 3 as soon as you can. I personally can't wait to see Iron Man back in The Avengers 2 now.

Put the Blame on Mame- Superhero Edition

           There is no denying that this is the year of the superheroes, with The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises literally rising above the rest *cough*The Amazing Spider-Man*cough*.

          I had already decided in my head that the only film I might be comparing TDKR to is The Avengers when I went to see the former. For me personally, The Avengers is a much better movie, but lets not get into that yet. Because of this thought, I have been unable to stop myself from matching elements from both these films against each other. Which is a bit of an impossible task because apart from their most basic genres, brilliant casts and totally awesome directors, they are completely different movies. Except for one more thing- the badass, kick-ass, black spandex-clad, sexy, dry-humoured-to-perfection women- Natasha Romanoff of The Avengers and Selina Kyle of The Dark Knight Rises.

Anne Hathaway plays Selina Kyle in TDKR. Now Hathaway had huge Michelle Pfeiffer-sized shoes to fill, or so I thought. The great thing about the movie and how she plays it is that they create a totally different character and steered clear of that path. Hathaway plays her with a lot of wit and sexiness, probably the only glimmer of humour in a very grim movie. She is a femme fatale, but there is also the potential to be someone much better and greater. I did not expect to be this blown away by Hathaway's portrayal of Kyle, but she easily became the best part of the movie for me.





Scarlett Johannson played Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in The Avengers and Ironman 2 earlier. She was pretty cool in the latter, but she was almost scene-stealing in the first. That is high-praise because The Avengers is such an ensemble piece. She is a very adept and an uber-awesome spy- almost like a female James Bond, but without all the showiness. The only girl in the gang of all the superhero boys, but completely on par with them.
Like Hathaway, I did not expect the usually delicate-looking Johannson to be this tough and dangerous. But she is, and is totally believable.



        I have a weird theory in my head that Kyle is almost like an earlier version of Romanoff. They are both absolutely brilliant characters, that have been played beyond all expectations by both these actresses. They each need their own movies, where they can do what they do best- say wry one-liners and kick butt!


            I don't know who I like more honestly. Hathaway's Kyle might become more iconic because of the people's reaction to her film, but I cannot deny the fact that I really wanted to be Johannson's Romanoff throughout her movie.

The Amazing Spider-Man. NOT.

          If you ever see my face at the beginning of a movie in a cinema hall, I have a huge smile because I am genuinely excited for what I am about to see. I was like that when The Amazing Spider-Man started, but by the time it was over, I literally sprinted out of the hall. What changed you may ask? Well the movie kind of sucked pretty bad...


*SLIGHT SPOILERS*

            The Amazing Spider-Man tries to look into the origins of how Peter Parker came to be. Abandoned by his parents as a little boy, Peter grows up under the watchful and caring eyes of his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. But when he accidentally finds some clues to why his parents disappeared, they lead him to the amputee scientist Dr. Curt Connors. While trying to figure all of this out, he gets bitten by a radioactive spider from Connors lab and gets special abilities. In between finding out who he is and what he can do with his new powers, Peter also has his long-time crush Gwen Stacy, and her police captain father, to worry about. And when something drastic happens to Connors that endangers the lives of everyone, he has to save the day.


              So first of all, let me make it very clear- this whole different origin story is, in the words of Dr. Sheldon Cooper, poppycock. It sure starts off that way, but all that gets brushed aside once Peter gets his spidey powers and then we are basically watching a second-hand copy of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. One thing that The Amazing Spider-Man succeeded in doing for me was to truly appreciate the Sam Raimi trilogy, because this whole reboot was the most unnecessary thing to come out since the Conan the Barbarian remake (I haven't actually seen it or the original, but I cannot imagine people thinking otherwise). 

             The story does begin in a more secretive, mysterious way. Until the part Peter gets his powers, it is quite an entertaining and different film. One of the more ingenious sequences in the movie is Peter coming to terms with his powers. It is funny and also sort of surreal and cool. From there on though, it just goes downhill. Plot-lines get introduced and abandoned just as quickly, like what really happened to Peter's parents or the elusive Norman Osborn with his illness. There is no build-up of any kind and things just seem to happen. Of course the whole story is exactly like what we saw in Spider-Man. The dialogue is okay-ish. There are a few humorous lines and comebacks, but none which reach the sort of iconic level that big budget superhero action movies are expected to have. No "spidey senses" tingled and even this film's version of "with great power comes great responsibility" was too long to remember.


