The Avengers Kick Ass Onscreen and at the Box Office
About a week ago I made an Intrade bet that The Avengers would make more than $175 million in its opening weekend in the US. The film has gone on to have the best opening weekend (without considering inflation) of any film in the US and Canada. I won $15 on the bet, but I really won at the theater. I’ve seen The Avengers twice in two days, and it gets better every time.
Ever since my cousin and I saw Captain America twice in two days, I assured him I would find a way to make it to Bismarck, North Dakota for opening weekend of The Avengers so we could see it at my favorite theater, The Grand. I didn’t disappoint, and neither did The Avengers. Besides The Artist, The Avengers is the best film I’ve seen in 2012.
We bought our tickets 2 hours in advance then went back to my cousin’s where I smoked a bowl, but we probably should have just stayed at the theater because by the time we arrived at 6:30 for the 7:00 show the line filled the entire lobby. We were lucky to get 3 seats together, but we had to sit in the second row to get them. We got a large tub of popcorn, a $9 investment, but well worth it. The Grand has the best buttered popcorn I’ve ever had (I had the munchies), and we took home a nice Avengers gallon bucket as a keepsake. As the previews began to roll I started to get goosebumps, not for The Avengers, but because I knew we’d see the new Dark Knight Rises trailer. After three uninteresting trailers and the trailer for the new G.I. Joe movie (which I am now excited to see), the Dark Knight made his presence felt, but the trailer was shockingly disappointing. Sure it built some suspense, but the trailer had a slow tempo and revealed very little we didn’t already know. I turned to my cousin who agreed the trailer was mediocre, but then The Avengers began and faint cheers erupted from the audience – 40-year-old men and young boys alike.
With so many stars battling for screen time, I have to respect how well each of The Avengers was portrayed. The real surprise for me was Mark Ruffalo’s performance as Dr. Bruce Banner and The Hulk. He played Banner with a calm, controlled demeanor, as he should, but The Hulk really shined in the action scenes and at times provided hilarious comic relief. I really hope Marvel brings Ruffalo back for a new Hulk movie. Robert Downey Jr. and Ruffalo had great chemistry on-screen, and Iron Man certainly pulled his own as self-proclaimed superstar or The Avengers. Captain America is the glue that holds The Avengers together, and Chris Evans took the leadership role very seriously. He is the voice of old-fashioned reason throughout the film. Thor impresses as any demigod should. As for the human Avengers, Scarlett Johansson looks better than ever as Black Widow, and Jeremy Renner is the perfect Hawkeye. There really isn’t a poor performance from anyone in the entire film. You have to hand it to director Joss Whedon. He really used this star-studded cast to its maximum potential.
Performances aside, The Avengers is the definitive summer blockbuster. It’s so action-packed it channels Michael Bay. The Avengers puts Transformers to shame, though, and it’s certainly good preparation for what will be the most action-packed movie ever made – The Expendables 2, which also releases this summer. Everyone in the world needs to see The Avengers in action, and I can’t wait for the sequel…and the sequel to the sequel.
THE VERDICT (94/100): A must-see for the summer blockbuster fan, and worth seeing a few times if you’re a huge Marvel fan. Probably one of the best comic book movies ever made behind Batman, The Dark Knight, X-men, Spider-man, and Superman.
