Avengers Assemble!

So, I'm putting the geek in Geeky Goth Girl right here. I went to see The Avengers tonight, and it was amazing. Fashion first, then rapturous fangasms!

Black long-sleeved top-Salvation Army

Black corset-Punk69

Belt-Salvation Army

Fishnet handwarmers-CoinMax

PVC leggings-Cosmic

Lace-up boots-Target

I probably shouldn't have photographed myself next to Scarlett Johansson, as I can't hope to compete with her gorgeousness, but she did such a good job in the movie, I had to pay tribute. So, I had super-super high expectations for this movie. I'm definitely more of a D.C. than a Marvel girl, but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate a first-rate movie no matter which company it comes from-and The Avengers is definitely first rate. I've enjoyed all the movies that lead up to it, particularly Thor and Captain America, but this one blew them out of the water. The acting was first-rate from all parties-Tom Hiddleston's Loki was chilling, Robert Downey Jr. had brilliantly snarky chemistry with pretty much everyone on screen (I sense a lot of Captain America/Iron Man slash fic in the offing), Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner were delectable together and separately, Chrises Evans and Hemsworth brought the right combination of earnestness and heroics, and Mark Ruffalo proved an admirable substitute for the absent Edward Norton. 

The action scenes were top-notch-having seen Joss's skill as a director on the relatively low-budget Serenity and his TV work, I always wondered what would happen if you gave him a lot of money, and the answer is awesomeness. From the opening sequence where Loki breaks into S.H.E.I.L.D headquarters and steals the Tessaract to the introductory scenes of all the characters to the battle sequences, The Avengers is full of amazing shots and sequences. As a film nerd, I was rather geeking out over the spectacular CG and gorgeously choreographed fight scenes. Being Joss Whedon-penned, the movie also had a lot of really funny moments, most of them courtesy of Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Hiddleston, but every actor brought it to the bantering dialogue that's part of Joss Whedon's signature style. A typical example:

Captain America: You're just a man in a suit. Take the suit away and what are you?

Iron Man: A billionaire genius playboy philanthropist.

There were several moments when the audience in the theater I was in was completely overcome with laughter-a lot more so than your typical superhero movie. Joss managed to strike just the right balance of pathos and humor, as he always does, and thus came away with a movie that was in turns funny, exciting, and touching. One of his strengths as a writer is the fractious family dynamic-the Scooby Gang on Buffy, the Angel Investigations team, the crew of Serenity, and the members of the Dollhouse all prove this admirably-and he brings these skills to play very well in The Avengers. They may disagree, they may not get each other-but when the chips are down, they'll fight for each other, and the Earth. And it's, as I've already said, awesome.

Plus, on the purely shallow side: You have Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, and Jeremy Renner all on screen being very pretty. In fact, my only complaint was that with that many gorgeous men, we only got one shirtless scene! I know Joss can do better with the fanservice. That aside, The Avengers is brilliant, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast-paced adventure romps with great characters, brilliant villains, and lots of laughs. Geek on!