Our Avengers - Why The Fast and Furious is a Superhero Series for Everybody

"No. We don't need spandex. Our shirts are tight enough."

Last week I gave Furious 6 a bit of a hard time. Mostly because of the concentrated ridiculousness on display and the hammy writing, but that's to be expected from a Fast and Furious film. I still mostly thought it was an entertaining experience, and I have amended the review to reflect that.

I also mentioned that Furious 6, with its assemblage of heroes, is pretty much the multicultural equivalent of Marvel's Avengers. Indeed, as several reviewers have noted, The Fast and Furious is essentially a superhero series. And as silly and over the top as it is, I am glad we have it.

Hard as it is to believe, The Fast and the Furious franchise is the most important superhero franchise of the summer because its success can show Hollywood that audiences, both foreign and domestic, are far more colorblind and diverse than the studios care to admit.

In its decade plus existence, The Fast and Furious series has elevated the presence of people of color (POC) in franchise flicks by simply presenting "heroes" on screen who are not uniformly white males between 18 and 50. Granted, Paul Walker's Brian O'Connor was the audience surrogate and point of entry for the earliest entries, he is, by no means, the focal point of the series. Instead, Vin Diesel's ambiguously brown Dominic Toretto is unarguably the series anchor and one of its main draw. With 2 Fast 2 Furious, the series added an African-American lead in Tyrese's Roman and gadget man Tej (Ludacris). The third entry, Tokyo Drift, brought Asian character Han (Sung Kang) into the fold. Fast and Furious may have refocused on Dom and Brian, but it also added Hispanic characters played by Don Omar and Tego Calderon as well as reminding audiences about Michelle Rodriguez's Letty, one of the few Hispanic characters to remain present in some shape or form since the 2001 original. That's not even counting Eva Mendes' Monica from 2 Fast 2 Furious and Gal Gadot's vaguely Middle Eastern Gisele. Fast five brought most of these characters back together and added another major non-white character in Dwayne Johnson's Lucas Hobbs, and to a lesser extent Elsa Pataky's Brazilian cop, Elena. Now Furious 6 brings most of these characters back together, just as Fast Five did, in way that is not dissimilar to Marvel's Avengers with the main difference being that 90% of the team is non-white--the series' inclusion of women is not exceptional but it's a far cry above the average for big budget blockbusters, which makes the series significantly progressive by Hollywood's unremarkable standard. 

Truthfully, just getting one or two substantial roles for POC in a tentpole is a victory. Seven to nine substantial roles for POC in an multi-million dollar franchise is some kind of miracle. And what's particularly reaffirming about the characters of the fast and furious franchise is that, while they may have started as "criminals", they have evolved into full blown outlaw heroes, with a reasonable, mind you not Marvel level, cultural cache. That's important because non-white moviegoers can leave the theater after seeing a Fast and Furious movie as energized as they may have been after seeing Avengers but with the added bonus of seeing people who look like them and not having to think about what a Hispanic Thor, Asian Tony Stark, and Black Captain America might look like.

For all the strides the series has made in promoting diverse characters, it has also expanded its scope under Justin Lin's direction in a way that allows it to rival blockbusters like Avengers. Since the first entry, the series has gradually increased its scale, coming from a local story of LA drag racers to the misadventures of globe-trotting super Robin Hoods. The scope is so oversized that most recent entry offers as much destruction as the Avengers and Dark Knight Rises. The expanded scope has been and boon and a curse. In some ways, the increased scope has improved the focus of the later entries, giving each a unique genre flavor. On the other hand, the movies have become increasingly divorced from logic and reality as they embrace audacious, ridiculous stunts and set pieces. That may make the movies a bit of an affront to high-minded cineastes, but these movies were never designed to be insightful examinations of the human condition, and neither, despite our rose-colored instant nostalgia, was the Avengers. Movies like the entries in the Fast and Furious series are primed to make audiences pump their fists and enjoy a few hours of mental auto-pilot, and that's more than enough for most moviegoers. But making a big, ridiculous, profitable tentpole with massive set pieces, and doing so with a cast dominated by POC, is still a remarkable, reassuring feat, and it's more than we usually get.

Fave Flicks of 2012

2012 was an odd year for film. There were, as always, some great original ideas and amazing performances, mostly from the margins of the indie and mainstream realms, but this was not the most consistently amazing year for film. But, it didn't have to be. There was a lot of middling crap, but there were a handful of films that really stood out--or at least stuck with me after the credits rolled--that were spectacular in their own ways. 

That said, I offer my sort of comprehensive list of ten favorites from this year that managed to make me smile, think, or laugh a little bit more than the rest of this years releases.

