Avengers: An Assembly of Sheer Awesomeness!!!

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2012)

From the moment Samuel L Jackson walked in during the post-credits scene of 'Iron Man' four years ago, talking about the 'Avengers Initiative', the whole world has waited for this epic assemblage of some of Marvel's greatest icons! Well, four years and five films later, the Avengers have finally assembled...and, as expected, it was with a wave of sheer awesomeness!
Unlike the previous 'Marvel Cinematic Universe' films, 'The Avengers' isn't really into complex plotting here. The premise is simple-Loki, the Asgardian 'God', seeks to facilitate the invasion of Earth by an alien race...and Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD, responds by activating the 'Avengers Initiative', bringing together armored hero Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr. reprising the character for the third time), Loki's 'brother' and Asgardian warrior Thor (Chris Helmsworth), the living legend and man out of time Captain America (Chris Evans), gamma radiations expert Dr. Bruce Banner and his monstrous alter ego the 'Hulk' (both played to perfection by Mark Ruffalo, following in the footsteps of Edward Norton) and clandestine operatives Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). What follows is the usual hero vs. villain fare...albeit on a scale about a BILLION times larger than that of, say, 'Spiderman'. Indeed, one of the greatest moments in the film is a single shot that sweeps across New York City, taken in the battles of each of the six Avengers across the breadth of the Big Apple...a testament to the sheer scale and scope of not only the film itself, but the threat faced by the heroes in-universe.
Action and spectacles aside, 'The Avengers' real strength lies in the characterizations of the core characters. Downey Jr. turns in another memorable performance as Tony Stark which was to be expected, and Tom Hiddleton brilliantly essays the megalomaniacal God Loki...but it is newcomer (to the Marvel movie-verse) Mark Ruffalo who really stands out in his dual performance as both scientific genius Bruce Banner and the rampaging Hulk. Ruffalo brings a level of depth to the character, and his inner struggles, which was not immediately evident in performances by previous actors. His Banner is not so much a man on the run from the monster within as he is a man who is starting to learn to accept the monster and use it as a force for good. Samuel L Jackson really gets to shine here as Nick Fury, after his cameos in previous films.
On a parting note, there has been an unfortunate tendency, for months, on message boards, blogs and forums across the Internet, to create some kind of a 'competition' between The Avengers and Nolan's upcoming epic, The Dark Knight Rises. Having seen the former, I can safely say that such comparisons are totally uncalled for. The Avengers is not aiming to surpass The Dark Knight Rises any more than Star Wars was aiming to surpass The Godfather. They are two totally different films, belonging to different genres and (literally) whole different universes, and as fans, we need to respect that above all else and enjoy all masterpieces on their own merits!