Brilliant...Breathtaking...MARVELous!

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2012)

I had been waiting for this movie for a long, long time. I had big expectations from this movie. And, needless to say, it completely blew me away! The movie takes off from the beginning, with high-octane but smart action, with a couple of breathers, and doesn't let go until the very, very end. I was astounded by the quality of the film itself. I knew that I couldn't expect much from this movie in terms of story or character, but this movie had more story and character than most movies out in many many years. The acting was superb. Of course, Robert Downey Jr. delivered, and then some. But it was because of the superb acting of every actor that made them all relevant. Joss Whedon made sure every character had a significance to the story and film. And they most certainly did. I never expected much from Hawkeye, as he had barely been introduced in the Marvel Universe. But towards the end, I was cheering him on. And Scarlett Johansson's character of Black Widow had much more to it in this film than in Iron Man 2. Really, in that movie they put her in to look attractive. But in this, she had legitimate fears and doubts, and she was no longer the emotionless, fully manipulative character she was in Iron Man 2. She had a heart in the movie. Now, in terms of the Hulk, the most tricky of them, they absolutely nailed it. Ruffalo is by far the best Hulk. Great acting by him, and the Hulk, dear God marvelous! He steals the show from Iron Man at the end. Speaking of Iron Man, Tony Stark is as funny as ever, and he brilliantly shows that in the beginning he had no interest in the Avengers initiative as he had been previously rejected, but by the end, he was as much part of the team as everyone else was. They were inseparable by the end. And contrary to popular belief, Stark was not the center of the film. Whedon made sure of that. I began to care more for Cap's character as well, whom I had never been too intrigued by in his movie. And as for Thor, we can see how distressed he is by Loki leaving home, and his alienation, and that Thor cares, but that he is also willing to fulfill his duty to Asgard and all the other realms. Every single character is relevant and important, a la Joss Whedon's incredible film-making and writing skills, and the brilliance of the actors portraying them. The only gripe I could possible have is that the humor occasionally, and just occasionally, felt random, and out of place. But this is really not that big of a problem. This movie has it all: a heart, a brain, a soul, and BADASS action and awesome in its purest and most enjoyable form. I compel everyone and anyone to watch this smart, and beyond awesome film, as it is way, way better than most of the garbage that is being released nowadays. I will be seeing this again, oh yes I will. The Avengers is a masterpiece.