If we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we’ll avenge it
Overview
The finale of phase one of the MCU, The Avengers. All previous films leading up to this ultimate team-up of heroes, something I believe has never been done before in cinema. Avengers brings truly brings together the MCU in this film. It gives each character a moment and reason to be apart of the team.
Each character in this film manages to have a meaningful arc, which is no small feat. They are paired up in fights in a way that makes sure the audience feels what’s at stake. Hawkeye vs Black Widow, Hulk vs Thor for example. The tension between the team is very well done, and even amplified in one scene by the mind stone, right before one of the main action scenes kick off. The way each character is brought into the fold is just such a fun pay off for the previous films. This also has my favorite Bruce Banner / Hulk by far! I much prefer Mark Ruffalo in the role than Norton and not to mention the Hulk’s design is the best yet.
There’s also a real gut punch in this film and ultimately become the catalyst for the Avengers coming together; Loki kills Coulson. When it happened, I was stunned, he was easily one of my favorite non-super humans and the connecting thread between each film. Nick Fury also uses this tragedy to further push the Avengers, via Coulson’s Captain America trading cards, as a final emotional hit. This hit leads to them coming together as a team.
This all leads to ‘THE shot’, all of them standing in a circle, camera going around them, it’s just pure unadulterated hype, fan service and it’s just fucking rad. Captain America leading the team, giving them orders. “And Hulk…Smash”. So. Good.
The Villain
This is the film where Loki becomes one of, if not, the best villain in the MCU. You can see he’s sometimes conflicted about what he’s doing, but he feels trapped and follows through with the invasion anyway. He seems to be working for someone, which is a mystery until the end credits scene…which reveals, Thanos. The ultimate big bad, from then until today, we’ve known Thanos is coming. I actually suspected him in Avengers 2 however, it appears Marvel had an even longer game in play and Thanos is the finale.
World building
What’s interesting, looking back on this film now, is that it sets up future storylines. We get the best look at S.H.I.E.L.D yet. It also hints at Hydra being behind S.H.I.E.L.D via their weapon program, obviously sets up Thanos, Hulk and Thor’s rivalry and some other things I’m probably just forgetting. Avengers really succeeds at threading the world of the MCU together, in a meaningful way.
Sound Design
As per usual, the sound design in this film is superb. Every different Avenger and weapon is easily distinguished. Even when powers are combined, such as Cap and Iron Man’s repulsor + Shield combo, it’s all unique. One thing I find the MCU does very well, especially here is that it’s easy to tell how big something is from its sound. If you close your eyes you can tell the Chitauri Leviathan is huge, you can tell Hulk is bigger than Thor. It’s something I take note of in this film, how they pull that off. It’s a great study in order to learn sound design techniques.
Final Thoughts
I mean, what can I say, I love this film so much. I went to see it in the cinema so many times…I’d have a three-hour break at work and just hop to the nearby cinema to watch Avengers. This film is such an achievement and when those credits rolled, it truly felt like the start of something special and I couldn’t even begin to imagine just how special the MCU would become.
MCU Ranking
- Avengers
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Iron Man
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Captain America: The First Avenger
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Iron Man 2
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Thor
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Incredible Hulk