               Obviously the story suffers because nearly all of us have seen the Sam Raimi version from only ten years ago. It is a bit of a double whammy because I hated feeling like I was watching a copy, but then it wasn't even copied properly, which infuriated me even more. Like when Peter takes Gwen swinging around the city, they don't focus on them, or what comes after. Or when Connors is shown having his evil sub-conscious talk loudly to him, which was exactly what happened with Osborn in Spider-Man, but it isn't as eerie.

                 Another huge misstep for me was the way the film was made. Marc Webb, the director, has only made one feature film before this, and that was the romcom (500) Days of Summer. Apart from maybe his surname, I don't know what qualified him to make this film. There are like textbook action stuff that this film completely overlooks. For instance, when Connors has transformed into Lizard for the first time, there isn't that big revelatory moment that is so obvious when it comes to a character like this. The film jumps around and never focuses where it needs to focus. It completely fails to find the balance between action, romance and humour. Thinking back right now, I don't understand how it was two hours and fifteen minutes long since nothing was given enough time, but then again, sitting in the audience at the time, the film seemed to go on and on for me.  Most of the effects were really gimicky, especially the POV shots. Even the lizards looked fake, which was weird. The big crisis that happens at the end of such movies never really felt like one because hardly anyone seems to be affected. Even the "cool" sequences were "lame" because the film did not know how to set them up properly and what to do with them after. Cars were left dangling on bridges and schools were attacked out of nowhere and cranes were aligned and whatnot. I honestly feel that Michael Bay could have done a better job, because say what you want about him, the man knows how to construct an action scene.


           The biggest drawback is what this film did with its cast. First of all, Andrew Garfield is too good-looking to be Peter Parker. I do really love his love for the character and he does a more than decent job of playing him, but I just could not believe for a second that this wasn't a guy everyone was in love with. When he's Peter Parker, he's absolutely cool and adorable at the same time and when he's Spider-man, well, the costume um, compliments him perfectly :P I would actually count this as a plus in the sense that if not for anything, girls can watch this film to gush over his perfect looks. But then you take things into perspective, and a guy like that can never be an unpopular geek. Tobey Maguire is normal-looking, so this was very believable when he payed the part. Garfield on the other hand, is gorgeous and fine. Hell even the bully Flash looked like he was in love with him!

             And then we come to Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy- oh cruel wasted potential! My biggest problem with the Sam Raimi films was the over-emphasis on the v.v.v. annoying Mary Jane Watson. This film barely notices Gwen Stacy. Which is a shame because every second she is in the shot, the screen lights up. Her character, unfortunately, isn't allowed to flesh out at all. There is a scene with Gwen and her dad talking in their hallway about cocoa, and it is the quintessential Emma Stone humour that can make any film that much more entertaining, and that is all there is of it! I mean it is even worse that they give us this little taste of what could have been and then take it away, rather than just nothing all the way. This whole film is actually full of little tasters such as these, and nothing more! Gahhh.


             The chemistry between Garfield and Stone was superb. They are so cute together that you almost want to forgive the entire movie because it led these two perfect specimens to each other. But again, I hated the way their love story is handled because I could not digest that their two characters would end up caring about each other so much over so little time. Also their first kiss is so Bollywood, I audibly groaned with disgust when it happened.

              The villain, Dr. Connors aka Lizard, is played by Welsh actor Rhys Ifans. I did not like this villain at all. First of all, he did not feel as dangerous as the others. Secondly, I hate lizards and the whole concept gives me the creeps. Thirdly, he looks terrible. I love Ifans, but his transformation from honest scientist and pioneer to a gutter-loving ego-maniacal reptile-thing-person was not that impressive and kind of random. The action scenes between him and Spider-man are not remotely enthralling or something that takes your breath away. Then again, nothing in this film does that, but Ifans with his timing was bound to be more interesting. He just didn't invoke the kind of fear and awe that a supervillain should; just a weird need to want to bathe yourself because all of it is so icky.


              My absolutely favourite thing about The Amazing Spider-Man was Dennis Leary as Captain Stacy. He was snappy and funny and sincere. He stole the scene every time he was there because he was just such a fantastic character, and Leary played him with so much wit and honesty. He was a no-nonsense man in a stupid nonsense movie. Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, Sally Field as Aunt May and Irrfan Khan as Rajit Ratha/ that-shady-Indian-businessman-dude were all okay.

