"The Avengers" review by Chris, Illustration by Tim

            There are hundreds of ways to approach a review of "The Avengers," but the most important aspect of this film is its potential to influence movies and the super hero genre as a whole. Rarely has something of this scope been attempted by Hollywood. The concept of bringing together four distinct super hero franchises into one movie that encompasses them all and more is daunting. If done correctly, this film could inspire many more like it, and change the way Hollywood functions, but if it fails it could stop anything like it from happening again.

            Luckily, Director Joss Whedon was more then up to the task. He honors each of the original five movies without lingering too long on any one. The film’s focus is on how the team interacts and slowly grows together. Whether it's the lack of communication or clashing personalities, it is clear early on that none of the heroes are going to be instant best friends. Their arguments help each character grow as a team, but also supply the humor of the film. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is particularly hilarious, and hopefully this level of comedic writing will transfer into his next film.

            But never you fear: this film isn't all about drama and character interaction either. The fights are plentiful and diverse. Each character gets a chance to shine in battle, bringing their unique styles and personalities into play. Captain America's (Chris Evans) amazing agility is spectacularly over the top, and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) brings a brutality the others can't match. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is the only one left out of the spot light, but during the final fight he's entertaining enough to make you wonder what Marvel will do with him next.

            "The Avengers" isn't without it's minor flaws. There’s a not unexpected reliance on knowledge of the past films that may leave newcomers confused. All of the heroes get their moment, but none change drastically for better or worse. The comedy, although brilliantly written, is almost non-stop and comes from all sides at once, making it a bit much at points. But my gripes with this film are few and far between, and none of them keep it from being fantastic.

            Only time will tell if "The Avengers" succeeded at changing the way the genre works, but it proved the potential is there. Stellar acting, an amazing script and brilliant direction make this one of the best superhero action films to date. Fans, nerds and regular Joes get more than they could ever ask for, and I personally can't wait to see what's next.

            4.5 “Super Heroes” out of 5

Written by Chris

Edited by Aaron

Illustration by Tim

“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” Review by Tim

As I may have mentioned last year when I reviewed “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” I am a lover of all things pirate (with the exception of those dudes from Somalia with machine guns who just do it wrong . . . obviously they’ve never read “Treasure Island” . . . they don’t even have parrots.) and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” is no exception. This animated film, the latest by Aardman Animations, is based on a series of funny little books by Gideon Defoe. The books are full of anachronistic cameos and jokes, and I was glad to see the movie do the same.
The movie follows the aptly named “Pirate Captain” in his quest to earn the Pirate of the Year award from his fellow pirates. In his struggling pursuit of pirate glory, he comes across the equally struggling scientist, Charles Darwin. The two believe their friendship may be mutually beneficial when Darwin realizes the Pirate Captain’s beloved fat parrot is actually a dodo, and the Captain realizes a dodo could bring in some serious loot when presented to the scientific community. From there, the movie follows a pretty predictable trajectory of highs and lows, but it never loses heart.
“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” has several things going for it. The film does an excellent job of making the Pirate Captain a sympathetic character. It’s this story-first approach to filmmaking that makes a studio like Pixar so successful. The movie also takes a “shotgun” method to humor. The jokes can be hit or miss, but they throw so many at you that you’re bound to chuckle at something! Finally, and should all else fail, the movie is a feast for the eyes. There is nothing quite like stop-motion animation and Aardman does it as well as anyone else — and better than most. Combined with modern computer-generated movie making, I wonder why more studios don’t do it regularly. There’s so much to see in this movie, and it’s all done with such expert precision that I’ll have to see it several more times before I’m finally satisfied!
“Band of Misfits” is a very cute, well-made movie and that’s easily worth the price of admission. If you’re still on the fence about the concept of pirate movies after last year’s “On Stranger Tides,” make it a matinee and  swashbuckle the afternoon away, stop-motion style.

Four “Pirate of the Year Awards” out of Five!

"The Five Year Engagement" Review by Chris

                Starting out of the gate strong, "The Five Year Engagement" presents Tom (Jason Segel) and Violet (Emily Blunt) as a fun and loving couple who just got engaged after a year of dating. The film makes you part of their lives as you watch all the quirky reactions from their friends and family. Sadly, their wedding is put on hold when Violet is offered the job of a lifetime in a new town. Like their relationship, this is where the movie begins to suffer.

                Tom and Violet quickly go from a couple that's easy to root for to one that you don't know why they're still together. Neither seem happy, even when they're doing their mini comedy acts in every scene. The film stands in its own way by attempting to present itself as a romantic comedy, even when heavy drama makes laughing feel out of place. There are a plethora of extra characters who react more realistically than the main characters. These extras carry the comedy, but take away from the love story, and they don’t stick around, which makes it impossible to attach yourself to them.

                Jason Segel, who co-wrote the film, has proven his ability to write and perform great romantic comedies, but this film doesn't add up to the rest. After you get past the early enjoyable parts of the film, the jokes remain funny, but they don't know when to stop. Long after the audience has stopped laughing and the punch line has passed, the joke just keeps going. The story, on the other hand, will appear only briefly throughout the film. There’s also some jumping forward in time with very little explanation of what took place in the intervening period, and the characters only become more depressing after each leap forward.

                The final twenty minutes of the film conjure back the wit and lovable characters of the beginning, but it's too little, too late. If director Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel had cut down on the drawn out jokes and added to the actual story, this could have been two hours well spent. As it stands, "The Five Year Engagement" feels like it actually takes five years to get through.

                1.5 "Engagement Rings" out of 5

 
Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron