Bring on the Bad Guys: Spader. Cranston…Timberlake?
Posted on August 30, 2013 at 3:59 pm
I always say that superhero movies are defined by the villains. So in the midst of all the debate about Ben Affleck as the new Batman, I am much more interested in the possibility that Bryan Cranston as bad guy Lex Luthor. He is a perfect choice. And it has been announced that James Spader will play Ultron in the next “Avengers.” He’s been good at being bad since “Pretty in Pink.” Very promising! And one more rumor: Justin Timberlake apparently wants to play Riddler. It will be hard to top Jim Carrey (or Frank Gorshin or Cesar Romero), but I’d like to see him try.
Thanks to CinemaBlend for this handy guide: 10 Things You Need to Know About the Marvel Universe Before Seeing “The Avengers.” SPOILER ALERT! Skip item 10. But if you’re not up on the backstories of the characters, their powers, their origins, and their secret identities and you don’t know your Chitauri from your Cosmic Cube, be sure to check this out before you buy your tickets.
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout and a mild drug reference
Profanity:
Mild language
Alcohol/ Drugs:
Brief reference to "weed"
Violence/ Scariness:
Constant comic-book style action violence and peril, characters injured and killed
Diversity Issues:
Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters:
May 4, 2012
Date Released to DVD:
September 24, 2012
Amazon.com ASIN:
B0083SBJXS
“The Dirty Dozen.” “The Bad News Bears.” “The A-Team.” “The Expendables.” Stories about a mixed group of badass tough guys who have trouble with authority but learn to work together are second only to stories about loners taking on The Man in their enduring popularity. Writer-director Joss Whedon, who revitalized science fiction and fantasy with “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Firefly” makes “The Avengers” a smart, exciting, and engaging superhero story that deftly balances seven larger-than-life characters (some literally), their personal and inter-personal struggles and their interplanetary battles. The film does not take itself or its characters too seriously but it takes entertainment seriously, serving up plenty of popcorn pleasure. There’s a light dusting of politics (secret WMDs) and character (sibling rivalry, making peace with oneself), and some humor pixie dust to break the tension and add sparkle, but this is about fighting the bad guys, and it does that very well.
There are two super-geniuses. The enormously wealthy businessman Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) gets his super-powers mechanically. Scientist/humanitarian Dr. Bruce Banner (newcomer Mark Ruffalo taking over from Eric Bana and Edward Norton) has somehow become credentialed as a medical doctor and is providing health care to the poor while trying to maintain his equilibrium to avoid turning into an enormous green rage monster. There’s a demi-god: the Norse deity Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who swings a mighty hammer. The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is a former Russian spy and assassin. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) has super-archery skills, shooting a near-endless supply of high-tech arrows with a Swiss Army knife’s worth of super functions. Super-soldier Captain America (Chris Evans) is still adjusting to modern life after having been frozen for 70 years. For him, defeating the Nazis was just months ago and the discovery that the world is still so unsettled and violent is disturbing. But he perks up at a flying monkey reference — that one he recognizes. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is the guy with the eye-patch from S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) who brings this group of “remarkable people” together, explaining that they might not be able to save the earth, but they can certainly avenge it. If they can stop fighting with each other in a sort of rock-scissors-paper that has them matching strengths and weaknesses to see whether an immortal deity outranks a guy in an iron suit that flies and which is stronger, the hammer of Asgard or a vibranium shield.
When Thor’s brother Loki (a nicely demented Tom Hiddleston, pale as a vampire) steals the tesseract (a glowing blue cube that has the kind of powers you don’t want in the hands of the wrong people), it is time for the Avengers to assemble. Only the most completist fanboys will think that they could not have cut out about 20-30 minutes of the opening sections of tracking everyone down and having them battle each other until they develop some respect and the ability to work together. Some of it is necessary as an introduction to everyone’s powers and vulnerabilities, but we all know they’re going to get on board, so it slows things down too much. Do we really need the “This is not a drill” evacuation sequence? And why must every summer action movie feature a black tie party with a string quartet?
Once everyone is on the team, though, things pick up nicely as Loki’s warriors with long, creepy teeth show up in Manhattan and there is plenty of battle to go around. The bad guys bring all kinds of nasty stuff, including enormous sea-monster-type flying ships. And we get to see each of the Avengers do what he or she does best as they struggle with their own issues to be the heroes the world needs them to be. The Hulk is not the only one who has to make peace with his darker side. “Aren’t the stars and stripes a little old-fashioned?” Captain America asks, wondering what his new uniform should look like? “People might need a little old-fashioned,” says Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who proudly owns a near-mint (light foxing) set of Captain America trading cards. The idea of heroes sometimes seem a little old-fashioned in these cynical and compromised days, and it is good to see a story that brings that idea back.
NOTE: Stay ALL the way through the credits. It will be worth it.
DVD/Blu-Ray: There are some lovely extras including commentary by writer-director Joss Whedon, a gag real, and behind the scenes features.
Parents should know that this film has constant comic-book peril and violence, chases, explosions, characters injured and killed, and a brief joke about “weed.”
