With Marvel’s major soon-to-be blockbuster hit “The Avengers” arriving in theatres soon, it is no wonder that they desperately pieced together the clan of heroes by creating their last few films, “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Iron Man 2” (2010)and “Thor,” in only two years. However, with “The Avengers” being one of the most awaited films in 2012, being released next Friday, May 4, was it wrong of fans to expect a lot more from Marvel’s fantastic studios?
First, we received “Iron Man 2,” starring Robert Downey Jr. (“Sherlock Holmes”), Gwyneth Paltrow (“Glee”) and Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”). This was the second installment in this super sexy, smooth and smart hero flick about Tony Stark, an extremely well-educated and dapper genius who creates a super suit, capable of nothing short of flying.
The film was hilarious and witty, with cool technology that we could only dream of in the future. “Iron Man 2” also introduced one of the characters of the Avengers group, Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson (“The Island”).
Secondly, Marvel released “Thor,” starring Chris Hemsworth (“Cabin in the Woods”) and Natalie Portman (“Black Swan”). The comic book-turned-movie flick was a little on the dramatic side, didn’t offer much character development and the romantic plot was a little off-putting and unnecessary. While Thor is crucial to “The Avengers,” he was not the only part of the film that was important to the upcoming release. His brother Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston (“War Horse”), will play the villain out to get the superhero team.
In Marvel’s final attempt to wrap up the team of brave heroes from all over the universe, they introduced the first Avenger, “Captain America.” This unlikely hero was played by Chris Evans, who has also played another Marvel character, the Human Torch from “Fantastic Four.” It basically met the superhero fan film requirements to a tee, with its overload of action, love-interest banter and “hunky” main character, whose acting performance resembled
all the other characters he has played, cocky and over dramatic. When compared to the other Marvel movies, it does play host to a stunning cast list, which features actors like Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. Yet, it lacked a quality plot line, which caused it to have an insufficient amount of character development.
Being unable to connect to the characters in these films because their qualities are so unlike a normal person, it was impossible to relate to what was going on with them. While the performances that were delivered will suffice and the special effects were phenomenal, these films lack depth in more ways than one, with the exception of the “Iron Man” films, because let’s face it, Robert Downey Jr. made Tony Stark the amazing manly man he is.
“The Avengers” features a fantastic all-star cast, which includes Robert Downey Jr. playing Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo (“The Kids Are All Right”) as The Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner (“Mission Impossible 4”) as Hawkeye. Not only is it being played out by this incredible cast of actors but it was directed by beloved writer and director of all things supernatural, Joss Whedon.
For those interested in the back stories of all the heroes involved, Marvel offers all of the flicks on DVD and Netflix, and viewing them before “The Avengers” releases on May 4 is recommended. Marvel has created an ideal universe of heroes. Let’s just cross our fingers and hope the studios and the film does it justice.
