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The Avengers movie art By marvelousRoland on Flickr
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So, I saw The Avengers last night with a bunch of my friends, and I have to say it was better than I had expected. Read on, it’s spoiler free…

I went into The Avengers with fairly low expectations. I wanted to see it, because I’ve seen pretty much all the movies leading up to this one, and I am quite a big Marvel fan. I hoped it would be good, but I wasn’t betting on it. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I got so engrossed in the movie that I didn’t even notice the two hours go past.

I hadn’t wanted to see the movie in 3D, but it just happened that the next available session was in 3D, so that’s what we got. I usually find that the use of 3D in movies is either under-utilised, or just used to try and surprise the viewer by throwing things towards the camera. It doesn’t really add anything to the feel or experience of the story. However, this movie got the balance of 3D elements right. It was really well combined with the sound design to give a engrossing experience. For most of the movie, it wasn’t in obvious use, but was still present, giving even the talky scenes a depth and better sense of realism. And just when you thought there wasn’t going to be any more real use of the 3D, something would come out of nowhere. One scene where I felt the 3D really added something was a shot in the clouds, where you felt immersed because the fogginess seemed to consume everything.

The way the story plays out isn’t exactly full of twists, but there are quite a few surprises. Just little shocks, little occurrences that you weren’t expecting. A funny one that isn’t really a spoiler is when Hulk punches Thor across the room, just out of nowhere. A lot of them are done for comedic effect, but some of them are more story-based. And these funny moments are quite essential in lightening up the movie and giving a relief from all the metal-smashing action.

One of my friends complained that it was a bit slow in the first hour, but I disagreed with him. The first hour doesn’t have as much action as the second but there’s definitely action in there. Now, I usually don’t like this misbalance, but it somehow worked here because even in the thick of the action, it wasn’t too over the top or fast that you couldn’t tell what was going on, like in the Transformers movies. And even in the midst of battle, the plot was unfolding. I’m a boy, sure, but I’m not that into movies that are just all action. I like movies with depth of story, with cunning plots and well-laid traps. If there’s action, I want to see why and how, not just BOOM! While The Avengers did have massive amounts of action, it was explained enough that it didn’t feel gratuitous.

I haven’t watched tonnes of stuff made by Joss Whedon, but I have seen enough to understand the cult following he has. When I first heard he was making this movie, I didn’t really believe it. It didn’t seem to fit him to be working with someone else’s ideas. But he totally pulls it off. There is something about how Joss Whedon has written the movie that lets you know he was the one that did it. I think it’s most expressed in the character development and relationships. There’s a extra sense of depth and storytelling that you wouldn’t usually get in this type of movie. He goes to the effort of trying to explain motivations, and giving the characters’ feelings. Although, this is also a testament to the talents of the actors, that they are able to express this level of depth, while keeping it witty and the story in motion.

One thing I noticed that I thought was quite stupid was that there were an unnecessary number of scenes that seemed to have been shot in the dark. Why these characters would decide to go and stand in the most ill-lit corner they could find to have a conversation doesn’t make sense to me. It did occur to me that the screen would be darker because of the polarising effect of the 3D glasses, but that not really an excuse.

If you’re familiar with the Harriet Jones storyline back in season 3 and the first episode of season 5 of Doctor Who, the ending of The Avengers will seem somewhat familiar to you.

Overall, I found The Avengers to be a witty, explosion-packed, superhero bonanza of a movie. I really enjoyed it, and thought the 3D was actually worth the additional money, adding a extra dimension (pardon the pun) to the experience. I would happily see it again, if only to understand what was actually said in some of the more fast speaking parts.

RATING: 8.5/10

Have you seen The Avengers? What did you think? Did it live up to your expectations? Have I said anything you disagree with? Tell me & everyone else who passes through here what you think in the comment below.

Have Fun,

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