Needs More Loki

I finally saw "The Avengers" last night with the usual crew.  Stop now if you haven't see it.  I know, I know, I could put this under the LJ cut, but I'm lazy and I don't want to.  If you haven't seen it and you don't want spoilers:  AVERT YOUR EYES.

Okay, so there were a lot of squees from the nerd herd about this movie when it first opened.  Thus, I ended up having a lot of expectations going in.  Plus, all the previous movies more than met my expectations.  And, in the case of "Thor" easily surpassed them. 

So... I liked the Avengers a lot, but I didn't love it.

I think the Hulk ended up being the star of this show.  He and the Black Widow had, by far, the most fleshed out backstories/storylines. Banner's big reveal about his anger was the weightiest and most awesome part of the entire film.  Also, Cap's order to "Smash" and his line about "Puny God" were the best "money shots" in the entire film.  (One of the thing I loved about Thor is how Kenneth Brannagh had the sense to give Thor fans everything they wanted.  The twirling hammer, the lightning flashes, the flying with the hammer out front, all the visual candy we'd been craving.)  Whedon failed the money shots.  There wasn't even one moment when Captain America shouted, "Avengers Assemble."

WTF.

The Black Widow got a lot of really awesome moments as well.  I really enjoyed her bit with the Russian mafia and how that played into her ability to trick the Trickster.  Amazing.  Her pathos around her "red ledger" was nice, though I wondered at her sincerity when she repeated that line verbatum to Hawkeye.  Regardless, that abiguity only served to make her more interesting to me.  I'm glad that they gave Hawkeye a murky past (the Budapest line was a nice moment between them, ie, "I think you remember that differently.") because I always liked Hawkeye's messed up past in the comics.

The focus on Hulk and Black Widow was cool, but a problem because the story ought to have been ABOUT Loki.  Eleanor and I suspect something happened to Loki when he fell into the void, since he looks very beaten at the beginning of Avengers.  But we never learn what that is.  His rage/lonelines has really twisted here, and that's cool, but I could have traded a few explosions for more Loki talking.  More Loki.

Lots more Loki.

I thought there were some missed opportunities in the moments when Thor and Loki talked, because Loki is so very HURT and Thor is so EVER-LOVING.  Thor should not have let Loki get away with saying, "You threw me into the void."  Because we all saw the movie.  Thor is reaching for Loki when Loki lets go.  Thor should have said, "No, my brother, I tried to save you.  You were the one who let go of my hand.  Why?"  THEN, Iron Man should have snatched Thor away, because Loki's answer is always the same ("because I was never loved," yada, yada, yet-still-tragic-and-true.)

So, yes, MORE Loki.

But, I was made happy by the fact that Captain America leads the Avengers.  He ought to and he does.  Thank you, Mr. Whedon.  The other Cap moment I liked was with the police officers who ask, "Why should we listen to you?"  Nice.  I was also made happy by the awesome that is Thor's hammer slamming down on the vibranium shield.  As I whispered to Eleanor, "Yes.  That is how it WOULD HAPPEN." 

But, unlike the rest of you all, I found the storytelling somewhat disjointed.  Probably because I wanted the central character arc to belong to Loki.  Or maybe Nick Fury.  One of the villians at any rate (and yes, I did just say that with Fury in the sentence.)  That's kind of how it works in the comics, and it kind of works here. 

Though there could have been more Loki.

Did I mention that?