May 2012 is going to bring us a movie that I think we've all been waiting for. A live action Avengers film directed and written by Joss Whedon. An iconic team that is FINALLY making it to the big screen. I want to share my thoughts and opinions about The Avengers and the movies that have led up to it. As of now the hero line-up for The Avengers looks like this:
From left to right: Robert Downey Jr (Iron Man), Clark Gregg Agent Phil Coulsen), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans(Captain America), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner), Joss Whedon (Writer, Director).
I don't know about you but I'm only about half satisfied with this casting. My main grievance with this is Chris Evans as Cap and the Hulk switch. Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like Mark Ruffalo. It's just that when you go from an awesome performance from Ed Norton and that gets taken away it tends to rub this fan the wrong way. Norton just comes off as and can just personify badass. These days Bruce Banner is much more of a hard ass than he was back in the day and Ruffalo just doesn't scream BE SCARED OF ME! Maybe he'll surprise me, who knows? It's a moot point now but it's still in issue in the eyes of this fan. My other issue is that of Chris Evans as Captain America. As an actor I'll give him his credence, he's done great work. As Captain America I won't. He in no way exemplifies what Captain America is. That being a hardcore American patriot and soldier. Having to convince myself he's Steve Rogers seems like casting flubbed up on this one. Mind you the movie is due to be out this month and he could very well surprise us all.
Now as for the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D that is a different story. Having already made a cameo in Thor, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye is a great casting choice. He's a fantastic actor who to me has already proven himself in The Hurt Locker, and The Town. Scarlett Johansson, I've loved her in every movie I've seen her in. Nick Fury Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. being played by non other that Sam Jackson himself is just perfect, not a single complaint whatsoever there.
Now word on the geektree is that The Skrulls will be one of the villains in the movie. All I have to say to that is thank Cthulhu! I was worried before I heard this that the villain might just be Loki or Red Skull. Loki will be involved heavily but the Skrulls will be the ultimate threat. Need a force powerful enough to require a gathering of superpowers? Let's use the entire Skrull Empire. That's right...empire. Rumored plot goes like this, Loki angered by his defeat at the hands of Thor uses the Cosmic Cube to summon the Skrulls. He attempts to use the Skrulls to defeat his brother and take control of Asgard. If your not familiar with the Skrulls here's a quick run though:
“Millions of years ago, the Celestials performed genetic experiments on the reptilian ancestors of the Skrulls, resulting in three branches of Skrulls that eventually warred with one another. The Deviant branch — possessing the innate ability to shapeshift — were triumphant, and afterward wiped out all members of the other two races until only two were left: the Skrull Eternal, Kly’bn and Prime Skrull of the original Skrull race. Kly’bn implored them to spare his life, as killing him would kill part of their heritage. The Deviants’ leader, Sl’gur’t, fell in love with him, with the two eventually becoming the gods of the Skrull pantheon. As Kly’bn could not change, Sl’gurt vowed to never keep the same shape for too long. Prime Skrull escaped to Earth in the 20th Century and later became a member of the Underground Legion. From that point, the Skrulls began to expand their territory. The Deviant branch later split into two more groups, the modern Skrulls and an anomaly called the Dire Wraiths, a parasitic race that could still shapeshift and had use of magic, but were not as technologically advanced as the Skrulls.
The modern Skrulls originate from the planet of Skrullos, in the Drox System in the Andromeda galaxy, and were originally a mercantile civilization, primarily interested in free trade and willing to share their technology with all races they deemed worthy. When they encountered a new race, they simply transformed themselves to resemble that race. The Skrull empire that resulted from these contacts was based on free trade and mutual cooperation. The empire is controlled by an Emperor and each of the 978 worlds is controlled by a Governor.“ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skrull
The Skrulls have been a threat to the Marvel Universe since 1962 in an issue of Fantastic Four #2. The Fantastic Four being the team who are most familiar with fighting the Skrulls will not appear in the movie. Although rumor has it that Super Skrull will make an appearance. Super Skrull is a Skrull that has the powers of all four of the Fantastic Four. How that will be explained is a good question. More than likely a quick reference to the FF, or even no explanation which is not unlikely. The most recent Skrull threat was the Secret Invasion in 2008. Which was a comic book crossover storyline that ran through a self-titled eight issue limited series. An amazing storyline I think you should pick up. If you follow these movies and want some insight into the Skrulls, Secret Invasion is highly recommended.
So how is The Hulk involved in the movie if he's not the antagonist? Good question guy I just made up. I believe Hulk will be The Avengers first mission, but a small one until the Skrull show up. Which is when I believe The Hulk will switch gears and help take them out. Basic premise which they've done over and over...and over. At this stage I'm okay with that, because it's gonna look damn awesome.
So as of now we have one more movie, that being Captain America: The First Avenger before we move on to The Avengers in summer 2012. We've gone through 2 Iron Man movies, 1 being the better of the 2. A Hulk movie that Mark Ruffalo wasn't in that was excellent. Thor that was sub-par at best. It had it's moments but overall wasn't what I hoped for. I'm putting a lot of faith in the Cap movie. From recent trailers I believe it will surprise me and others as well. Getting past Chris Evans will be the only hurdle. We'll see soon enough how big that hurdle is.
I've given some of my opinions and insight into The Avengers movie. Now I want to know your opinions. Do you think those chairs above deserve to be filled by the actors portraying them? If not how would you cast these iconic characters? What issues did you have with the movies out so far, if any? Do you think The Avengers will live up to expectations or kill our childhood dreams?
The Avengers releases May 4th 2012, don't hold your breath.