The Avengers

It's a film that future generations will still be gushing about, much like previous generations did with such classics as Star Wars and Indiana Jones. It may not be perfect, but The Avengers lives up to its promise and delivers quite a punch. I feel The Avenger struggles as most superhero movies do with finding a way to naturally introduce its characters in a way that doesn't seem forced or formulaic. They do a decent job for what it is, but there are certain times you will feel the campiness of older works coming on as you view the film, and truly you just have to sit through it to get to the action that eventually will be at hand. Besides that though, there isn't many flaws. The acting is rather good, Samuel L. Jackson may take a line too seriously or too, but it's all in good fun. Again Tom Hiddleston as Loki is a major standout, and I also enjoyed the return of Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man and Chris Hemsworth Thor- as well as an improved performance by Chris Evans as Captain America and a great performance from replacement Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo. The action scenes are exciting and tense, there is some camera angles here and there that can be a bit annoying, but for the most part it is rather clear and not awfully tedious action- as many films of this type could be. In the end, despite its campiness and formulaic actions- The Avengers is an incredibly fun time. It takes pride in its stories and characters and makes the most out of an experience that could have easily been phoned in. Its a film that will live on for some time, and one i'm rather glad I got to experience first hand.

My Rating: 9.4/10.

'Avengers Assemble' ('The Avengers') is a truly enjoyable superhero film that lives up to its hype and creates a story that allows for four of the greatest superheroes to connect in this mega-blockbuster extravaganza. Joss Whedon has created one of the most action-packed Marvel films to have graced the screen, full of humour, thrills and a great cast of characters, all of which impel this visual effects-driven spectacle. Whilst I had the great opportunity to watch this epic in the cinema in 3D, the film is equally as stunning on an average television set, with the final battle between the Avengers and Loki's army being one of the most spectacular scenes in a superhero movie. An impressive and remarkable fantastical superhero flick from Whedon.

I have got to tell anyone who will listen that this is one of THE best adventure movies I've ever seen. It's almost impossible to convey how pumped I am now that I've seen it. I purposefully avoid hyping myself for movies because when expectations are too high, nothing seems to be able to reach them. I usually avoid the hype train whenever possible. That said, I was jacked to see this movie and was fully aboard the hype train. It couldn't be helped. So, I was certainly open to intense disappointment had this movie not been good. I'm so happy to report just the opposite has happened.

The only word I can think of to describe this movie is AWESOME. It's amazing work and everything I had hoped for and more. It's exceptional entertainment for the uninitiated but it has everything a fanboy could want to be sure. It has every little nuance of what a fanboy wants to see. One of the MANY things I loved was the tension and flat out conflict that arises between team members. It's not a two dimensional "team wonderful that bands together to fight crime ho ho ho." Most don't like each other at fist and there is so much texture to be played. That is great because so many of these characters are larger than life. They have egos and the big guns aren't used to working with other people or even playing by the rules. Stark, Thor and Banner all work "the other side of the fence" so to speak. Then there's the Widow, Hawkeye and Captain America who are used to following orders and playing within a command structure. They are all thrown together in a wonderful and, best of all, believable fashion. Again, more than I ever dreamed possible.

The entire cast really delivered. You needed more than just action actors or stunt doubles to play all these parts. The pathos is there but so are the timing and true deep performances. Look, I was missing Ed Norton as much as anyone on that hype train I talked about but I'm so happy to say that Mark Ruffalo won me over. I hope he's locked up for the long haul because we don't need any more changes. Three was the lucky number for movie Banners. Every other actor in Avnegers that we've seen before is BETTER than their previous incarnation (EVERY single one) with the possible exception of RDJ as Stark. He's great but it's hard to top his take on the character from the original Iron Man in an ensemble movie. I also have to fully disclose that I'm insanely attracted to Scarlett Johansson. I thought her Widow character was amazing but I'm definitely judging that through rose colored glasses. The character arcs that run there course during this film will surprise a lot of general audiences expecting nothing more than a Transformers type popcorn scarfdown.

I honestly don't want to give away ANY of the movie with this review because this is one film that needs every scene to be savored. Do yourself a favor and remain unspoiled. It's how I saw the movie (apart from what the trailers showed) and even though you're obviously reading this review, read no others with any kind of spoilers whatsoever. Experience the awesomeness for yourself. Avengers as a movie and as a team on screen is an unstoppable force. I'm just going to say, Hulk & Thor combination equals AWESOME and leave it at that. This movie defines MUST SEE.

This might be controversial to say but this is my personal favorite MCU movie. Up until this point, nothing had been done like this in film and it was executed magnificently. Going into this movie in 2012 (having only seen Iron Man beforehand) I was skeptical and not interested. Then my brother took us to the theater to see it and it was one hell of a blast. I was blown away and wanted to watch all of the other Phase 1 movies and learn more about these other heroes. The casting and chemistry between them is on point, the villain is compelling and gets under your skin in the best way, and Robert Downey Jr.'s humor all around is unforgettable, and how can I not mention that glorifying theme song?? Not to mention Stan Lee's perfect cameo!

I'm happy to report that everything established in previous movies pays dividends in a big way. It's not that anyone needs to see those other Avenger solo films before seeing this gem but it certainly adds depth and texture to this amazing product. Not having to intro big main characters deeply allows the action to flow but also allows for better development. This also allows them to probe deeper into the character's personalities. This heightens the tension, so often missing from comic-book movies, and adds real weight to the story as well as the action sequences which are thrilling and often mesmerizing. The result is a film that's just flat out exceptional.

Of course all the phenomenal heroes got to shine and the story accommodated them all perfectly. What I loved is that Marvel did it again with their main villain. Loki was just so wonderful and complex in this amazing movie. Spurned Loki masterfully dances on the fault lines of villainy and redemption. He always keep people guessing and. Again, that's just shear perfection coming from the god of mischief. He has such a mixture of emotional psychological complexity. You have somebody who's capable of thinking and strategizing at the speed of light, but underneath that is a deep well of pain that at any moment threatens to boil over and Tom Hiddleston plays it like the master he has become. This is Oscar worthy villain performance good.

The performances in this movie are as good as any I've ever seen in an adventure film. The great actors say that acting akin to playing tennis. The rally that they play with a new partner is completely different from one to the other. Each of these GREAT actors have such specific talents that it's fun to see them play off each other at different times in this movie. I think Whedon realized this as both director and writer and shuffled things around on purpose to play to strengths. It's just another wonderful aspect of this spectacular movie event.