Family discussion: Why was it so hard for the Avengers to learn to work together? What was the most important thing they had in common?
If you like this, try: “Iron Man,” “Thor,” “Captain America,” the X-Men movies and the original comic books
The summer movie season kicks off this week with the year’s most eagerly anticipated superhero movie, “The Avengers,” with an all-star cast of Marvel characters including returning stars Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and newcomers Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. Some of the other highlights of the next four months include:
Big and Loud — Chases, Explosions, Superheroes, and Aliens:
“Battleship” Yes, it’s based on the classic guessing game. But we never played it with aliens. With Peter Berg (“Friday Night Lights”) directing and a cast that includes Liam Neeson and Rhianna, it looks very promising.
“Snow White and the Huntsman” The year’s second Snow White movie is the dark and scary one with “Twilight’s” Kristen Stewart as the princess and Charlize Theron as the evil stepmother.
“Prometheus” Probably tops on the fanboy excitement list, this “Aliens” spin-off directed by Ridley Scott stars Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, and, from the original “Dragon Tattoo” trilogy, Noomi Rapace.
“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” Steven Spielberg directed the prestige Lincoln movie coming out late this year. This is the summer Lincoln movie, based on the best-selling book that has our 16h president splitting fewer rails and staking more hearts. The wonderful Mary Elizabeth Winstead appears as Mary Lincoln.
“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” The sequel looks like a big improvement over the original, with Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, and The Rock. From the trailer, it looks like “Step Up 3D” director Jon M. Chu may bring some dazzling kinetic energy to the stunts.
“The Amazing Spider-Man” Andrew Garfield takes over the role of Spidey as a teenager and Emma Stone plays high school love interest Gwen Stacy in this reboot.
“The Dark Knight Rises” Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan have completed their third and last Batman movie. Tom Hardy plays supervillan Bane.
“The Bourne Legacy” Jeremy Renner takes over from Matt Damon in this story of another agent who was part of the notorious Treadstone project. Tony Gilroy, who wrote the three Bourne movies takes over as director.
“Total Recall” The classic, if campy, Arnold Schwarzenegger movie about a man trying to recover the erased memories of his work as a spy has been remade with Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Bryan Cranston, Jessica Biel, Bill Nighy, and Ethan Hawke.
“The Expendables 2” Sylvester Stallone’s AARP action hero movie was such a hit we get a sequel. Expect to see a lot of stuff blow up.
Quirky, Offbeat, and Independent:
“Ted” Mark Wahlberg has a talking teddy bear, voiced by Seth MacFarlane. Definitely not for kids.
“Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” Steve Carell and Kiera Knightly try to figure out how to make the best of the three weeks before the planet blows up.
“To Rome With Love” Woody Allen. Another European city. Another powerhouse cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Alison Pill, Greta Gerwig, Judy Davis, Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Page, and Allen himself.
“Hope Springs” Middle-aged couple Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep go for marital counseling with therapist Steve Carell.
Comedies and Kids’ Movies:
“Dark Shadows” Tim Burton and Johnny Depp bring the classic — if low-budget — vampire soap opera to the big screen as Barnabas Collins has to cope with the lava lamp era of the 1970’s.
“Neighborhood Watch” Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Rosemarie DeWitt star in a story of a group of suburban dads who take on alien invaders. Sort of “Attack the Cul-de-Sac.”
“Men in Black 3” I don’t ask it to be as good as the first one. I just ask that it be better than the second one. J (Will Smith) goes back in time to meet K (Tommy Lee Jones) as a young man (Josh Brolin, eerily channeling Jones). Alice Eve and Emma Thompson join the cast as the young and older versions of “Agent O.”
“Madagascar 3” The animals are still trying to get back home, this time hiding out in a European circus.
“Ice Age: Continental Drift” The sabertooth tiger, the mammoth, and the sloth are back, and so is Scrat. Additions to the cast include Jennifer Lopez and Nicki Minaj.
“ParaNorman” The “Coraline” folks are back with another spooky story, this time an “animated zombie comedy” about a boy who can see dead people
“Brave” Pixar’s first movie with a girl as the lead character is the story of a feisty Scottish princess who has to save the day — and does not have to marry a prince.
And Big Hair Musicals:
“Rock of Ages” Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta Zones, and Alec Baldwin star in this tribute to stadium rock and the 80’s.
“Sparkle” “American Idol’s” Jordin Sparks and Whitney Houston in her last role appear with Ceelo Green, Mike Epps, and Derek Luke in this remake of the musical about a “Supremes”-style girl group.
I always say that superhero movies are defined by the villains. So in the midst of all the debate about Ben Affleck as the new Batman, I am much more interested in the possibility that Bryan Cranston as bad guy Lex Luthor. He is a perfect choice. And it has been announced that James Spader will play Ultron in the next “Avengers.” He’s been good at being bad since “Pretty in Pink.” Very promising! And one more rumor: Justin Timberlake apparently wants to play Riddler. It will be hard to top Jim Carrey (or Frank Gorshin or Cesar Romero), but I’d like to see him try.
