Again in 2012, team-up motion pictures had been a little bit of a overseas idea in cinema. Apart from the outdated monster mash motion pictures like Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man and Alien vs. Predator, Hollywood had by no means seen a movie that mixed a number of franchises into one large epic. Then got here The Avengers, which marked a turning level, not just for the MCU but additionally for large-scale blockbuster movies, and would change the sport endlessly.

Marvel motion pictures had been doing nicely sufficient on their very own again in Part 1, however The Avengers put the MCU on everybody’s radar — marking the primary MCU movie to gross over $1 Billion worldwide. The movie raised the recognition of each group member and is undoubtedly a giant cause why Iron Man 3 additionally crossed over the $1 Billion mark. The primary installment paved the way in which for the success of later installments like Infinity Conflict and Endgame but additionally proved that the MCU wasn’t only a fad of the early 2010s, however a brand new wave of motion heroes that had been right here to remain. Nonetheless, it’s been 12 years since Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) first assembled the workforce. 28 movies, and 11 TV exhibits later, does The Avengers nonetheless maintain up?

Have Crew-up Films Misplaced Their Novelty?

Whereas the movie met an overwhelmingly constructive reception in 2012, it doesn’t essentially maintain up in the present day. Bringing characters collectively throughout a spread of singular motion pictures appeared like a revolutionary concept again within the early 2010s, however in 2024, we stay in a world the place Groot (Vin Diesel) has met Captain America (Chris Evans), all three Spider-Males have teamed up in opposition to The Sinister Six, and Blade (Wesley Snipes) has fought aspect by aspect with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). By in the present day’s requirements, it’s just about anticipated that all singular superhero tales will finally interlink with one other movie later down the road. The Avengers have to be recommended for balancing the tales of six particular person heroes in a two-hour runtime, however the novelty of team-ups has actually worn off.

‘The Avengers’ Has Its Evident Points

Director Joss Whedon was principally recognized for TV in 2012, and it actually exhibits. The Avengers seems like a TV film and lacks the identical cinematic spectacle of its sequels. Whereas Whedon did an incredible job with the story, his quintessential quirky dialogue is usually a little a lot when unfold throughout each character. Most team-up motion pictures have one or two comedian aid characters, however Whedon appears to refill each scene with throwaway one-liners, regardless of how critical issues get, usually undermining the stakes and total tone. Followers have dubbed this dialogue as ‘Whedonspeak’, which has seeped into quite a lot of completely different initiatives post-Avengers. Justice League: The Snyder Minimize introduced this into the highlight, the place it grew to become painfully apparent simply how a lot cringey banter Whedon had jammed into his reduce of the movie, and The Avengers isn’t any exception.

Within the years since Part 1, Marvel has accomplished an incredible job making its grounded characters extra attention-grabbing and developed, resembling Captain America and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Nevertheless, The Avengers handles these characters very poorly. Cap’s swimsuit was painfully ugly, a lot in order that it was even acknowledged in Endgame. Cap, Hawkeye, and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) don’t appear to have a lot to do through the last battle for New York, as they’re seen principally standing round and punching a number of Jitari right here and there, whereas the majority of the spectacle is saved for the extra fantastical heroes like Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

‘The Avengers’ Has a Stakes Downside

There’s additionally a stakes downside with The Avengers; each follow-up explores the implications of The Avengers’ actions, and there’s all the time a value to life, whether or not or not it’s Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the Imaginative and prescient (Paul Bettany), or Black Widow. Nonetheless, all of the workforce members come out unscathed by the top of the primary movie. The film tries to make Agent Coulson’s (Clark Gregg) demise an emotionally impactful second that establishes the severity of the state of affairs and unites the workforce. However Coulson was a secondary character, who principally offered gentle comedian aid. His demise finally doesn’t add any weight to the state of affairs.

Whereas there are criticisms to be made, The Avengers continues to be a enjoyable watch, and in no way a foul movie. In a post-Endgame world, it’s laborious to think about this franchise offered compelling team-up occasions with out iconic characters like Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Wolverine, however the movie accepted its limitations and did its greatest with what it had. The Avengers walked so the remainder of the MCU may run, and whereas it does have its imperfections, it needs to be revered. Regardless, this superhero flick is one which’s endlessly cemented within the information and cinema historical past books.

The Avengers is accessible to stream on Disney+ within the U.S.

Watch on Disney+