Why The Avengers Is a Better Movie Than The Dark Knight (And Why It Isn’t)

So I am a huge fan of comics and movies based on comics are usually high on my list of favorite things to watch.  I’ll even watch the adult-oriented cartoons (and the not so adult cartoons) of my favorite comic book heroes (and some of my not-so-favorite comic book heroes).  So when I found out there was going to be an Avengers movie, I immediately started fearing the worst.  The two Iron Man movies had been great, the Thor movie was ok and Captain America’s movie was even good, but I thought there was no way that an Avenger movie would be anything but a publicity stunt.  That was, until I found out that Joss Whedon was the director and helped in writing the script.  Now, I thought, we have a chance at a decent film.

See, Whedon is the author of my favorite comic book run, Astonishing X-Men #1-25, not to mention the creative genius behind the TV series Firefly and the movie Serenity, both of which I adore.  Whedon just seems to understand group dynamics and especially groups of people that make little sense being together if not for one single thread that binds them.  It was this that made me think that The Avengers would be acceptable, because if anything the Avengers are a team of misfits that unite to defend the Earth after they’ve hashed it out amongst themselves for a while.

I went to the midnight showing of The Avengers in an IMAX 3D theater.  I waited in line for forty minutes, after showing up at 9:30 PM to find myself the thirtieth or so person in line, before finding a good seat.  I sat through two ticket checks because people kept sneaking in to the theater or didn’t read their ticket to realize they weren’t in my theater.  I tell this to you the reader so we are all clear on one issue: yes, I am too close to this subject to be completely objective and I blame Whedon for that completely.

I went into the theater not expecting greatness but that is just what I got.  Whedon’s story drew me in unlike the Captain America or Thor stand-alone movies did and in a way that was predictable, yet refreshing at the same time.  It’s your standard story with bad guys threating to do whatever it is that bad guys do and good guys, whom are all deeply flawed in their own ways, getting past themselves and learning a life lesson before showing the bad guys whose boss.  But just like how he did in his previous works, Whedon interjected perfect comic timing (both audiences I saw the movie with laughed very loud at multiple points along the way almost in a symmetric-like fashion) with a gravitas of the surroundings that the viewer couldn’t help but get pulled in.  Of course, there are huge fight scenes but they too had the Whedon flair where they actually drove the story forward significantly and were more than just CGI porn.  It was great and I can’t wait to see it again, and likely again, in theaters.

Now, the title of this article is why The Avengers is better than The Dark Knight (And Why It Isn’t) so I shall directly answer that now.  The Avengers is most definitely a comic book movie with a huge mass appeal with compelling stories and characters without taking itself as serious as a Shakespearean drama.  The Dark Knight is a definitely a comic book movie that goes deep into what motivates people and truly makes them tick as deep as many a Shakespearean drama.  Sure, you can idly watch The Dark Knight and find it enjoyable, but you are missing half of what Christopher Nolan is trying to show you.  You can watch The Avengers and find deeper meanings, thanks to the nuances of many of the actors’ performances, but you don’t have to dig that deep to get ninety percent of it.  Both tug at your heart strings, but The Dark Knight then releases them just to eviscerate them moments later.  They are both amazing and I can’t and won’t knock either one.  When it comes down to it, it depends on what mood you are in.  Are you in an existential crisis or are you just looking for a great ride?  Either way, you are going to be very much entertained, but one will fit certain moods better than the other.

Overall grade of The Avengers (in IMAX 3D) A

Overall grade of The Avengers (in 2D) A+