               Other things were also disappointing. There were things from the trailers that were missing. I had expected at least the soundtrack to be good, seeing how (500) Days has an excellent tracklist, but apart from a very Footloose-esque sequence of Peter skateboarding and and discovering his powers, there was zilch. As my friend pointed out, even Twilight has an adequate soundtrack. One huge plus to the movie however, was the anticipated Stan Lee cameo that may just be his best one ever.


             After mouthing-off about this film the entire day, I feel that I might have been too harsh about it. But honestly, just thinking about it right now is making me angry. No, I did not expect The Amazing Spider-Man to be "amazing" or well, The Avengers, but I thought it will be okay enough to let it pass by. Instead I got a headache watching this totally unnecessary reboot of what I now know to be a very good set of movies. It is evident that there will be a sequel because helloo?, Hollywood is cuckoo, and also since there was some extra scene at the end of the credits that I missed because I had to get out of the hall to let all the steam escape from my ears. I just hope that the studios learn from their mistakes and get a proper director who can exploit the immeasurable talents of Garfield and Stone and get an actual supervillain.


            Watch it if you must. You may like it and then tell me all about it. Or you may hate it and I'll get to tell you "I told you so". Eitherways, The Amazing Spider-Man was a terrible movie that even my fake-husband Andrew Garfield and my fake-bff Emma Stone could not save for me. Now that is depressing.

"I still believe in heroes."

Note: What shall now ensue is a highly excited, and most likely klutzy, energy-bubble-of-a-review. Just think that a happy Hulk wrote it :)           


             WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT?! As much I was looking forward to it, a little part of me was certain that The Avengers, with so many other generally entertaining films leading up to it, a plethora of "heroes" ready to outshine each other, a probably incompetent script, and possibly one too many Michael Bay-esque explosions, would be a bust. Even my more hopeful side was pretty convinced that it would fall prey to at least one of the dangerous missteps above. But WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT THAT IT WILL BE *THIS* MINDBLOWINGLY BRILLIANT!!

                 Nick Fury, director of the secret agency S.H.I.E.L.D., has the Tesseract, a mysterious object that is the source of unknown energy, and with the help of physicist Dr. Erik Selvig, is trying to harness its power. When the Tesseract suddenly gets activated, it opens a portal through which the exiled god Loki steps through. Loki has made a pact with an evil alien race called the Chitauri, who will help him conquer Earth in exchange for the Tesseract. Loki, forever the god of mischief, starts to wreak havoc the moment he comes and soon Fury has to recruit a team of super soldiers, assasins, a demi god and a Hulk to fight these lethal enemies and save the earth.


                 I am not going into more detail than that. Prior to watching it, I carefully, and with rather difficulty, avoided all the reviews of this film, and I think everyone should do that (except this one of course *wink*). You may think that the one billion promotional photos and videos may be giving things away, but it really is not the case. The film was literally nothing like what I expected it to be. I mean I am no comic book nerd, and those who are may know details about the stories that I didn't. Still I am quite the lover of superhero movies, well-made action movies, smart movies, movies with great one-liners, movies that are outstanding ensemble pieces and movies with a superb supervillain for me to geek out on. The Avengers was all of this, and maybe even more.

               Let's break this down one by one. This might just become my favourite "superhero" superhero film ever, when compared to every other film of this genre except the Nolan Batman trilogy because those films are a number of other things too. Ever since Ironman in 2008, the big screen adaptations of Marvel comics have been a big marketing campaign with little clues and pointers spread out throughout them. One may even say that the whole of Captain America was more or less a trailer to The Avengers. It must have been a colossal task to put it all together in such a way that everything fits and that all the major characters that we have seen and loved in the previous films get enough spotlight, while also creating a unique and effective story. Joss Whedon of the Buffy fame, who also directed the film, co-wrote the story with Zak Penn and they were successful in completing this task. Sure there was some science-y jargon that no one got, but it is an intelligent script, and equally important, a really funny one. This film is packed with one-liners and humorous situations. Like in the case of Tintin, it is a whole another experience when a full house laughs and cheers at a joke or a scene, and The Avengers provided us with many such instances that made it really fun.


