Searching for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

So…. I should be finishing my review of Essential Dr. Strange Vol. 1, which I’ve been putting off because it’s a little difficult to explain my feelings about it.  Or I should be writing that letter to my grandmother that I promised.  Or I should find something to do at the office, since I am actually at work right now and being paid to do my real job.

But no.  I don’t want to do any of things.  Because all I can think about is what I’m doing tonight.  Because at midnight tonight, I’ll be in Chicago’s IMAX theatre, watching The Avengers!  (squee!)

You know what this feels like, to me?  It feels like it’s 2000, and I’m going to the opening weekend of X-Men.  I remember as a kid thinking that the X-Men movie would never happen, that as much as my 7-year-old self wanted to see Captain Picard play Professor X (because sometimes the most logical casting choice is obvious to even a 7 year old) it would never happen…. And then, magically, it did.  It was incredible to experience, which is why I remembered it being a better movie than the it actually is*.

I guess it’s that feeling of wonder and incredibleness that has me absolutely GIDDY over Avengers.  I still can’t get over that THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING! An Avengers movie!  Written and directed by Joss Whedon!  That, like, the entire planet seems to want to see!  This is actually happening.  I don’t even know how to describe my joy about this movie.  And that’s the difference I think, between the Avengers movie and all the other superhero movies I’ve seen over the last few years.  It’s not just that I want to see this movie (or don’t want to, *cough*Green Lantern!*cough cough*).  It’s so much more than that.  I am literally joyous about this movie, not a description I can often use.

It’s been building for 5 years.  A movie I near, ever thought could happen.  Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are gathering together in a movie that the whole world will go see.  And in 7 hours, I’ll be seeing it on the IMAX screen in Chicago with hundreds of other fans.  It’s going to be… incredible.  That’s all I can say.  And now, clichéd as it is, I just have got to cry out: “Avengers, assemble!”**

*=The plot of X-Men makes no god damn sense at all.  It’s forgivable, because it’s all so new and fresh in terms of being a game-changer, but seriously, it’s not as good as you remember.  If you want to watch an X-Men movie, stick with X2 and First Class.

**=God, that was so clichéd.  Still obligatory, though.