10. Cabin in the Woods

Joss Whedon had kind of a big year, and if you ask the Scoobies and Browncoats, such recognition is long overdue.  Whedon's first big splash this year came in the form of the long-shelved horror movie satire, Cabin in The Woods. Cabin is far more intelligent and legitimately scary than any horror movie parody can ever hope to be, and while it doesn't rewrite the rules of horror movies, it offers a clever twist on the tried and tired formulas that have fueled horror franchises for decades. Best of all, Cabin is responsible for bringing us the unforgettable army of monsters.

9. The Raid: Redemption/Safe House/Safe (tie)

Far from the best movies this, or any, year--though The Raid is easily one of the best pure action movie in years--this trifecta of action flicks reminded audiences that good old-fashioned balls-to-the-wall mid-range action movies still have a place in the cinema. The Raid brought us brutal martial arts action to rival the best of Tony Jaa's output over the past few years while Safe House delivered spy action that was far more visceral and less restrained than 90% of the best spy fi from Abrams, Cruise, or the Broccolis. Safe, on the other hand, was clearly the lesser of the three, but it was a chaotic, brutal, and fast paced actioner that was far less neutered than most of Statham's disposable action flicks. 

8. Wreck-It Ralph/Rise of the Guardians (tie)

Fall brought us the one-two punch of Wreck-It Ralph and Rise of Guardians, two animated films with more heart and genuine thrills than most of the live-action cartoons Hollywood releases in the summer. The nostalgia-drenched Wreck-It Ralph was Disney's best shot at creating their own brand of Pixar magic, complete with heartwarming relationship between lost souls and the main character's search for self. Conversely, Rise of the Guardians is Avengers-lite, an all-star team-up superhero movie with fantasy characters like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny that is as well-crafted as the big-time Avengers, minus some of the plot gaffes.

7. Paperman

Playing in front of Wreck-It Ralph, Paperman was a delightful animated short that recalls the best qualities of 2012's Best Picture winner The Artist. Paperman hearkens back to the silent film era, following a salaryman and his comical, yet infinitely charming, pursuit of a cute-as-a-button secretary. With its charming characters, beautiful score, and gorgeous animation--courtesy of Disney's new Meander animation technology--Paperman encapsulates the heart and wonder of old-school romances with an amazing contemporary sheen.

6. Paranorman

Preceding the fall's animated delights was Paranorman, a sharp and touching stop-motion animation feature from Laika, the good people beyond the similarly creepy and affecting Coraline. Paranorman is a smart tale about forgiveness wrapped up in a classic, hilarious zombie comedy that actually does a better job of turning the genre on its ear than many of the more daring deconstructions that have hit theaters in the past decade. Filled with characters that were as three dimensional as the animation and a meaningful moral to boot, Paranorman was one of the true surprises of the summer.

5. Chronicle

Early this year, we finally got the live-action Akira movie we've been waiting for, and hopefully, the one that will halt Hollywood's plans to attempt a big budget remake. Josh Trank's Chronicle is Akira in all but name, only with a far more focused and cohesive plot, one in which Tetsuo is the center of the story and the overblown melodrama of post-apocalyptic Tokyo's warring factions are replaced by a taut examination of the toll of abuse on the fragile mind, and the damage that mind can do when it grabs the power to burn down the world.

4. Skyfall

Sam Mendes' soft reboot of the 007 franchise was one of the year's biggest blockbusters, and rightly so. Drawing influences from Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, boasting some of the most amazing cinematography to grace the screen this year, not to mention one of the best Bond themes ever, Skyfall brought Bond back to his roots, telling a wonderfully simple tale of revenge and rebirth while demolishing and honoring the continuity of the past decade. Bond is ready for the future, and judging by the box office receipts, so are audiences.

3. Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino's slave revenge fantasy may draw on the Boondocks' Legend of Catcher Freeman episode, but it does so with such craft that it canot be denied as a potential new classic. Jamie Foxx finally finds a role where his cockiness and vulnerability are not a handicap, but he is still outclassed by scene stealers Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio in a flick that is consistently fun, funny, and furious, just like a slave revenge fantasy should be.

2. The Avengers

The Avengers was unquestionably the highlight of Joss Whedon's big year. With the Avengers, Whedon brought fun back to the superhero narrative after years of grim tales of brooding sourpusses dominated the silver screen. As much as it was every true Believers dream come true, Avengers also happened to be a generally light-heartened, fun experience that was more ride than movie. It also brought us one of the single most exciting third acts in superhero films ever committed to film. With Whedon now the "head" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the future of Marvel's movie future looks bright in more ways than one.

1. Looper

Great sci-fi makes you think. Great movies make you feel. Looper does both. Rian Johnson's third film continues a short streak of perfection that began with high school noir Brick. Looper may be the tale of time-traveling hitmen, but it is truly a story about consequence, the power of compassion, and the ability of love to make us better people. Looper is that rare film that leaves audiences thinking about how they can better themselves while entertaining them with a clever plot and deep, affecting characters. Looper is a modern classic, no question about it, and one can only hope it is a sign of many more great things to come from Johnson.

