Movie Review: The Avengers and Why Joss Whedon Should be One of Them

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hPpG4s3-O4]Who is your favorite Avenger? Mine is, hands down, Joss Whedon.Full disclosure: I have never read a Marvel comic. Additionally, I was ambivalent to all the movies that have come out with Spiderman, Ironman, Captain America-man, Green Swollen Man, Hammer Man, etc. I enjoyed the movies for the ever-advancing special effects, but felt their overall depth was not quite up to my expectations. Or maybe standards. Either way. [Note: The aforementioned standards do not apply to horror films. Just sayin'.]But you take a master screenwriter and director like Joss Whedon, throw in some amazing special effects, kick-ass technology, superb actors (okay, maybe not all of them, but we'll leave that to your personal judgement) who can fulfill the roles of both a super-hero AND a complex human being, and suddenly, I begin to sit up a bit straighter in my seat and take notice.A short list of elements that make the Avengers stand out as superior to the other Marvel super-hero movies:

1. The main external conflict in the single hero stories is between them and an enemy, with a sub-conflict (or, one could argue, a primary conflict) with themselves. This is a fun story to see unfold once, but since all of the Marvel movies are the same story, varying only in the tightness and design of the heroes' latex suits and handy gadgets they get to use, it's become overdone and unoriginal. Whedon had the freedom and maneuvering room to move beyond this tired theme and take our heroes to a new level of conflict. Not only did they have to fight a common enemy, but they had to learn to do it together. Thus, most of the Avengers focused on the intra-personal clashes and struggles that would naturally come about when you put a demi-god, a narcisstic genius, a sir-yes-sir, bottle-enhanced super soldier, and an invulnerable and unbeatable scientist-slash-mega monster together. After the epic fight scenes we've all gorged ourselves on in the previous Marvel movies, it was high time for exposure to a battle of another sort: a battle of wits. Something Director Whedon excels at.
2. That being said, Whedon didn't let us down when it comes to the reason the child in us really loves super-hero movies. The action and destruction were spectacular. I'll say one thing about Bruce Banner; he loves to stomp the holy hell out of New York City.
3. And the third and most unexpected bonus of the Avengers was Scarlett Johansson's character, Natasha Romanov. Almost 49% of you are saying "duh," but I'll explain what I mean. Unlike sweet, affable darlings such as Betty Ross or Mary Jane Watson—who are lovely, true, but consistently need a good saving at the hands of their respective heroes—Nat Romanov can and does lay down plenty of hurt on her own. Naturally, being a Joss Whedon film, no one would expect the female lead to take a side role, and once again hats off to Whedon for putting Johansson's character front and center. In a turn of particularly subtle brilliance, there's a point in the film where Hawkeye states the distinction between the Black Widow's identity as a spy instead of soldier, or, in other words, someone who uses wit and intelligence rather than brute force to extract information. This is important in that it gives Johansson's character layers that you rarely find in either super-hero personas or the female characters that inhabit the sidelines of the films featuring them.

And for one final bonus, Mark Ruffalo's portrayal of the Hulk was to date the best of the best. Conflicted, neurotic, nerdy, depressed, heroic, the list goes on. And with the most soulful eyes in Hollywood, who better to embody such a range of characteristics? The good news is, there's a chance we'll see more of Mr. Ruffalo in this role.If you are a comic book fan, a ten-year-old boy, a ten-year-old girl, an action-lover, a Joss Whedon fan, a green screen worshipper, trying to speed up your rate of hearing loss, or simply looking for a stellar two-hour span of entertainment, the Avengers is the movie for you.Bechdel Test status: Does not pass.

Enjoy what you've seen so far? Subscribe by using the 'Click to Follow' button or enter your email near the top of the page, and never miss a post.

All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Itzujv4JwU]What is the thing that you most fear? The monster under the bed? Unstoppable zombies gangling through the moonlight? Giant snakes that can swallow you in one bite and let you to slowly digest in their thoracic cavity (I'm sure that description is not quite biologically apt, but you know what I meant)? Maybe something else? Something even more gruesome? Here's a thought project for you: imagine that thing that you most fear, and now imagine it times a thousand. Wouldn't you be tripping all over yourself to go see a movie featuring THAT!?Why are you shaking your head? Hello?Okay, well, perhaps my movie taste is a touch, ahem, unique, but don't let that dissuade you. If you ever sat through a movie like Evil Dead, or Dead Snow, or even one without the word "dead" in the title, like the Walking Dead, er, no, like Night of the Living Dead...no, wait, I'll get it, um...Fright Night!—whew, as I was saying, if you ever watched a movie like one of those and had even a fleeting moment where you thought to yourself, "This is the grooviest gorefest of all time" then Joss Whedon (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly fame, among others) and Drew Goddard's (involved in such projects as Lost and Alias, and writer of Cloverfield) latest collaboration, the Cabin in the Woods, will send your horror-loving heart into spasms. Of joy, just to be clear.With a tagline such as "You think you know the story" one thing you know you can count on are surprises. But let's face it; we've all seen movies that had a bit of a shock, and we've all become almost numb to the expectation of the unexpected. Us gore junkies are always looking for the next big thing, the next big whallop that sends the adrenalin glands into overdrive and the stomach lurching so far up the throat that we have to bounce in our seats to get it back down where it belongs. With Josh and Drew, we can relax, because those gents know how to deliver.So it's off to the deserted, dilapidated cabin in the woods we go with our five vacationing college friends. Of course, if we weren't in such capable storytelling hands, we'd already be yawning. But no, we're not yawning. We're sitting raptly attentive in our seats, hands clutched together just beneath our chins knowing that at any moment, we'll have to yank them up to our faces to cover our eyes as the real show begins.And when it does, get ready, because you won't be expecting this.I wish I could tell you more, but suffice it to say, the anticipation is part of the experience for this movie. The characters are all charming and well cast, the setting is perfectly eerie, and the story leaves nothing to be desired. If you, like me, enjoy a good arterial spritzing and prefer your horror with a side of humor, the Cabin in the Woods is what's for dinner.And because I can't help myself, here's a tiny, two-word, pseudo-spoiler: Sigourney Weaver.Bechdel Test status: Squeaks by, barely.

Enjoy what you've seen so far? Subscribe by using the 'Click to Follow' button or enter your email near the top of the page, and never miss a post.

All content copyright unless otherwise specified © 2008-2013 by Tammy Salyer, writer. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to use short quotes provided proper attribution is given.