THE AVENGERS Blu-ray Review
The Avengers arrived on Blu-ray on September 18th, and I had the chance to watch it for the third time since it smashed box office records this summer. If you look back at the amount of posts for this film prior to its release, during its release, and since then, you will have an idea of the geek hysteria that The Avengers created. The main reason that this film is such a phenomenon is because of Joss Whedon. If there's anyone who could have successfully pulled off a storyline that gave an appropriate amount of screen time to all of the superheroes, it's Whedon. Avengers is a must-own on Blu-ray, period.
Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson and Jeremy Renner lead this badass cast. Unfortunately, I was not at Comic-Con when the cast first came out on stage, but the response was so overwhelming on Twitter I remember it to this day. Marvel got off to a great start by signing the actors to reprise their roles from their individual "Phase One" films. The Avengers would have failed to even get off the ground had it not been for quality casting. I can not imagine any other actor playing these roles, could you?
Whedon and Zak Penn wrote the story. The film takes place after the events of Marvel's last outing, Thor, and opens with the Asgardian God’s half brother Loki descending upon Earth. He has come to claim a source of unlimited energy - which if in the wrong hands - could unleash hell on earth. To prevent this from happening Nick Fury and his fellow S.H.I.E.L.D members engage The Avengers Initiative. Bringing together Iron Man, Hawkeye, Captain America, The Black Widow, Thor and Dr Bruce Banner to fight as one, is Earth’s only chance of survival. From the opening sequence to the after-credits scene I was cheering, laughing and in utter awe over the film.
After the second screening of The Avengers, I realized that this film was special. I knew how awesome it was as a geek at heart, but when I saw such a wide audience demographic I knew that Marvel had truly knocked it out of the park. Behind me in my theater there was a father an his two children, to the right of me teens, to the left of me a group of girls swooning over Loki or Thor, and in front of me an elderly woman. Every possible demographic was represented, and everyone truly had a lot of fun.
The Avengers is the perfect blend of action, snappy dialogue and overall badassery. I think it is one of the biggest and boldest action movies that I have seen. The visual effects are stunning and the sound is amazing on this disc. Watching this disc you feel as though you are engulfed by a wall of energy. The reason for this feeling is the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix.
Special Features:
- Commentary by Director Joss Whedon Whedon is a true gem that fans have to listen to because of how charming Whedon is. I love the depth of the commentary for shedding light on the production, especially what it was like shooting in 3D.
- The Avengers Initiative: A Marvel Second Screen Experience - Fans can access a S.H.I.E.L.D. database with their iPad, iPhone or Laptop that gives in-depth looks at the various characters and story elements.
- Marvel One-Shot: Item 47 - This direct-to-video video features Jesse Bradford and Lizzy Caplan as thieves who find a piece of extraterrestrial gadgetry which they hope will help them achieve their wildest dreams.
- Gag Reel
- Deleted and Extended Scenes - There are eight scenes, including an alternate opening and ending.
- Featurettes - A Visual Journey and Assembling the Ultimate Team has Whedon and other cast and crew interviews
- Soundgarden Music Video "Live to Rise"