As The Avengers continues to kick ass at the box office, breaking records for a second week here in the US alone, I thought it might be a good time to reflect back on exactly how the film exceeded expectations.
There has been a lot of talk about Marvel’s business model of gradually bringing each of the Avenger heroes to the big screen, in anticipation of the colossal team-up.
But, any studio could have done separate character films with an eye for a larger franchise or sequel.
Yet, the Hollywood trades seem to be awestruck by the success of The Avengers.
Was its success underestimated?
Does it raise the bar for super-hero adaptations?
If nothing, it proves without a doubt – if you build it, [the audience] will come.
Some of my thoughts on how they assembled the impossible:
These Heroes Should Battle Each Other
Sure there was the inevitable all-out rage unleashed by The Hulk.
Here it was at the risk of ruining a perfectly good Black Widow.
But in The Avengers you have characters meeting and mashing for the first time, and the filmmakers realize not all play well with others.
Early scenes between Thor and Captain America are especially fun, and you couldn’t cut the tension between Iron Man and, well, everyone else with a can-opener.
Put Attention On Motivations
Everyone has a back story.
Not only have we devoted ourselves to the origin story films at this point, but where The Avengers really thrills is in its exploration of what’s driving the heroes and the villains. Loki isn’t just a spoiled secondary god. He’s a megalomaniac without any real direction to give even himself.
We learn after the credits even who is really pulling the strings. This isn’t just black and white, good vs evil or brain vs brawn. Joss Whedon makes complex character drive more emotional (and believable) than any of the prior individual films did.
There’s simply no comparison to Kenneth Branagh’s over-direction in Thor with the Thor we get here.
Give Nick Fury An Action Sequence For Crying Out Loud
It’s one thing to use Nick Fury sparingly in your set up origin films. It’s another to deny Samuel Mother F*%king Jackson a guns-blazing moment in the sun.
The Avengers takes the stiff messenger-role we’ve seen to date and puts Nick Fury smack dab in the middle of some of the most chaotic moments in the story.
Did we learn nothing from watching Samuel Jackson do nothing for virtually two Star Wars prequels?!
Jump Right Into The Tale
To newbies, the movie might come off as a big jarring from the get go.
I can’t imagine not seeing Thor and understanding at least 50% of what’s going on, if you’re not coming in with some sort of built in knowledge. But, how in the world did they keep both the fan boys and the general moviegoer in line?
Probably by not assuming we’re complete idiots. Take a look at last year’s opening sequence to Green Lantern or even this year’s opening to John Carter for the typical alienating cold open.
The Avengers doesn’t have time for over-explaining back-story, or spoon-feeding what’s essential, and it doesn’t detract one bit.
Don’t Take It Too Seriously
With much influence from the first Iron Man and a healthy dose of Whedon wit, the biggest surprise from The Avengers might be how genuinely funny its comedic elements are.
Self-aware that super-heroes have to stop for lunch at some point, here’s a film that lets them sample some Shawarma. Captain America’s fish-out-of-frozen-water predicament isn’t played for tired laughs. Instead, running gags work, and only make you love these characters even more.
If You’re Gonna Fake The 3D, It Better Pop
You wouldn’t know The Avengers was retrofitted for 3D Imax in post-production.
More than 52% of the massive gross during the three day opening weekend in the US came from 3D shows. For audiences with a choice, the bigger was the better. And with the help of numerous VFX houses, the 3D conversion actually looks incredible. It is enough to make you forget how much better the trailers for Prometheus and The Dark Knight Rises look, since they were actually shot in 3D.
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