Superhero roll-Call: The Avengers

"How bad is it?" Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury asks ironically, at the beginning of this grand - and gobsmackingly profitable - superhero party.

As it turns out, not too bad at all. Awash in hype, and newly crowned as the opening week box office champ in the US, this superhero comic adaptation definitely struck me as one too many, something to pass on and observe the Hollywood feeding frenzy until the arrival of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight finisher.

But, give credit where its due, in this case, director and co-writer Joss Whedon has managed to walk the fine and treacherous line between fanboys and critical appraisers. He gets plenty of support form his A-List cast, most notably Robert Downey Jr, who after two previous turns as Iron Man, makes the character indelibly his own here. As with so many good guy-bad guy tussles, the bad guy is generally a better performer. Tom Hiddleston, as the megalomaniac Loki, combines a Shakesperean actor's tongue with the sensibilities of your standard Saturday morning cartoon villain to good effect. The only one-on-ones that fall short of the mark are the ones involving his Asgardian brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth).

The plot? Oh, there's enough of that flying around on the Web and other sources so as to save us the burden of repeating it here. Something about an unbeatable, inexhaustible source of energy and all that. Apart from the repartee, where Whedon's flick really shines is in the efx. A giant aircraft carrier that itself becomes an aircraft; Tony Stark "suiting up" as Iron man while in free fall from high atop his eponymous building; Thor, busting out of  a presumed impenetrable "jail cell" (built alternately for the Hulk and for his brother) while also in free fall. These snippets are undeniably exhilarating, even for the most jaded, and they make the film's final 20 minutes even more regrettable: a by-the-numbers carnival of mayhem and explosions complete with gigantic, super-hideous reptilian alien airships (try saying that 5 times fast!).

Where Whedon, and the cast, is at his best, in the verbal exchanges, whether that between Nick Fury (Jackson brings a kind of "John Singleton hood dad"  sensibility to the role) and the "governing" Council, between Iron Man and Hulk alter-ego Bruce Banner, or between Black Widow (don't get us started on Scarlett Johansen) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)

Neither totally over the top, nor tediously cerebral, The Avengers is a welcome shot in the arm for what had become a tired superhero genre, paving the way for the other summer blockbusters (Batman and Spider-Man) still to come.
Suit up.    

Super[hero] Saturation?

There’s no doubt that this is the summer of the superheroes.

Here’s a list of recent summer superhero movies:

2011: Thor, Green Lantern, Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: First Class

2010: Iron Man 2

2009: X-Men: Wolverine

2008: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk

2007: Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four: Rise of Silver Surfer

2006: X-Men: The Last Stand, Superman Returns

2005: Batman Begins, Fantastic Four

2004 Spider-Man 2

2003: X2: X-Men United, Hulk

2002: Spider-Man

It seems every time you turn around, there is another comic book adaptation hitting theaters… and some moviegoers may be getting tired of it. The superhero aesthetic has even invaded Broadway with the much-panned musical “Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark.”

This weekend brings “Green Lantern,” the third superhero movie to hit screens in the past 7 weeks. The first two, “Thor” and “X-Men: First Class,” have each done well at the boxoffice and gotten good reviews, but neither have been the kind of runaway hits we’ve seen in recent years from the likes of “Iron Man,” “Batman,” and “Spiderman.” (“Thor” has been a big hit internationally.)

It does not look like “Green Lantern” will break that streak. The reviews have been fairly weak and the film has been battling negative buzz for a while thanks to an early trailer that to some fanboys looked a bit too campy. Still, most box office analysts expect “Green Lantern” to sell more than $50 million worth of tickets this weekend. “Comic fans can be counted on to show up on opening weekend, even if the film is mediocre,” says Gitesh Pandya of BoxofficeGuru.com. “But it’s sales from non-comic fans that can send a film into the stratosphere.”

“Green Lantern’s” midnight screenings reportedly pulled in less than “X-Men,” but more than “Thor” (the final numbers may shift).  The film may need to come at least close to the stratosphere to really make money. “Green Lantern” is full of eye-popping pricey special effects, and Warner Bros. has reportedly spent heavily on a marketing blitz for the film. “It looks like an uphill battle financially,” says Nick Nunziata of movie development website CHUD.com, “They spent a lot of money promoting it, but, let’s face it… a dude whose power is based on his jewelry accessorizing isn’t a surefire goldmine.”

BoxofficeGuru’s Pandya says “Green Lantern’s” weak reviews may actually work in its favor. “It’s less cerebral than ‘Thor’ and ‘X-Men’ and can play better as a mindless summer popcorn movie right when teens are leaving school and looking to turn their brains off.”

Nunziata, who’s website caters to the “fanboy” audience that gets excited about comic book movies, says he’s pleased Hollywood is taking a chance on some of the lesser-known superheroes. “Thor was a tremendously difficult sell and it worked. That’s huge for the future as the more weird and interesting characters get a shot. It’s easy to sell Spider-Man and Batman to the mass audience.”

A fourth comic book character hits screens in July with the debut of “Captain America” on the big screen. “Hollywood is rushing to get any superhero they can find into theaters, and I think that is hurting the genre a bit,” says Phil Contrino of Boxoffice.com. “It’s not that there isn’t demand for these films, but there needs to be a little bit more room between them. Four superhero origin stories in a summer is just way too much.”

Part of the rush is studios desperate to build franchises. For Warner Bros., this summer marks the end of the “Harry Potter” goldmine, and the studio is clearly hoping to turn “Green Lantern” into a lasting franchise. The movie ends with a cliffhanger, of sorts, designed to set up a sequel.

Next summer may be dominated by the superheroes even more. “The Avengers” will bring Marvel characters Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk and others together for what figures to be a huge hit. Plus, Sony is rebooting Spider-man with a new film and there is another Batman sequel, “The Dark Knight Rises.” After a summer of lesser-known superheroes, next summer is aiming to bring the blockbusters back.

But Contrino warns that Hollywood needs to focus on quality in these films, “Moviegoers are much smarter than they are given credit for. They can smell a dud a mile away. You have to remember that a packed auditorium is one of the toughest juries in the world.”

"Knight No More": Bale says next Batman reboot his last

Access Hollywood caught up with Christian during the junket for his latest film, "The Fighter," co-starring Mark Wahlberg, where he said he was ready to bring "The Dark Knight" back to the big screen one more time.

"Absolutely!" Christian said, when asked if he was preparing to film the next Batman movie. "I'm assuming it's going to be the last one, so I'm very excited about it."

As far as the film's title - which Nolan has already announced is "The Dark Knight Rises," Christian said he's yet to officially hear that from the director.

"I haven't spoken with Chris since it got written, so I don't believe anything unless I hear it straight from Chris," the actor noted.

When it comes to who may step in as the caped crusader's next on-screen nemesis or lovely leading lady, Christian said that knowledge is still on a need-to-know basis - and this is one detail he still doesn't know.

"Chris will let me know what I need to know when I need to know it," he said. "This is our fourth movie together. He knows me - I'll know when I need to."

According to a previous report by Deadline, the race for the female lead in the film is down to six candidates -- Keira Knightley, Blake Lively, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts, Natalie Portman and Anne Hathaway.

Also previously reported by Deadline, "Inception" star Tom Hardy will also join the project, and while details of his role remain under wraps, it's rumored he will step in as the caped crusader's new evil foe.

"The Dark Knight Rises" will hit theaters on July 20, 2012.