After-the-fact Review: The Avengers

Grade: A

Most days, it doesn’t pay to be an optimist. Such a quality inevitably leads to heartbreak. But, there are days, like no other, when positive thinking pays phenomenal dividends. Today, is one of those rare days.

Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s, with a twinge of Mark Millar’s Ultimates, Avengers is pure, unadulterated fun. A random audience member two seats down from me, may have summed up the Avengers better than I ever could, “If I told my younger self that there would be an Avengers movie of this quality, she would never believe it.”

Unfortunately, a few naysayers may have felt that the Avengers was little more than a curious, if impossible, prospect before seeing Whedon’s summertime masterpiece, but rest assured, Whedon has done what seemed impossible. He has made a balanced, respectful superhero flick that remembers exactly what superheroes should be: fun.

Avengers essentially recounts the first meeting of Marvel’s famed dysfunctional supergroup and their first encounter with an otherworldly force that no one hero can withstand, in the case Loki (Tom Hiddleston) the petty, mischievous brother of Asgardian God of Thunder, Thor (Chris Hemsworth). When faced with Loki, who possesses the a glowing cube with cosmic power, The Tesseract, and an army of alien Skeletors, one-eyed super spy, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) goes about assembling four of Earth 616’s mightiest heroes and two kinda-superspies. Man out of time, Captain America (Chris Evans);god from another world, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), anger personified, The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo); and cocky techKnight, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) join Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and, eventually, Green Arrow pastiche, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) to become the most functionally dysfunctional superteam, one that has time bicker incessantly despite facing down alien armies and nuclear strike teams. As with any confluence of superheroes, the question becomes: will these heroes be able to put aside their differences to save the world? Of course, they can...

Whedon’s Avengers has a simple plot, but he uses that decision to do what he does best: build unforgettable characters who play off each other phenomenally well. Granted, the Avengers are well-defined enough that they don’t necessarily need Whedon’s, who also snagged a screenwriting credit, deft touch, but it doesn’t hurt. Every character, from Cap to Iron Man to fan favorite Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), is remains true to the core qualities developed in decades of comics and writ large in the individual Avengers prequels. Cap is as noble and principled as expected while Tony Stark reveals heroism beneath unflinching snarkiness, and those are only two of the most memorable examples of the exemplary character work Whedon puts on display. Whedon balances character and spectacle so well in the Avengers that one wonders why Marvel doesn’t just hand him their slate of big screen endeavors from here on out. Whedon orchestrates character and chaos with equal aplomb. The sheer quality of the mayhem--coherent, clear, and consistently thrilling--that unfolds on screen is astounding. The attack on Manhattan that composes the last hour is easily the superhero flick equivalent of Helm’s Deep, only better. In fact, The last hour plus of Avengers somehow crams more action--with exceptional geography--than any superhero flick ever has, and for that audiences really need to thank Whedon and Marvel for making this happen. 

Whedon and company could not have made this happen without an top notch cast. Robert Downey Jr. is the undeniable star of the show here--though the Hulk probably truly deserves the title--as he dominates every scene with Tony Stark’s trademark asinine, cocksure quips. Chris Evans comes in a close second, further eschewing his own well-known cockiness to give Captain America and unflinching earnestness that makes him the hero really deserve. Mark Ruffalo steps up to plate to prove that third time’s the charm for the Hulk, making Bruce Banner far more engaging and palatable than his predecessors by subtly weaving Banner’s bookishness with a razor’s edge of intensity. Chris Hemsworth continues make Thor far more digestible than most Thor comics have by expertly balancing Thor’s Shakespearean bravado and the character’s own endless compassion for his brother. Speaking of which, Tom Hiddleston’s Loki proves even more threatening and nuanced than he did in Thor and makes for a great villain who does more than attempt to take over the world. Even Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is a far more improved character than she was in Iron Man 2, and thankfully, she’s focused more on kicking ass this time than posing. Sadly, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye gets short shrift this time, and we never get to see the character’s well-known rebellious streak. 

Looking at that list, and the fact that Marvel and Whedon managed to wrangle so many actors and characters to create such an amazing display, one can’t help but be amazed at Marvel’s ambition. Sure the plot is basic--but so was the first issue of Avengers--and the original creators get minimal credit--by all rights, this should be Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Avengers--but this is nonetheless and exceptional achievement. Avengers has raised the bar for superhero flicks by going back to basics. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy may have been the most recent set of superhero movies to raise the quality of the genre by bringing pure artistry to the fore, but the Avengers does something that Nolan’s film rarely make audiences do: smile.

The Yin and Yang of It

Yang: Amazing character and action on display in Whedon’s blockbuster masterpiece. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and the Hulk are standouts amongst a cast of standouts.

Yin: Plot is a bit simple and the sheer existence of this film in the face of Marvel’s recent entanglements with the Avengers original creator, Jack Kirby, is an affront to creator’s rights, but these are minor quibbles.

In between: Hulk smash.