Yet Another Avengers Review! (But with added rock music)

So, I’ve just seen The Avengers and indeed it is awesome. Maybe starts a little slow, but then someone loses his temper and from there on in it’s fantastic. Here’s my review; it contains spoilers, although I’ve kept them to a minimum as there are a few moments which you really don’t want to know about in advance. Also, I’ve chosen to review it through the medium of song…

 

“The hammer of the gods
Will drive our ships to new lands
To fight the horde, singing and crying
‘Valhalla, I am coming!’”

Technically The Avengers is a sequel to most of the films Marvel has released since Iron Man, but in many ways it’s mainly tied to Thor – the lead villain is Thor’s adopted brother Loki, and the main plot McGuffin was introduced in the earlier film’s end-credit sequence. Loki’s desire for power (and Thor’s decision to use power to protect innocents) sets events into motion and leads to some nice moments where that is punctured – in one comedy moment, which is too much fun to spoil, but also in a scene in Germany, where Loki’s demands that people kneel before him is challenged by a lone, elderly man. Given that even the actions of some of the good guys are driven by a fear of power (Sam Jackson’s organisation is scared that the growing superhero population is getting too strong to contain). Thor himself doesn’t get that much to do, other than be a powerhouse who gets to beat up other powerhouses, but Thor beating up powerhouses is fun. Everyone knows that extreme property damage is one of the guilty pleasures of the comic book industry.

 

“I am Iron Man!
Has he lost his mind?”

The Hulk gets the majority of the big-fun bits, but of all the actors, it’s Robert Downey Junior who’s the biggest scene stealer – not that you were expecting otherwise.  Effortlessly poking and prodding the other characters, and generally coming across as the guy who knows he’s the smartest person in the room, he owns his scenes. It’s interesting that he gets to deliver a threat to Loki, pitching cut-glass English sarcasm against smart-ass Tony Stark. He’s not developed a whole deal, probably because there’ve already been two Iron Man films and therefore he’s the most established cast member anyway, but that doesn’t matter. No-one does the funny and charismatic thing better.

 

“Captain America’s been torn apart;
He’s a court jester with a broken heart.”

Well, no Axl, he’s not. Captain America is great in this – he’s the straight-laced one who (almost) everyone respects and loves, and while this might not sound particularly interesting, it works. As someone says, Cap may be old-fashioned, but maybe the world needs a little old-fashioned. Of all the characters, he’s probably the one genuine good and decent guy there. The film respects that – he’s the only one of the core three Avengers who doesn’t get undercut by a moment of slapstick. That’s a smart move – Thor’s Shakespearean pronouncements are crying out for a pratfall, and it’s always fun to see Iron Man suddenly paying for his cockiness, but if you mock Captain America too much, you lose the moral heart of the movie.

 

“Stop talking about comic books or I’ll kill you.
I don’t care if the Hulk can defeat the man of steel.”

Well, he couldn’t, so it’s a good thing Superman isn’t in this movie. But when people tell you that the Hulk steals the show, believe them. I know that’s hard to get your head around – the Hulk has been a difficult character to translate into movies – but he’s great as a supporting character/looming threat. Kudos also to Mark Ruffalo, who makes the nervy, quiet, restrained Bruce Banner an almost-likeable character who nevertheless you want to keep at arm’s length. The ever-present idea that he could lose control and create mayhem is played with genuine menace by the other characters, especially Scarlett Johansson, to the point where the Hulk’s inevitable emergence is almost a relief. Because that’s when the smashing starts!

 

In short, go see it. There isn’t really a weak link in the whole thing – Hawkeye gets a little punked, but there’ll be room for him in any sequels, and while I’ve concentrated on the more showy characters, it’s worth mentioning the Black Widow’s inventive use of a chair and Agent Coulson’s baseball card collection. I’m a DC fan, and my big disappointment of the night was that there wasn’t a trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, but Marvel are knocking their movies out of the park at the moment, and anything that gives superheroes a chance to shine is fine by me.

 

Never Give Up: Some Thoughts on Captain America: The First Avenger

So last night I went to see Captain America: The First Avenger and it’s a fantastic film. It’s Indiana Jones with superheroes, which sounds dismissive until you realise that Indiana Jones with superheroes is an awesome idea. It’s also one of those films where the casting really works; Chris Evans manages to sell the clean-cut sincerity of a man who only wants to stand up to bullies, be they local jerks or super-Nazis, and Tommy Lee Jones basically plays Tommy Lee Jones in a role that really just requires someone to be Tommy Lee Jones. That’s a winner, but the real stand-out is Hugo Weaving, who turns in a quiet, subtle, layered performance of tragic dignity*.

