Marvel’s The Avengers – 2012
I have to admit that I might be a bit biased to the Marvel movies, since I am an unashamed fan of the franchise, in general. But even when I try to look at the film’s visual effects as objectively as I can, I come to the same conclusion. The visual effects are visually stunning! Not only do they bring the iconic characters to the big screen, fulfilling a varied range of childhood fantasies, they do so in a modern way that easily satisfies comic book nerds everywhere.
So far, the only Marvel movies that have been nominated for the Best Visual Effects Award have been the Iron Man movies. But here, not only do we get to see a lot more of that popular character, but we get to see six other heroes show us what they can do, not to mention an army of bad guys for them to fight, and a smarmy villain. It is hard to decide what to start with.
Visually, one of the coolest characters is the Hulk. Yes, he is the embodiment of simple rage and destruction, but it seems like they finally got him right. What I mean is that there have been several movies in which he is featured, and they never got the big green muscle monster quite looking photo-realistic. He has always looked too cartoon-like. In the most recent version, the 2008 film, The Incredible Hulk, they came close to making him real, but the CGI on him here was just better. Finally, they got the right actor, and the right style of animation.
And then there was Thor, with his god-like strength, his flying, his magic hammer, and his lightning bolts. He just looks great on the big screen! The other heroes are all of a more human variety. They are no less cool to watch, but they are all just master fighters with super-human skills. Even Captain America, with his enhanced strength and speed, is just a brawler with a prop, same as Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Nick Fury. Many of their visual effects were made up of great choreography and stunts, with maybe an awesome thrown shield or some perfect archery thrown into the mix. Don’t get me wrong, it was all thrilling, but they aren’t as visually fantastical as a fast flying suit of armor that shoots force beams from its hands.
And as you might imagine, there were plenty of other really cool effects, not the least of which was the Helicarrier! Not only did it look awesome, but its design made it look believable in our current world! There is a shot where it is sailing on the ocean, but then four massive turbines start to spin, lifting the aircraft carrier out of the water, allowing it to fly amongst the clouds! Very, very cool!
And then there was the final battle. A hoard of evil aliens flew out of a magic portal in the sky and destroyed half of New York. Their giant flying monsters the size of whales looked incredible, and the shot of the Hulk punching one down out of the sky was so cool! And who doesn’t love watching the Hulk beating Loki against the floor like a rag-doll. (Puny god!) Every one of the four major action/battle sequences in the film was exciting to watch, from beginning to end! Fans had been waiting for this movie for a long time, and they really knocked it out of the park!