5 reasons why Avengers will be the new “Star Wars”

Star Wars is great even over 30 years later. But it’s not as cool as it used to be… Star Wars used to be the perfect franchise until George destroyed it. Now the fans just tolerate it, like we tolerate Wesley Crusher, and Dawn summers….

 And now we have Avengers, a new blockbuster for a new generation of nerds and inspiring filmmakers.

 

                                      
  #1, Joss Whedon

    Joss’s writing is spectacular. I’m not just saying this because I’m a huge fan of his and a major Browncoat. Joss creates and fleshes out characters so well that we care about them all, even the bad guys.

    Anyone can make a mindless action move, but only an elite few can make you care about everything in the film.  After Serenity, Avengers is Whedon’s second movie that he has written and directed.  These characters might be already in our cultural consciousness through the comics and cartoons and so forth, but Whedon brings them to life on the big screen.

    Unlike lame characters in movies like Transformers, we will remember Tony Stark, and Phil Coulson long after the opening weekend. Caring and connecting with characters in movies is one of the most important aspects of story telling. Characters make the movie memorable; they help the audience connect to the film. Especially in a movie with gods and monsters, Joss makes the characters believable, relatable and human.

   Only Joss Whedon could have put so many different characters from different worlds in one place, on one team, and have them work so well together.

    Joss is also the only writer/director who could have made the Hulk beat up Loki like a rag doll and make it realistic enough to be funny without being cheesy.

#2 Agent Phil Coulson

     Phil Coulson (played by Clark Gregg) brings the Avengers together, literally in the story and in the extended movie marvel universe. The audience connects with him even before he is in Avengers because of his appearances in the previous films.

     I should have known Agent Coulson would die. I was hoping this would be the first show Whedon would create without killing someone. Boy was I wrong. He made Coulsons death the entire plot point of the story!

 

     Joss Whedon made us care about him with only a few lines, giving him a first name, making him a fan of Captain America, and creating small scenes with him so the heroes would care to avenge him. His character was so well made and put together in such a short amount of time. It’s amazing that we as the audience did care so much. It would have been easy to make him just another red shirt, without a first name, but we love him. Of course I have to give credit to the amazing actor Clark Gregg who played him so well.

     

#3The Marvel Universe is huge.

     We have a reason to get excited about comics again. Finally they are making movies based on superheroes that aren’t lame! We have writers, directors and actors who actually care about the characters, care about the audience and franchise to make quality movies. They are making movies that people will actually feel good about going to the theater and spending some money on.

     I hated every single Superman movie. I think There is only one Batman worth watching (Michael Keaton), and Green Lantern? Really?! Spiderman was cool for a minute, then his movies got worse, and now the audience is indifferent about him. We nerds try to care so much about new movies with characters we love, just to get disappointed when they come out. The Worst disappointment for me was the Last Airbender (Great cartoon, horrible movie). Avengers is one movie that didn’t let us down.

     Now Marvel (and Disney) have made something the audience actually wants. The Marvel universe from the comics is huge. If they do everything right, Marvel movies could get even bigger than Star Wars! There are so many existing characters, villains, and stories from the comics that they could make movies out of, the possibilities are endless. Just keep doing what you are doing, Marvel!

#4 It appeals to a general audience.

      A comic book movie would usually be criticized about being only for nerds, but I think that stereotype is finally being worn away. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars and even Hungers Games have become so much a part of our culture now that it is acceptable for us to love these books and movies. It appeals to more and more people, and we don’t need to know what the cosmic cube is to enjoy the Avengers.

       Any movie that can be on the level with Star Wars has to have good quotes. In Avengers almost every line is quotable. Movie quotes are such a big part of our culture because everyone can readily connect with them. I could say, “We need a bigger boat” and everyone would know exactly what I was talking about. Every quote in Avengers is fun, memorable and you know right away what character said it.

 

      A major quality of any sci-fi or fantasy film is having a sense of wonder, seeing something we have never seen before. In filmmaking we see new things through the eyes of the characters who also haven’t seen them before. A great example is when we first see the Helicarrier rise out of the water. Since Bruce Banner and Steve Rodgers see it for the first time, the audience is also seeing it for the first time. The audience is just as amazed as the characters. Because we see it through their eyes, and get their reaction, the audience can connect with the discovery and it feels more real. It gives us a sense of wonder. If the audience saw it through Nick Furys’ eye, it wouldn’t have been as effective because he has been there, seen that. The Marvel universe is so vast, we won’t run out of anything new for quite a while.

#5 A New cultural mythology.

   We will grow up with these movies and Avengers will become part of our culture just like Star Wars did when you were a kid. I am happy there is a new movie universe and mythology we can escape into. Thank you, Marvel, for making movies the right way.

   Blockbuster directors like Lucas, Spielberg, and Peter Jackson grew up with the sci-fi serials of the past, and now the new writers and directors of the future will grow up with, and be inspired by watching The Avengers.

 

   Of course Star Wars will still go strong long after Disney takes care of it. I’m glad Disney has it now because there are already rumors about Brad Bird directing. How cool would that be?!! Wait a second… Did Disney just make us excited about Star Wars again? Maybe. It’s like politicians promising us to be excited for their future tyranny. I hope it won’t be a false promise. You hear that Disney?!