I started this blog to be focused on Theatre and my exploration into this new frontier as a playwright. But, this being a journey, I have pleasantly found that at the core of why I want to be a writer, is because I LOVE STORIES and I want to learn how to tell stories the best way I can whether it be for the stage, the screen, the BIG screen, or with a friend sharing a quiet meal (with the occasional self-made SFX). So, even though the focus of this blog will remain on and in the theatre scene, I will be throwing in my POV and lessons learned from the other genres of storytelling.
My major beef against superhero movies is that studios usually gear all the BOOM-POW-BANG towards people who like that… and give them more decibels on top of that mixed in with “campy” dialogue and “bad” (not in the Michael Jackson ‘bad’) villians plus the studio marketing propaganda. Basically everything that this review states as to why The Avengers should, and must, FAIL!
That being said however, I love and trust Joss Whedon’s work. Knowing that a heart is attached with this blockbuster, I went to see it on that faith alone – and loved it! With the exception of Captain America, I haven’t seen any of the individual superhero movies, so I has also going into it blind. But the way each of the Avenger’s stories had meaning. The mission of the goal is clear. The theme of teamwork arcs true. The “Rock of Ages”, “Point Break”, and Galaga references rings fresh. SMASH!
I’ve recently watched “Serenity” and my favorite part of the movie (as in many good epic stories) was when the action revolves around 2 or 3 events when the characters are at their lowest and all hope seems lost and something happens to where hope turns into fruition – not only for the movie plot, but also the discovery for the protagonist. As said, I interpreted that the theme is on teamwork because what else can the focus be when you have so many “superheroes” with extreme egos and abilities fight for the greater good. And when we see the character who epitomizes this making a sacrifice for the greater good, and ultimately the team, this marked a great lesson for me as I took that journey with this character amidst all the explosions, thunder and lightening.
In short, rather long, The Avengers DELIVERS on the hype! I don’t even remember the last movie I saw that felt like an amusement park ride – the last 30 minutes kept my jaw dropped with an occasional “Ahhh…” “Eeee…” or “No he di-int!” and drops of LOL! Getting ready to feed the machine by watching it again because it’s worth the ride.