Perfectly Assembled: A spoiler-free review of The Avengers (2012)
Standing in a line of over 200 people at 7 am in San Diego, California during a very cold and windy morning; I thought back to when I first saw the, now famous, post-credit Iron Man scene where Sam Jackson playing Nick Fury uttered the word “Avengers.” Who knew that one word would lead to this, in my opinion, the greatest comic book film I’ve yet to see. Allow me to explain.
For those who don’t know, The Avengers is a film that has been years in the making. All of Marvel Studios films following Iron Man have been leading to this story: A tale featuring Earth’s mightiest heroes together at last. In the process of creating a movie with such ambition, many people began to wonder if this could ever work. Fans all over the world were both excited and terrified when the news first came out that this film would happen, but a lot of their concerns were put at ease when they announced the film’s writer/director: Joss Whedon.
Joss Whedon is most famous for his television work, (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) but he is also well known for his witty writing, slick visuals, compelling action and his love for comics. If anyone was ever suited to bring this massive dream project to life, it was Whedon. But the success of this film would also rely heavily on the talent attached. When it was officially announced that Whedon was directing, Robert Downey, Jr.’s portrayl of Iron Man was the only Avenger that had made an impression on audiences. During Comic Con 2010, (which myself and fellow Fourth Wall member Art were in attendance) the world got a look at the group together for the first time and a little glimpse of what Chris Evans as Captain America and Chris Hemsworth as Thor would offer. But even with the stage being set and everything falling in to place, many still wondered… “Is this really going to work?”
After leaving the advanced fan screening of The Avengers, I realized that not only did it work; it was damn near perfect.
The Fourth Wall 