             Now since it is a superhero film, there are some expectations that we all go in with. We know that there will be a few blasts and and a couple of brawls and maybe some shooting etc. The special effects in The Avengers were very good. While I wouldn't call them groundbreaking, I will say that they were exactly the right amount. There wasn't the novelty of Ironman's suit, which is still incredibly cool, or the glittery world of Asgard, or an astoundingly tiny version of Chris Evans. But I liked the fact that the effects in The Avengers don't overwhelm you, which is what they usually seem to do. I did see this in 3D and too much CGI becomes painful, but the film used the technology skillfully. The overall look and feel of the film definitely was quite stunning. Even amongst the booms and bangs, we see characters fighting at street level and it just felt so normal when compared to say huge metal robots bashing down buildings like bowling pins. The action sequences were quite cleverly crafted so as to use the various powers of all these different superheroes perfectly. Also, this is the film where I feel Hulk has the most realistic look yet.

              Coming to the cast, this film truly wins for me in what it manages to do with such an assortment of extraordinary persons. Too many cooks can spoil the broth, and similarly too many superheroes probably can destroy the world, or worse a film. However, The Avengers finds itself in the company of those rare films where ensemble casts work immaculately well with each other. The story gives enough room for each character to grow and flesh out without focusing on any one individual. Even someone as relatively common as Agent Phil Coulson, played by the lovely Clark Gregg, has an excellent character arc and story. Talking about them separately, the returning and already established superheroes- Ironman, Thor and Captain America, are as fun and heroic as ever. Robert Downey Jr. who plays the "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist" Tony Stark/Ironman is cocky and epic and has some of the best lines in the film. The ginormous Chris Hemsworth is Thor, who is now humble, but still has the airs of a god and a complimenting presence. Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America is remains as the goody two-shoes, and adorably so. These three clash the most because they have each battled evil before, and they each think their own way is the right way.


             But I really appreciated the script when it came to the characters we didn't know as well. Jeremy Renner plays Clint Barton/Hawkeye, a character we knew nothing of, and he is given an interesting story. Another elusive character is that of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow played by Scarlett Johannson. This is definitely one of the best performances that she has ever given. She was cool and tough and though in no way Russian, pretty kickass nonetheless. Now Bruce Banner/Hulk has been portrayed twice before onscreen and though I like Edward Norton, I was never into the big green guy. However with Mark Ruffalo's nuanced meekness, the change becomes all the more amazing. While I still proclaim that all the characters were on an equal footing for me in this film, I have to give extra credit to Whedon for finally making me a fan of Hulk. I can now see what little boisterous boys see in him and I seriously admire that.

             Last but not the least, Tom Hiddleston as Loki was a fantastic supervillain. It is no mean feat for a relatively new comer like him to stand his own against so many more accomplished actors playing such juicy characters. But Hilddleston's Loki, with his eloquent and poisonous way of talking, chilly glare and snarly smile, and quite a commanding presence, is a serious antagonist for all our heroes. One scene where I especially liked him when he almost slithers down a flight of stairs in Germany before striking someone with his sceptre. It is quite an Alex DeLarge sort of moment. Also when he is ruthlessly insulting Natasha, I couldn't help but think about The Silence of the Lambs. These are some of my favourite negative characters, so you can understand how much I love Loki.


            All hats off to Whedon for what he has done with this film, against all odds. He has managed to make an impeccably entertaining film, with rich and memorable characters and some splendid action sequences. I had written in my review of Chronicle that it is the superhero film to beat this year. Well, the Avengers have just hauled its little telekinetic ass out of this world. This may just become the superhero film to beat ever. I hear people are already campaigning for The Avengers to get a SAG Best Ensemble nod, and I am totally joining the party. It is too early to say now, but this may also become my Harry Potter film of the year, which is the film I personally will dream about getting a Best Picture Oscar nomination in spite of well, reality.

            In conclusion I will just like to say that I threw a fit to watch The Avengers on the opening weekend, and I am a person whose aim in life is to get independence like a fully-functioning adult. However, I acted like a child to see this film, and that is just what some of us have to do sometimes. Of course it was completely worth it, but it is also fun to be a little kid for a while with the big explosions, the whole bunch of hilarity and the good old heroes beating the villains.  The Avengers let me be that little kid and it was marvelous (pun maybe intended).