Entertaining and funny movie. 77.5%

Rating: 8/10 (1 May 2012)

I can't say that I was that keen to see this movie, even with Joss Whedon's name attached to it - a man who has had a career in reverse, with his "Buffy the vampire" TV series coming across as the culmination of a career in the industry, whilst other TV series of his that I've seen not reaching those heights - but the good reviews for the film made me change my mind. This is a movie which is as superhero movies should be...a rollicking spectacle. Generally I'm pretty selective about what superhero movies I watch (haven't seen the "Captain America" outing as...I'm not American...jingoism doesn't sit well with me). Also, I tend to jump off a franchise pretty quickly too...Iron Man 2 was so-so, so I probably won't watch the next instalment. It will be interesting to see if this series can maintain the levels of the original. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments for me in it (I did see "Thor" due to some amusing clips in a movie review TV show...but the clips showed the funniest bits...and they weren't as funny in the context of the movie). No doubt Joss Whedon's time on "Buffy the vampire slayer" was invaluable in crafting the kind of comedy that works so well in this movie...hopefully the runaway success of this movie may see Joss given the chance to make a sequel to "Serenity"...I want to see what that kick-arse chick is capable of!...I think the actress' name is Summer Glau...I'm not sure if Whedon has an intention to make a sequel to that movie, which was based on his okay TV series "Firefly".
Anyway, the plot concerns Thor's younger brother Loki obtaining a device which can see him seize control of the Earth, via an unholy alliance with some ugly looking villains...and it's not clear who has the better end of that particular bargain. One of the biggest laughs I got was with Thor's comment about his relationship with Loki, after a comrade of his lists Loki's 'achievements'. Nick Fury has to assemble a team of superheroes in order to tackle Loki's allies...and there are some heavy hitters...the Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America...then a guy and a chick...if you don't lump Captain America in with the "B" team.
The fight with Loki's allies - when it comes - is impressive.
It was after finding some blockbuster franchises became ho-hum for me that I got a real kick out of the 'new wave' of superhero movies...like "Hancock" and "Kick-Ass". They were the perfect antidote to when blockbuster sequels were merely lame attempts to cash in on a superior original. Time will tell if The Avengers falls into the same trap...and if it does, it's a pity that Chloë Moretz is now too old to have that same wonderful impact that she did as Hit-Girl in "Kick-Ass". Anyway, if Joss is onboard for the sequels to this film, I'm onboard...for at least one more time!
I saw this movie in 3D in Xtreme screen. Didn't find the 3D particularly spectacular...parts of the movie are in regular 2D too.
Just by the by...I'm not that familiar with Norse mythology or whathaveyou...but I do find Thor's hammer rather lame, in an amusing kind of way...it's sort of like his handbag or something. Is it Louis Vuitton?
Lastly...this movie being called "The Avengers", when I heard the name, I was expecting it to be about Steed and Purdie! Or Steed and Emma Peel...if I was older!