Avengers

Undemanding, popcorn paint by numbers with clear contours which begin to turn pastel green only after they line up. The Avengers Assemble is quality craftsmanship which unfortunately pays dearly for having just routine action (the first “teaser" part is markedly better than the second) and zero “emotional involvement" of either the viewer or the characters. The whole thing rests on the shoulders of the Stark - Thor - Banner trio and the remaining characters are either a necessary evil (Capt. America) or there to make up numbers. And also a proper baddy is sorely lacking; Loki is outstanding, but he’s more an amusing stooge than an arch-villain. As far as Marvel team productions are concerned, the movie versions of X-Men play in a much higher league. (02.05.2012)

The idea that the film avoids the need to expose itself as a savage, because it will count on viewers familiar with previous films, is completely odd - firstly, a brief exposition of Hawkeye and Natasha is needed, secondly, guys need to compare their steel / divine cocks and find out who has the bigger one... we'll spend about half of the film doing that, and when everyone slaps each other and Captain America teaches us that there's only one God, there's finally a team event. As to how many minutes have passed, it cannot be said that we have complete information about who, what, why and for how much, but once Whedon starts to bend steel in tons and have one shot more spectacular than the last, it actually doesn’t matter. In addition, the characters start spewing one-liners (which unfortunately is a bit worse with the Czech dubbing), the Captain is a little annoying (a little so he can still appear as the good guy) and The Avengers offers exactly why people go and see "Marvel" films. A ballbusting hero party, legible, clear, polished and heavy on tone. You may miss the fact that the whole story is actually a tragically mechanical acceptance of "classical invasive awkwardness" without a fundamental contribution to the mythology of the heroes. The other half is simply pure pleasure from the enormously pompous spectacle. But I still can't shake the impression that nothing happened for half of the film and that we don't know anything more about the characters than before. I am inclined to think that Whedon did the work through careful maneuvering. The entertainment is decent, but as a separate fictional world, it doesn't make much sense - what the first Iron Man and partly Thor were able to do simply shrunk to an exhibition match of stars full of skills competitions. Edit: when I remember the meaty second half and how I also gave Battleship 3 ***, I capitulate and improve my rating :-) [75%] (25.04.2012)

It wasn't until the final credits started rolling that I realized that many people's dreams had just come true. For the viewers who sensed from the end of the first Iron Man that this superhero gathering would be epic to the top floor of Stark Tower. For Joss, who had been smiling under his (fully geeky) beard for so long until he brought us the essence of himself. And last but not least, to all the Whedon fans who supported the creator as an unrivaled storyteller for many years. And then, in one of the most-watched movies of recent years, he proved them absolutely right. The Avengers have Stark's audacity, Cap's courage, Thor's rudeness, and Hulk's titanic power. And they mix everything into a cocktail that is almost impossible to drink in one go. Trying to catch all the quotes, breathtaking action scenes, or meticulously crafted details was simply impossible. It wasn't until the second viewing that I realized that Whedon thoroughly played with his Marvel toy and then lent it to us, ordinary mortals. The fact that he created a perfectly cinematic comic book, nurturing it minute by minute like a mirror of the genre, is another matter. (08.05.2012)

I went to the 9:30 pm screening, after a very physically exhausting day, and I told myself that if this film manages to entertain me enough to keep me awake, I will give it five stars, and here they are. Now seriously: Avengers is a perfect blockbuster with great sense of humour, incredible chemistry between the characters and amazing action. If you are not looking for the brooding of Batman or the ambition of the Wachowskis (or anything “more”), and you only want good fun at the cinema, you can’t do better than this, it has no competition among the light summer blockbusters. And I’m saying this as someone who didn’t like too much the previous Marvel films and is also not a member of Whedon’s fan club. But there’s one little quibble: Next to the other superheroes, Black Widow and Hawkeye look so out of place and meek. And it’s also weird to see Auntie Robin in SHIELD’s control centre. Hulk/Banner rulez. (09.05.2012)

In the weight class of superheroes who, instead of psychotherapy sessions where they spend two hours figuring out their superhero identity, manage everything by letting their powers speak, preferably in a pretty fierce, loud, and explosive way, the Avengers actually have no competition far and wide. For the first hour, they tease each other with humor, and they use it together against the alien invasion. Kudos to Whedon for dividing up the roles precisely and giving everyone exactly the space they need. Most importantly, it's all done inventively (camera tricks) and it’s imaginatively (funny inserts even into the serious scenes) shot. [My only criticism goes to Loki. Hiddleston isn't so bland anymore because now he’s a charismatic bastard whose character portrayal by the writers falls a little short. Edit: After the second screening, this criticism no longer applies either.] (04.05.2012)