Why 'The Avengers' Worked So Well - And May Top $1 Billion At The Box-Office

The Avengers was a masterpiece of comic book cinema, one of the most enjoyable and well-written superhero movies I’ve ever seen – ranking up there with The Dark Knight and The Incredibles in terms of smart, engaging superhero stories. In terms of sheer spectacle, it outdoes just about every other comic book film, but it takes that spectacle and weaves it together with a strong script and excellent performances.

The conflict between the heroes is what makes the film work so well.

The film grossed $207.4 million over its opening weekend, and may top $1 billion in less than three weeks after opening night. The all-time global box-office champion is still Avatar with a total of $2.7 billion, and it seems unlikely Avengers can top that, though it may well pass up the final Harry Potter film and its worldwide $1.3 billion.

Some reviewers have panned the movie, however, saying too many stars and too many superheroes bog the film down. But this is wrong-headed. It’s the very fact that so many heroes band together – and clash against one another – that gives this is movie its charm.

“Marvel’s The Avengers is the best comic book movie yet,” writes Ethan Gach at The League of Ordinary Gentlemen. “The story is useless but the narrative barrels forward over plots holes and motivational voids with reassuring gusto. Instead, it’s the unlikely charisma of the superhero ensemble that forces the project to succeed despite itself. Like the self-perpetuating, unlimited energy source at the story’s Swiss cheese center, the Avengers propel themselves forward on an attractive primal blend of superpower, comic genius, and force of will.”

Force of will indeed. As Alyssa Rosenberg notes, the movie’s true conflict occurs not between the villains and the superheroes, but between the ensemble of heroes themselves:

“In The Avengers, the battle of ideas isn’t between the forces of good and evil: it’s between the people who are supposed to be allies,” she writes. “Captain America thinks Iron Man’s a showboat, while Tony thinks Steve is a hopeless square. They waste time tangling with Thor in a forest before recognizing their common aims. Once they do, those three men plus Dr. Banner, find themselves suspicious of a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. agenda they uncover in the course of gearing up to fight Loki. And Fury manipulates them into coming together as a team even as he tries to hold off the worst impulses of the S.H.I.E.L.D. council he must answer to.”

However much like a big summer blockbuster The Avengers may feel, it takes the formula much deeper and much further than most superhero movies dare to go. Indeed, in spite of its light touch, The Avengers was a much more intriguing film than James Cameron’s Avatar which kept bumping its head on its many tropes and cliches, and got so bogged down in lack of self-awareness that it became almost unwatchable despite its loveliness.

The Avengers is a much smarter, more interesting film than many of its peers, and it manages this without going to the dark side . As Alyssa notes, it’s largely a film about superheroes who will stand up not just to the bad guys, but to the worst impulses of our own government. It’s everything that Captain America wasn’t: a smart, subtle, and funny critique of the bad things that good people, and ostensibly good governments, are willing to do in the name of security.

This, and Whedon’s engaging dialogue, are what really made this film tick. If the heroes had simply joined up and fought happily alongside one another, who would have cared? But the wayward Avengers clash, and they don’t stop at words. Whatever friendship is built upon the back of crisis at the end of the film is tenuous at best. There’s room for these friendships to be challenged again in future films.

Fortunately for fans, it looks like we have plenty more Avengers movies to look forward to: Samuel L. Jackson’s contract ties him to nine films in the franchise, and Mark Ruffalo is signed on to no fewer than six appearances as The Hulk – even if both actors only show up in cameo appearances. Not to mention The Avengers ended on a blatant cliffhanger.

There’s lots more room to explore in The Avengers universe, and characters like Bruce Banner who stole the show and need more room to grow. A sequel to Captain America could fix many of the first film’s problems as well. Whatever comes next, it’s a good time to be a superhero fan.

Source: Forbes