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Cape Epic
Writer-director Joss Whedon displays some impressive cinematic super powers with “The Avengers”
The Avengers * 3 STARS * Rated PG-13 • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Carmike Fleming Island, Cinemark Tinseltown, Epic Theatre St. Augustine, Hollywood River City, Regal Avenues, Regal Beach Blvd., San Marco Theatre, Sun-Ray Cinema Written by Pat McLeod Published May 15, 2012 |
Geeks, assemble! (You know who you are if you recognize this slightly altered battle cry from the Marvel Universe).
This promises to be perhaps the biggest movie summer yet for comic book fans, with “The Avengers” already pulling in some $200 million in domestic box-office receipts for the opening weekend. Added to international ticket sales (the movie opened more than a week earlier outside the U.S.), the superhero movie grossed more than $600 million in its first 12 days of release. And get this: “The Amazing Spider Man” and “The Dark Knight Rises” are only weeks away.
Of course, we geeks and movie fans are the first to realize that box-office does not necessarily mean a good movie. Remember “Twilight”? The good news for those of our ilk is that “The Avengers” does deliver the goods we’ve been anticipating.
Compared to all its predecessors in the superhero genre, the new film may be perhaps the most purely “comic book movie” of the bunch. Again, that doesn’t mean it’s the best film of the genre, only that it’s “perhaps” the most representative — for better and otherwise.
Co-written and directed by Joss Whedon, creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly,” the new movie is clearly a labor of love from one of the genre’s biggest fanboys and creators. Whedon knows what he is doing, and “The Avengers” has been percolating over the past few years as “Iron Man,” “Thor” and “Captain America” individually set up the various plot elements, which ultimately propel this movie.
The story draws heavily from the original 1960s comic books as well as the recent films. Hoping to gain control of the world, Loki (Thor’s disreputable brother) comes to Earth seeking the cosmic power source, which Captain America had earlier confiscated from the Red Skull. Aiding the nefarious Loki is a race of nasty-looking warriors from beyond space. Against them stand The Avengers: Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Black Widow.
Let the slugfest and special effects begin!
Like The Avengers comic books, there’s not a lot to the movie beyond the impressive battle sequences and the occasional head-butting among the irritable superheroes. Again, this should not be read as a criticism so much as a description. With the exception of Hawkeye and Black Widow, the earlier movies have all established the various degrees of angst and personal conflicts driving the title characters. The new movie doesn’t really develop these precedents, instead merely referencing them to explain why they have assembled in the first place.
Thus “The Avengers” is far more plot-oriented than its predecessors — not that there’s really that much serious substance to a story about a homicidal lunatic leading an army of extraterrestrials to battle the world’s greatest superheroes. What Whedon does so well, however, is orchestrate the various personalities and strengths of the individual members of the group, at first individually and then as a unified front, until they finally band together as a team. We know what’s going to happen, but it’s still marvelous to see it all come together.
The returning stars (Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America) return to their established roles, individual quirks and charms undiminished. Iron Man is wry and funny, Captain America is the patriotic straight-arrow, and Thor is a ripped god. New to the bunch is Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, probably the single most delightful surprise in the film. Unlike Eric Bana and Edward Norton before him, Ruffalo brings a sense of irony and fun to the role of Bruce Banner, the Big Green Guy’s alter ego, and The Hulk himself becomes, in a sense, the focal point of the story.
Though they were merely cameos in “Iron Man 2,” Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow receive their fair share of time in the film as well. It’s remarkable that Whedon is able to sketch in their previously unknown backgrounds without losing a beat. On second thought, given Whedon’s impressive track record, it’s not remarkable at all.
Early on (for once) as the final credits begin to roll, we get a glimpse of the next adversary in the probable sequel — an ugly purple alien, familiar enough to all us comic book geeks. There’s a special something for everyone, however, if you stay to the very end. Thank you, Joss Whedon.
Pat McLeod themail@folioweekly.com |
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Glock-A-Bye Baby
Jason Statham makes child care downright homicidal in his latest shoot-’em-up
Safe * 2.5 STARS * Rated R • AMC Orange Park, AMC Regency Square, Written by Pat McLeod Published May 15, 2012 |
Since his debut 14 years ago in Guy Ritchie’s “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels,” Jason Statham has mauled and/or killed probably more villains on-screen than any other buff, monosyllabic tough guy of his generation — or just about any generation. In addition to his bona fides in cinematic slaughter, the former Olympic diver and fashion model has made more movies (29 and counting since 1998) than most of his testosterone-driven peers, thus giving him a substantial edge in total body count. His new film, “Safe,” only pads the numbers. I quit counting at 20 or 21, and by that number, the movie had been running less than a half-hour. Statham was just getting into his rhythm.
As utterly preposterous as most of Statham’s other flicks, “Safe” does have a bit of an edge on its predecessors, thanks to director Boaz Yakin, who makes up for his own ludicrous script with a few surprisingly original kill scenes, choreographed with unusual and kinetic realism. Such scenes are not typical, mind you, but they do help relieve the mind-numbing “sameness” of head butts, arm breaks, testicle kicks and, of course, gun blasts that are the norm in Statham, Stallone and/or Schwarzenegger flicks. Moreover, to his credit, Yakin spares both Statham and us the dumb one-liners so beloved of the two older action icons whose names also begin with “S” (like Superman).
Back to the stereotypical, however, and Statham (like the costume-clad superheroes) once again survives all manner of beating, kicking and pummeling with nary a chipped tooth or tendon pull. Of course, “Iron Man” and “The Dark Knight” are even worse in this regard but, of course, their movies are more believable than just about any of Statham’s, including this new one.
But who cares? One goes to a movie like “Safe” secure in the knowledge that Statham will beat and shoot the living bejeezus out of myriad luckless scumbags who cross his path. The only real suspense is whether he’ll ever get a shave.
Since the general mayhem requires some kind of plot, writer-director Yakin concocted this doozy: Apparently, a young Chinese girl with an eidetic memory is whisked away from her schoolmates by some Yakuza types who intend to exploit her gift for their own nefarious purposes. Now transported to New York, Mei (Catherine Chan) is used by the Chinese mob to retain data that might be compromised by a computer. Given a special code to memorize, she’s then kidnapped by Russian mobsters, who intend to extract the secret. So while the Chinese fight the Russians, the crooked New York cops (aided and abetted by a crooked mayor) try to play one off against the other. But everyone needs the little girl.
Too bad for all of them, because she’s soon befriended by down-on-his-luck street bum Luke Wright (Jason Statham). The script gives our hero one of the most ridiculous back stories ever, but suffice it to say, the formerly suicidal, alcoholic, guilt-ridden protagonist is re-energized and redeemed by the plight of the mysterious child-in-distress and quickly begins to dispense vengeance in his usual style. The screenwriter even provides an excuse for Luke to slip out of his street skivvies into a designer suit, presumably so he’ll look better as he proceeds to kill the vermin. Sort of like Spider-Man, Superman and the other “S-is-for-Superhero” guys. You know, The Man has got to look the part.
At the end of “Safe,” Luke assures his little friend that he’ll be certain she’s placed at a school for kids with special gifts. My first thought was that he was referring to Professor Xavier’s establishment, where Luke himself might well be taken on, like Wolverine (another unshaven tough guy), as a tutor. Then I realized he’d fit right in with The Avengers as they steel themselves for the next cosmic badass to come long.
The only thing is, he might need a niftier costume than just plain old Armani.
Pat McLeod themail@folioweekly.com |
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