Anyone who’s read this blog before will know that my film reviews either end up taking the mick, or using them as a springboard to waffle on about the film’s themes. This is going to be one of the latter occasions, because Captain America isn’t the sort of film you can mock. While the Red Skull is gloriously over-the-top, the whole thing is a homage to WWII comic books and pulp storytelling so it really doesn’t matter. He’s called the Red Skull, for goodness sake, saying he’s OTT is just missing the point.

Meanwhile the lead character could have come across as horribly jingoistic but the film takes time to undercut any propagandism, going on to show why everyone should feel free to respect and sympathise with Cap, regardless of whether or not you feel moved to chant “USA! USA!” at any point.

The heart of the movie is seen right up front. Steve Rogers is a scrawny seven-stone weakling with a liat of ailments as long as the film’s credits, all of which mean he’s declared unfit for the army, and therefore punching Nazis. Recognising something in the way Steve refuses to quit trying to enlist, he’s recruited for a secret experiment to turn him into a peak physical specimen – a ‘super soldier’. The experiment is successful but can’t be repeated, with the film following Steve’s journey from being used as a propagandist laughing stock to becoming the central hero of the Marvel Comics universe, all of which is driven by his total refusal to give up or back down.

I guess that’s the lesson of the movie: never give up, never surrender (as another good film once said). I wonder how many times the same story is repeated – we’re young, idealistic, full of hopes and dreams, then as time goes on we get worn down, become clockwatchers, abandon those dreams as naive and hopeless. We give up, and even when we tell ourselved it’s necessary, it’s still an act of surrender.

Despite this, there are still times we have a choice, aren’t there? Times when we need to either speak out or stay quiet, take a stand or hide in the background. It’s interesting that the movie gives Steve these choices when he’s at his weakest, before he gets his powers, and when he’s sidelined by the army he so wants to serve – yeah, his moral code says he’s going to take on the bullies, but at key points he doesn’t have much in the way of back-up. It’s easy to make the right choice when, say, Tommy Lee Jones is growling at your side, but what happens when you’re on your own? How does that affect the ethical choices we have to make?

In the end, the world of Captain America didn’t need a colossus striding the skin of the world, or a stooge of politics, it just needed a brave and decent man to do the right thing. And I guess that’s all that can be asked of you and me as wel: do the right thing; never give up.

* Not really. He plays a skull-headed loon weasel. But he does it beautifully.

#ComicsDidaGoodThing – A blog post inspired by a hashtag

Gail Simone is one of the nicest people working in comics today (which is strange because her Secret Six is messed up – fantastic but messed up). She’s also a great Twitterer, talking about sharks, bad SyFy movies and other random-but-funny subjects.

Anyway, today she launched a new Twitter hashtag, #ComicsDidAGoodThing, all about positive stories people have about their lives as comic fans. And honestly, it’s pretty moving – comics can be a truly life-affirming thing, not just because of the art and stories but also because of their characters, themes and community.

So this got me thinking – how have comics been a positive force in my life? Well, here are a few reasons:

* I met one of my best friends through the DC Comics message boards. We started posting around the same time and we just buddied up. This is probably the most valuable outcome from my life in comicss, so that comes first.

* Wandering around Toronto in a Superman t-shirt is awesome.

* Yesterday I went to see Green Lantern, and once it had finished a complete stranger asked me what I thought of it. We had a nice little chat about comics, then shook hands and went our separate ways. Moments like that remind me that comics are as much a community as they are a medium.

* I cry at the end of The Iron Giant. I don’t know why that’s a positive but it is.

* Comics indulge my creativity, and one day I might tell you about the epic DC vs Marvel story my friend and I came up with…

* Sitting in the cinema playing the Spot Stan Lee game. Comics are now woven into the fabric of many of my friendships, and that’s kinda awesome.

* I got to say thank you to the artist who drew one of the greatest, most moving Superman panels ever published. That meant more to me than I thought it would.

There are more, I guess, but it’s late and I’m feeling a bit under the weather and I should go to bed. But on the whole I’m glad these stories have been a part of my life; comics have been a hugely positive thing for me, and I guess they’re part of the reason I embrace my geekery. They’re a part of who I am and I don’t want forget that.

Excelsior!

X-Men: First Class – Matt’s insightful and perceptive sort-of review (contains spoilers!)

Perceptive?! You spent the whole film thinking Banshee was played by Ron Weasley!

He was. The actor must’ve changed his name or something.

So, what did you think?

I really enjoyed it. When it comes to comics my team is DC but they’re messing with my head at the moment, and besides, Marvel have been far more successful at getting their characters on screen.

What’s it about?

