Movie Review: The Avengers – Why I Want to Make Nerdy Babies with Joss Whedon

Check out the audio version of my review by clicking the link. Make sure to check out my reviews on 100.1 THE X, every Friday morning at 7:30A.M.

My dear movie goers, Assemble thyself and prepare for one of the greatest superhero films of all time, The Avengers. A part of me feels that I have waited my entire geek life to see this movie come to fruition. Setting the record for the biggest opening debut in North American cinematic history, The Avengers is a project 7 years in the making. Nick Fury, director of the peace-keeping organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D., assembles Earth’s strongest heroes, including playboy Iron Man, smash-inclined Hulk, delicious Hawkeye, the deadly Black Widow and the musclely Thor to combat one of the gravest threats the world has ever known. Loki, the demented and downtrodden brother of lightning god Thor, plans to use the Tesseract, an alien cube of limitless power, to transport his army to Earth and take it over– you know the usual world domination scenario. However, the Avengers are a band of egotistical numbskulls with testosterone spewing from their pores. Will their hubris prove to be their undoing and result in the total destruction of Earth and the enslavement of the human race as we know it?
 
What could I possibly find wrong with this movie? It possesses all of my favorite things in life. A film written and directed by the one and only Joss Whedon, who I want to have nerdy babies with, strapping Herculean like mens wearing tight spandex fighting one another in some epic display of masculinity, and a ginger heroine who kicks eurrrveerryboooddy’s ass without breaking a sweat. What’s not to love I’m just saying. The Avengers sets itself apart from many of the other superhero films that have graced our lives over the years because the Avengers didn’t suck, lest we forget The Green Lantern or X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The film captures the whimsical campiness inherent in a comic book flick but also possess a beautifully crafted story ripe with dynamic characters and witty writing. Did I mention the musclely men in spandex beating the crap out of one another? I give this film 4 and a half Xs out of five; basically if you do not go and see this film you do not love yourself.

Movie Review for Chronicle: Finally a Superhero Movie that Doesn’t Suck

Click here to listen to a shortened review of the Chronicle on 100.1 “The X”

Went to the movies the other day, with the desire of watching some awesomely classic science-fiction/fantasy movie that would fulfill my nerdom needs. I was faced with the decision of watching either Chronicle or Ghost Rider 2: The Spirit of Revenge. After lamenting the fact that somebody decided to make a sequel to an already lamtastic movie, I bought my ticket for Chronicle and entered the theatre with few hopes and expectations for the movie.

“With great power, comes great responsibility” or some crap like that, is the underlying theme for the movie Chronicle; Hollywood’s latest addition to the superhero genre. The movie follows three high school students, who while at a party, discover some giant alien-like crystal thang that imbues them with incredible telekinetic powers. At first, as the boys are experimenting with their new-found abilities, it is all harmless fun; scare a little girl with flying teddy bear, confuse an old woman by moving her car, ya know, kids’ stuff. However, as their confidence in their abilities grow, so does one of the boy’s desire to use his powers for revenge; revenge upon those who hurt, bullied, or ignored him. His revenge, very much like his powers, consumes him completely.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you lord. The past decade the cinematic community has had to bear witness to the onslaught of crappy superhero movies. Movies that believe science fiction is all about unbeatable powers, flashy weaponry, and jazzy jumpsuits while minor details like a good plot and character development are expendable. Chronicle excels where so many other films have failed. We, as the audience, are given a full and complete story arc. Audiences sees the mundaity of their high school existence, the commradery between the three boys as they revel in their new-found identity, and the true births of heroes and villains. Often in the superhero genre, we learn very little about the origins of heroes and villains; or if we do, it is a minor sidenote that takes the back-burner to such things as invariable love story. Watching one of the boy’s complete and utter mental breakdown, as his Übermensch superiority complex, causes him to spiral downward into insanity, is incredible to witness. 

A truly authentic story answering the question, what would you do, if you one day awoke with unbelievable and frankly unexplainable abilities. Would you save the world or bend it to your will. Frankly, I would use them to transport a Diet Coke from my refrigerator to my couch; lazy yes, but certainly practical. The sci-fi/fantasy nerd in me gives this movie 3.5 bedazzled stars out of five; it’s a fresh, interesting perspective on a tired and clichéd theme.