Chapter 26: The Midnight Screening

For those who don't know or don't remember, I work at a movie theater. As a movie theater employee I have seen the horrors of a midnight premiere from the other side of the concession stand counter one too many times. Those who have been to a theater on a busy night can no doubt recall a handful of long irksome lines you've had to deal with. Times that by a hundred and you have a midnight premiere to a summer blockbuster. At least after you get your popcorn and drinks you have the ability to walk away. We have no such luxury and have to contend with a barrage of hungry, excited, and/or slightly pissed off customers all at the same time, all wanting an ever decreasing supply of shovel ready snack foods they can't afford.

Working there however does have its perks. Free movies are a plus of course, but that privilege isn't exactly a boastful bonus to the gaggles of crafty minors who sneak in through the back doors. No the real treat is once in a blue moon we get to screen movies before they're released! This does not happen all the time. Back before the digital age when projectionists had to hand splice the reels, volunteers would stay after work to watch the movie just to make sure all the reels are functioning properly and in the right order. I must admit, I volunteered often and got to see a lot of movies days ahead, though sometimes it really wasn't worth it. Anyone ever seen 2010's Chain Letter? Don't. Because our projectors were switched out in favor of sleek new digital models, screenings have gone the way of the dodo. That is unless a manager is willing to stay behind a couple extra hours so you can catch a sneak peak of something. Those instances are rare as no sane person would stay after work until 2am and not get paid. Most nights they just wouldn't do that, but in the case of The Avengers (2012), more than one was willing to make an exception. So with a tight knit group of theater employees all wearing IMAX glasses and munching on snacks, we sat down as the lights dimmed and watched one of the most anticipated movies of the summer before anybody else.

Defense budget well spent!

I'll try not to ruin too much for you though interested parties will no doubt know the basic plot. A group of super-people; Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor/...Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Incredible Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) are brought together by a top secret task force known as S.H.I.E.L.D. to form a super team known as The Avengers. S.H.I.E.L.D., headed by superspy Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and a huge, expensive looking, airborne armada, face a serious threat in the form of super-villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Can The Avengers' divergent personalities come together to face such a large external threat? If they do, will the audience care?

The answer is of course yes, and yes. The Avengers is less of a movie than it is a dazzling visual experience. My bet is those who lived in the time of 5 cent Captain America comics would have their minds blown by the sheer size and grandior of this flick. Its big, its bold and it delivers. But enough with general platitudes. What specifically makes The Avengers such great summer fare? Well for one it takes four characters who have dawned their own movie franchises and brings them together for the first time. Since we all know their origins, their powers and their basic personalities, this spin-off is in a unique position to expand the world in which these superheroes exist. This world of course has a lot of explosions and movie monsters, but it also has a fair amount of heart and humor.

...and of course some required T & A

All due credit must be given to its smart script provided by Joss Whedon and Zak Penn who seemed to have had just as much fun writing the movie as I did watching it. Every scene has a purpose and nearly every joke hits its mark. That not to say the movie is all fun and games. The movie wisely shines a light on the back story of Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), two characters who have been largely in the shadows in the past. This allows, especially Black Widow's character arc to become the convincing emotional core of the film. There is one confrontation between Black Widow and Loki that provided no whizz-bang vulgarities but nonetheless was an uncommonly dark and emotionally charged moment. One I wouldn't expect from such an unabashedly popcorny flick.

Be honest, is it too much?

The character of Loki has improved greatly from the last time we saw him in Thor (2011). I found him a bit too unassuming and snively to really be threatening in 2011. This year however Tom Hiddleston has wisely cranked the diva dial up to 11 and lets loose. Its hard not to soak up all his bravura. Or Samuel L. Jackson's for that matter. He's supposed to be Nick Fury and god love him for trying but he'll always be Samuel L. and that's not all together a bad thing.

There are however some slight faults to this otherwise solid film. I know its unfair since The Avengers is a sequel of sorts but there seemed to be too little development or back story about our main heroes. I don't want to say that those who haven't seen the other Marvel movies will be completely lost but I doubt they'll have the same emotional investment in the characters coming in from the cold. A few lines of exposition without them sharing witty banter would have been enough; I'm not greedy. Also, and this is just my personal bias, Mark Ruffalo did his best but I was not convinced he was Bruce Banner. His lax, California, too-cool-for-school delivery just didn't mesh well with the sci-fi jargon he and Tony Stark were spewing.

Regardless of a few shortcomings, The Avengers is a profoundly entertaining movie with great action, great acting and a fun script. It sets the new gold standard comic-book superhero films have to reach in the years to come. Watch it, then watch it again.