The fracturing of friendships, the development of a ‘species’ consciousness for mutants, Nazi war crimes, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the mistreatment of ‘outsiders’ and righteous vengeance.

That sounds heavy. Is it black and white and in French?

No, but talking of French, there’s a new Orange Wednesday advert…

Any good?

Nah, they peaked with Seagal.

The film can’t be that serious, surely?

Well no. It’s a sixties Bond film with superheroes.

That’s more like it!

Darn skippy! And Kevin Bacon is great as the bad guy, like a smooth and evil Austin Powers. I was in the same room as Kevin once, you know.

Really?

Yeah. It was Madison Square Garden and we were both at a New York Knicks game. He had better seats than me.

Oh.

I should say that James McEvoy and Michael Fassbender are great as the young Professor X and Magneto. Fassbender in particular starts to win you round to his character’s anti-human agenda, even though he’s borderline crazy. Of course, that’s backed up by the fact that there’re only two nice non-mutants in the whole film.

Is one of them Stan Lee?

Stan’s not in it!

What?! He’s in all Marvel films!

I know! It was disappointing we didn’t get to play the Stan Lee Game. We guess how long it will be before Stan appears. It’s got to be a habit, I keep expecting hom to show up in Titanic or Hamlet or something.

So there are no cameos?

I’m saying nothing.

So, what’s the coolest moment?

Anything involving Magneto vs Nazis. Although having said that, I’m not sure if it doesn’t fall into the Indiana Jones trap of providing us with cartoon bad guys. It sits uncomfortably against the reality of the death camps.

Wait, did you just make a serious point?

It gives Magneto a fairly logical motivation though, and explains how he goes from being a sympathetic figure to becoming a terrorist in the space of a film. If you fight monsters you may become one yourself.

Hmm… Finally, any good trailers?

Well, there was one for Conan the Barbarian, but he’s played by Jason Momoa, who was Ronan in Stargate: Atlantis, so I can’t think of the film as anything other than From Ronan to Conan.

The marketing people must love you.

No man!

Anyway…

I give X-Men: First Class four Kirbys out of five.

Don’t give up the day job.

Diversity in Comics: Some thoughts on an article from DC Women Kicking Ass

Very good article about diversity in comic books over at the DC Women Kicking Ass site. Comics do tend to have a problem in representing anyone who isn’t an adult white male; speaking charitably, I think this is often a hangover from the Golden and Silver Ages of comics, eras when the medium was at the height of its popularity but working in a social context that’s not exactly remembered for its commitment to diversity (Superman was created in 1938, the same year that the House Committee on Un-American Activities kicked off; Silver Age icon Barry Allen first appeared in 1956, in which the Montgomery Bus Boycott ended). The big comic characters tend to be white men, and the inherent nostalgia of comic fans keeps it that way, not because of racism, just because people like Hal Jordan.

This doesn’t help, of course, and that conservative attitude towards the casts of comic books takes on a darker edge when someone dares introduce a new character to take on the mantle of a fallen hero, using the opportunity to make the fictitious universes more representative. The new character often fails to catch on and is killed off as a token sacrifice during a big event; the original character returns in a blaze of publicity and we’re back to square one.

(That said, back when I frequented comic message boards, I saw a fair few posts complaining about ‘political correctness’ which had worrying undertones.)

(Which is strange when you consider that Superman was once used to take down the Ku Klux Klan.)

This tends to be more visible when it comes to racial diversity, but it’s not like women get the best deal – writer Gail Simone (one of the best, but most under-rated, writers in comics today) created a website called ‘Women in Refrigerators’, dealing with how often the wives and girlfriends of heroes became victims of violence in order to drive the actions of a male character. In a medium increasingly driven by shock tactics, this is an ongoing issue – witness the fury of Atop the Fourth Wall when a little girl is murdered simply to grim-n-grittyize her father.

All of this assumes that the lack of diversity is an unintended consequence of an industry that’s become insular and cliquish, but as the article points out, there’s a lack of care and will in the industry to effectively tackle the issue, to the extent that the whole thing becomes a sin of omission. That means the medium hits a wall, facing a declining readership ironically at the same time that suprrhero movies are making millions. The article quotes the belief of some readers that, as the majority of comic readers are white males, the majority of characters should be too. But this is a chicken-and-egg situation based, frankly, on a stupid premise: how dumb is it to limit your market to such a ridiculous extent?

There are no easy answers, and that’s partly because the industry doesn’t seem too concerned about looking for them. That’s a shame and doesn’t bode well for the future of the medium. It would be a shame to see comics disappear because of this inward-looking apathy, but it takes a leap of faith on behalf of fandom to support a more representative comic industry. We get the comic books we deserve; in those terms we deserve a vibrant future, and a fossilised past no longer.