You don’t make $1.2 billion (and growing) by making a comic book movie that appeals solely to comic book fans. No, you must have some serious traction with the entire movie-going population.
And while the phrase, “if you market to everybody, you market to nobody” is true, The Avengers does a great job of reaching just about every demographic. Below are five reasons why this movie became the fourth-highest grossing (at the time of this post) movie ever. Joss Whedon took a multi-movie franchise (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man 2) and weaved incredibly poignant storylines throughout this two-and-a-half hour hysterically enthralling and entertaining movie.
1) The humor is genuine and plentiful.
When you say “superhero movie” you probably think of big, over-the-top explosions, Earth in danger, and a male lead with a romantic relationship with a sexy sidekick. While these are all aspects of The Avengers, you also have much more heart and soul than you would in another comic book movie. The one-line zingers and priceless reactions between the six Avengers is what gives the movie heart and soul.
2) You dont have to know the characters’ backstories.
From the opening sequences, you know Tony Stark is rich and lives the life of luxury, and you know that Black Widow is good with her, ahem, hands. Albeit, the two characters viewers might be most confused about are Thor and Captain America – the two most out of place of the crew. Nevertheless, you don’t have to read six decades worth of comics to know how each Avenger came to be who they are today. Watching the past 5 movies from this franchise gives everyone more than enough information. Regardless, The Avengers is a stand-alone movie, perfect for first-time Marvel movie watchers.
3) The cast members emulate their characters amazingly.
It’s two-and-a-half hours of eye candy. Not to over-sexualize the cast, but they are all very attractive actors. They all personify the character they play. Thanks to good direction and well-written dialogue, viewers are given a very thorough and accurate personalization of the characters.
4) There’s enough action to keep your attention, but not enough so that the storyline is sacrificed.
Unlike superhero movies that come before it, the audience isn’t subjected to two hours of overly CGI’d action sequences. Sure, the destruction in this movie is unparalleled – $160 billion-worth in New York City – but the fight scenes dont take precedence over other aspects in the movie.
5) The relationships between the characters.
The superheros are connected in one way or another. Thor and Cap: the outcasts. Bruce Banner and Tony Stark: the geniuses. Black Widow and Hawkeye are “a couple of master assassins” with intriguing past lives. Thor and Iron Man mirror each other in strength and power. Whedon, instead of throwing together six very different personalities and having them clash until that one moment everything clicks, accentuates the similarities between characters throughout the movie.
This movie has done nothing but smash box office records since it opened and there are no signs of Marvel slowing down. With the majority of the cast contracted to six movies, viewers and fans can sit back and watch the build-up to The Avengers 2 with another round of stand-alone movies. Iron Man 3 premieres next May, Thor 2 begins filming later this year, and Captain America 2 starts filming around springtime next year.
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