Superheroes, Remakes, and the Green Goliath

It's been almost a week since I saw The Avengers (thanks to Mina, my fuzzy co-worker who gave me an extra pair of tickets she won from 7-11). I planned to write about the movie immediately after seeing it, but I decided to wait for the dust to settle and attain a better perspective of the film, which I think I have right now.

For those who haven't seen the film, I urge you to give in to your geeky side and see the damn thing. Granted, it's not going to win an Oscar, but I never thought "bad-ass" could actually be reinvented.

I wasn't a huge fan of the comic book, but I have always loved the Captain America mythology, sans the patriotism. Therefore, being one of the first people to see the movie come to life brought out the fanboy in me - seeing all the cast members from the different Marvel films throughout the years equally sharing the spotlight was a visual orgasm (no homo). Not to mention, all of the action-packed scenes got me giggling like a Japanese schoolgirl; the last time that happened, I was riding the Star Flyer at Star City. But that's a story for another blog entry.

What really got me writing about The Avengers was this simple yet perplexing question: who was the most bad-ass Avenger?


Normally, the nod would go to Captain America. Biased as I may sound and his squeaky clean image aside, Captain America's lack of otherworldly strength (relatively speaking) is compensated by his sheer heroism, which was well-represented in the movie. He was less stylish in his approach compared to his other co-heroes in the film, but ended up having the most substance over everyone else.

However, after days of mulling over with the question again and again in my head, I have come to terms with a more level-headed decision: The Hulk is the most bad-ass Avenger.

The reason is simple: they finally got the character right. Hollywood wasn't kind to Dr. Bruce Banner and his alter-ego, which caused the production of two films about the Green Monster played by two different actors. (With all due respect to Mr. Lou Ferrigno, I won't be detailing his version of the Hulk for convenient's sake.) Eric Bana's 2003 version of the superhero was tepid and shoddy at best, while Edward Norton's 2008 version was eons better than its predecessor, but the film proved to be irrelevant after Norton declined reprise his role in The Avengers.

However, the latter turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Mark Ruffalo, who I fondly remember from You Can Count on Me starring Laura Linney, played the part with such nuance that the inner struggle is palpable, lending to a less polished but more realistic Dr. Banner. The performance alone was worth the moneyAnd his reckless fight scenes are a thrill to witness. I think I shed a tear when The Hulk tore one of the Chitauri pods a new asshole...in the face.

God damn it. The previous sentence alone makes me want to see the movie again.

Update: Marvel's The Avengers (Four-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) is out now!