Due: Avengers Assemble (2012) Franchise Review

 

In what looks set  to be the year of the Superhero Movie first up to the plate (not forgetting the refreshingly brilliant Chronicle (2012) released in February) will be the crossover, event movie spectacular that is The Avengers (2012). Marvel’s alchemic tour de force will be the end product of a preceding movie franchise bound together by the ubiquitous qualities of Samuel L Jackson’s cycloptic Nick Fury and a host of post credit cameos.  No doubt set for monstrous future Blu-Ray collectors box sets when all is said and done, time to revisit the the past five years. 

2008

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

Budget: $150 million
Box office: $263,427,551

Release date: June 13th, 2008

Looking back it’s hard not to feel that Marvel’s 2008 output was a case of wrong place wrong time, as 2008 would see DC, Warner Bros and The Dark Knight take over a billion dollars worldwide. Most affected would be The Incredible Hulk which abstained from the temptation of rebooting Ang Lee’s marginal Hulk (2003) effort and attempted to develop the story as a belated sequel. Viewing The Incredible Hulk as a follow up is perhaps unfairly problematic with the five year gap coupled with a complete overhaul in casting, look and tonality possibly raised more questions or caused more confusion for Hulk devotees than anything else. Treating the 2008 movie on its own term is a more rewarding experience French director Louis Leterrier finds an altogether different gear that is somewhat darker, smarter, more menacing and entertaining than its predecessor.  Edward Norton’s considered and pathos driven performance is the perfect antithesis for his raging alter ego, making it all the more disappointing that he will not reprise the role as an Avenger.

Iron Man (2008)

Budget $140 million
Box office $585,174,222

Release date: May 2nd, 2008

Iron Man’s big screen live action debut came a month prior, headed by an at the time rejuvenated Robert Downey Jnr whose role as womanising, alcoholic, billionaire playboy Tony Stark was a lesson in casting genius and bare faced irony. Iron Man manages to succeed on all levels, its visuals are fiercely strong, exciting and stylish. Most impressively though is the dexterous balance and discipline exacted by director Jon Favreau, who skilfully implants both Stark and Iron Man into a contemporary age engulfing them in complex issues and darker themes prevalent in the 21^st century. Stark’s kidnap, enslavement and subsequent escape are the foundation for Downey Jnr’s existentially fuelled epiphany allowing him to take on the world of weapons manufacturing, American foreign policy and middle eastern destabilisation. Favreau’s comedic verve manifests through our hero’s disregard of his own legacy, life whilst embracing unreservedly his playboy persona. 

2010

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Budget: $200 million
Box office: $623,933,331

Release: May 7th 2010

With the year all to itself Iron Man 2 arrived with much promise having added Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell, Scarlet Johansson and Mickey Rourke to the roster as well as retaining all of the key components from the original picture including the continuity of Favreau’s direction. The result however fell disastrously short of the preceding circumstances largely due to an absence of the aforementioned nuance of discipline and skill, with none of the considered thematic substance abundant in the first outing. Favreau’s methodology is a rather graceless formula where double the heroes, villains, jokes and explosions (a common shortfall in sequel film making) actually results in a fraction of the general enjoyment from the first instalment. Perhaps the most disappointing and embarrassing Iron Man 2 segment is the clumsy origin and introduction of side kick War Machine, which is simply emblematic of Favreau’s drastic departure of form which duly crashes this project into the sea of dead sequels where it will rot alongside other ghastly follow ups.. 

 

2011

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Budget: $140 million
Box office: $368,608,363

Release: July 22nd 2011

In some respects one could view the big screen arrivals of Thor and Captain America in 2011 as little more than extended previews for the Avengers extravaganza, by the time the First Avenger had rolled around it would be all the more difficult to view it on its own terms with eyes and minds already very much focused on the grand assembly the following year. Captain America is a modest offering, in an attempt  to establish an immersive sci-fi inflected World War II era, the end result is an overreliance on  cold CGI effects, backgrounds as well as distracting and ill judged character enhancements notably the wimpy Steve Rodgers strange looking head to body ratio. Captain America is without doubt a difficult prospect to bring to screen with a clownishly loud uniform, and limiting scope for adjustments to his iconography and legend. Chris Evans who is no stranger to the superhero world having played the Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four, is often left hapless and lost as the action degenerates into an endless parade of soulless battle scenes giving the audience little to invest their hearts or minds in.

Thor (2011)

Budget: $150 million
Box office: $449.3 million

Release: April 21st 2011

Thor is an altogether different animal, much more at ease with the absurdities of its conceptuality and dress sense. Director Kenneth Branagh finds comedic mileage through cross worldly misunderstandings and general fish out of water antics that anyone who has seen  Masters Of The  Universe (1987) will be familiar with. Thor is also unique in that it entrusts a relative unknown (Aussie Chris Hemsworth) with the lead role and places the more revered acting talents around him such as Sir Anthony Hopkins the father and Natalie Portman the storm chasing love interest. Branagh’s film finds it's true heart in a narrative of dynastic woes and sibling treachery which sees our hero banished from Asgardian royalty to New Mexico badlands, Thor must engage in his alien environment and new friends in order to find his way home. .

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