The Avengers:

Marvel’s iconic marvels save the day

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

Writer-director Joss Whedon's The Avengers is a convergence for Marvel blockbusters Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), 'Iron Man 2' (2010), Thor (2011) and Captain America: the First Avenger (2011) that preceded it. It projects a shared universe where Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and archer Hawkeye aka Clint Barton could team up.

It opens by establishing a threat that warrants the attention of some of the most prominent figures in the superhero world. Thor's nemesis and half brother, the Norse god Loki, conspires with a group of aliens to take over the world.

They are helped by the Tesseract, the mysterious energy-producing cube which has been making its presence in the previous Marvel movies.

After destroying the a S.H.I.E.L.D. base and brainwashing two of its key operatives Loki opens a doorway to another world and lets loose beings that have sworn to destroy the world.

It is up to the one-eyed agent Nick Fury to round up six superheroes to come to the planet's rescue.

The movie also gives a truly 3D experience for movie lovers. Screening at Majestic Cineplex's Superior 3D cinema, the objects flying across the screen and the powers of the superheroes takes us on a visual ride so that we are as much part of the action as the characters themselves. It is truly thrilling to be part of the action scenes that stretch from the New York pavement to the sky and beyond.

The special effects deserve kudos. Whedon had not just overdone the action scenes but seemed to possess deep understanding on what to project next and where the action is leading the plot. The story is built on the groundwork of Marvel's previous films so it seems incredible how convincingly the team had brought the superheroes together. Remarkably everyone also gets their moment to shine.

On the downside the movie can truly be enjoyed by fans who are familiar with all six superheroes and the previous Marvel movies. Otherwise it leaves them confused in certain instances.

Though The Avengers is impressive technique wise, it fails to make a truly unique mark story wise. The movie also has some overused clichés like a moment when everything seems to go wrong because everyone is in disagreement and a sudden tragedy, this time in the form of Coulson's death, binds them together and strengthens their will. The second half of the movie reminds us of scenes from Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Battleship.

The actual interest in the movie comes from not witnessing the heroes in action but the wonder in how these beings, most of whom seem to possess big egos, act together as a team. Most of the comic elements comes from these instances like when the Hulk suddenly swats away even Thor from our view and the heated argument between Captain America and Iron Man.

Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Alexis Denisof and Tina Benko make an impressive cast. All of them perform to the best of their capabilities though Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man seems to be given more screen time in comparison with the rest.

Chris Hemsworth stands out for his good looks and close link with the villain while Scarlett Johansson is noteworthy as the female counterpart of the team.

The movie is also screening at Savoy cinema, Wellawatta.