After four years, five movies and millions of dollars at the box office, The Avengers have finally assembled. For the first time in history, a single film will see the teaming of superheroes from multiple different franchises. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and a host of other A-list actors, "The Avengers" certainly is one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the summer.
On May 4, "The Avengers" - Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America - must team up to stop Loki (Thor's evil brother) from taking over the world. While the villain is trouble enough, perhaps the biggest difficulty facing the super-team is learning to work together. Can the heroes put aside their differences for the greater good?
At the helm of the movie is writer-director Joss Whedon, who is well-known by comic and science-fiction fans. The creator of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" praised Marvel Studios for giving him the opportunity to work on such a major film.
"I think Marvel has a great nose for a director who has a passionate vision, who's not famous for turning out big-budget hits, but will bring something a little bit fresh to the concept of a hero movie," he said. "It's one of the things that I respect the most about them."
An interesting challenge for Whedon as a director was incorporating five different superhero movies into one single vision.
"There's no way you could make a movie that looked like a Jon Favreau, Kenneth Branagh, Joe Johnston, Louis Leterrier movie," Whedon said, referring to the directors of the previous films. "You have to take from each of them the thing that is useful and will jive [with the rest of the movie]."
Whedon hopes that "The Avengers" will redefine the summer blockbuster as it focuses on character, story, and acting rather than money, imagery and brand names. "'The Avengers' is the kind of movie that I grew up wanting to make but thought they had stopped making," he said. "This is an old-fashioned movie. It's a little bit bigger than life, but it's very human."
Seton Hall students indeed are looking forward to seeing "The Avengers," which sophomore Fred DeRitis called the "culmination of the classic comic coming alive on the silver screen."
Sophomore Sarah Gibson is excited to see the film, because "the quality and effort put into the origin movies has ensured a depth of character [that indicates] this movie can be action packed without lacking any personality."
Senior Omar Ahmad, who is also a big fan of the comics, is optimistic about the theatrical adaptation.
"I think it will be a good, fun summer movie," he said.
Students are also enthusiastic about the involvement of Whedon, whom sophomore Chris Motto called "the perfect writer-director for 'The Avengers.'"
Senior Nick Gemma believes Whedon has the creative vision to make the film a success.
"He's not afraid to step outside the box and put an edge on things that you wouldn't see otherwise," Gemma said.
Sophomore Francesca Phillipy thinks Whedon will do right by the fans.
"He cares about the audience ... and does his best to create an experience the audience will never forget," she said.
The wait is over - "The Avengers" is finally coming to theaters. Whether one is a superhero fan or an action movie buff in general, the movie definitely is a must-see.
Sean Quinn can be reached at sean.quinn@student.shu.edu.
