For a two hour and twenty minute film, there isn’t that much going on in this story. There is a threat, the team comes together, they don’t get along, and then they do, and then they battle the threat. You already know the outcome because you are not a complete idiot. The end.
Really Chris? You could take any work of fiction and boil it down to its basic plot points and then hold up the skeleton and decry it as anorexic. James Bond Skyfall? There is a threat, James comes to grips with his demons, doesn't get along with bureaucrats and M, the he does, they battle the threat... etc.
Mr. Crespo's review, like those from so many paid reviewers, seems more about showing how jaded and unimpressed he is by the film instead of actually making legitimate critical observations. Being a critic is more than just being critical. Honest criticism can be glowing and positive, if the subject is worthy.
Also wasted in this movie are a couple of opportunities to actually do something interesting and different, but instead these are merely ideas brought up and then forgotten. For example there is a scene in which the heroes find out that the agency they are working for might have some slightly nefarious secret schemes themselves, but this gets quickly brushed aside and never brought up again.The movie played on archetypes and tropes, sure, but what movie doesn't? Again, Crespo renders down things in a minimalist crucible that no work of fiction could measure up to. To say we've seen a movie like The Avengers time and again, or that it wasn't interesting or different is to be very self-deluded. Perhaps the sunlight glinting off the rim of his jade colored sunglasses prevents Chris Crespo from seeing that Marvel is producing a long-haul story. These self-contained superhero movies are also part of a greater arc that tells an even larger story. Things unresolved here, might be resolved or brought up again there. Sorry if Marvel is tweaking your paradigm of how movies should be, Chris.
Crespo concludes with:
In the pantheon of Marvel movies, The Avengers doesn’t quite reach the rewatchable heights of Iron Man, but it is certainly better than the disappointing Iron Man 2 and The Incredible Hulk. It’s on the same level as Thor and Captain America, more than passable as big budget, popcorn munching, summer entertainment. It has humor, action, fun characters, and it puts all of these things together in a slick package, ready for mass consumption. Congratulations, Marvel and Disney. You pulled it off.Indeed they did pull it off, despite the reviewers obvious disdain for the effort. The Avengers was the magnum opus of Comic Book Movies. Repeated viewings have yielded, for me, at least, clever interplay between characters. For instance, I didn't really clue into the fact that Black Widow is absolutely _terrified_ of the Hulk, and Banner by extension. Backstory? Perhaps to be expanded upon in further Marvel outings.
Reviewer: Christopher Crespo
Review Review: Jaded and untrustworthy as an accurate critic in future reviews.
