The Avengers review

Every year, there comes a Hollywood blockbuster that will send you into a tizzy and give you total paisa vasool entertainment. Such films are generally visual effects-heavy and are superhero films. This one is like the big daddy of all superhero films. Yes, Avengers, it is

Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye form this terrific superhero ensemble. Black Fury is the guy who brings this team together to save the earth from the clutches of Loki from Asgard. The Tesseract is an unlimited source of energy and it lands in Loki's hands. He wants to use this to vanquish the earth. The Avengers stand between him and his mission.

Hulk reigns supreme in many scenes when he shows his anger and aggression. The crowd goes crazy during such instances. Iron Man comes a close second with his AC/DC soundtrack, his casual punchlines and style. Thor is brutal with his physique while Captain America shows his mettle when he leads the team in the final showdown in Midtown Manhattan. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow is sexy to say the least. Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye is stylish with his moves as the master archer.

Ultimately, this is not a movie to be analyzed much. It is to be experienced on the big screen with 3D glasses. The effects are crazy at times as they just come on your face. Nice gimmickry. The last one hour is pure madness. The action on screen makes the child in you go WOW. There are some sober moments in the first half of the movie which is resurrected by the Iron Man's charm. But. the last hour is unanimously marvelous. There is a sequel as well coming up sometime in the near future.

VERDICT: A marvelous action fest from Marvel Studios and a perfect distraction from the terrible Indian summer. Switch off your mind and get consumed by this high octane action fest

Thor (2011)

The Plot
The film is a visual fantasy that shows 2 realms in outer space, Asgard and Jotunheim. Jotunheim has the 'Frost Giants' who have the power to freeze their opponents. The earth is also one of the nine realms.

Asgard is ruled by Odin who has 2 sons Thor and Luki. Luki is actually an adopted son found in Jotunheim post the conquest by Odin. Luki is jealous of his brother Thor and wants to become the king of Asgard.  He is a cunning manipulator with magical powers.

In the beginning, Thor looks to aggressively demolish Jotunheim with his small gang of aides. He almost pulls it off when his father intervenes, strips him off his powers, his hammer and banishes him from Asgard. Thor lands on Earth in New Mexico.

He is helped by a curious scientist Jane Foster in his mission to find his hammer and return back to his home land. Jane is intrigued by Thor's story. They start loving each other. Erik and Darcy are Jane's company. Thor is countered on Earth by the Frost Giants who are instigated by the scheming Luki. Thor gets his hammer at the right moment and banishes the enemy.

In the end, Thor realizes the value of life and starts believing in wisdom. He returns to Asgard with his hammer. He convinces his ailing father that he will indeed be the future king. Luki is banished now and he lands somewhere on Earth.

Jane waits for Thor while he is in Asgard listening to Heimdall the gatekeeper who has extra-ordinary powers to see people on Earth too. The bridge called Bifrost, that connects Asgard to Jotunheim and also to the Earth, is broken and hence Thor can't get back to his love on Earth.

The films ends with the premise for a sequel.

Hits

• Terrific VFX, graphics and imagination. As expected.
• Natalie Portman as Jane is goddess personified with her elegance and pure, innocent beauty.
• Chris Hemsworth as the macho super hero is imposing and very charming as the huge Thor
• Lots of mystic creations like Bifrost, Asgard, Jotunheim etc. etc. 
• Entertaining references to SHIELD and Tony Stark from Iron Man. 

Comments

• Very simple story of a superhero realizing the purpose of his life. The standard templates like a demure girl who loves the superhero are all present in Thor. 

VERDICT

Another "Marvel Comics" visual effects extravaganza