Review of The Avengers Movie

My husband and I went to see The Avengers tonight – I think every showing in two theaters in New Braunfels were sold out. It was great. There were some hokey lines and the space warriors were not well designed, but the movie as a whole was 5 stars. I loved the subtle and not so subtle wit and humor.

I spent my allowance on comic books as a kid and then discovered science fiction. The movies rarely do either well, but I’m glad to say that this time they did.

The bad guy is “Loki,” the alien adopted brother of Thor. At one point, he demands that a crowd of humans bow to him, declaring that this is our natural state. On elderly man stands, saying he refuses to bow “to a man like you” and that there will always be evil men. In another scene, Captain America talks about self-sacrifice for the cause and for the team. When Thor and Loki are described as “like gods,” the Captain says, “There’s only one God.”

I can’t help but wonder whether Hollywood understands how subversive movies like this are. the themes of too much entertainment are shown to be ugly, selfish and shallow.

(An example of the opposite would be “The Iron Lady” that tells Maggie Thatcher’s life story as though she lived an entire life through moments of dementia.)