super-powered self-indulgence

Rating: 9/10 (12 May 2012)

When I was 10 years old, my brother and I discovered the world of Comic Books - adamantium claws, mutant chromosomes, capes, tights, unique abilities that we imagined what we would do, if only we possessed them. How great it would be if we didn't have to visualize these heroes in our minds, but watch them in a live-action movie?
With this movie, the dreams of geeks and nerds have been fulfilled in some sick and twisted yet wonderful manner, like the wet fantasies of normal people but magnified by the Nth power. It feels almost wrong to see Iron Man argue with Captain America, each capturing the essence of who they are supposed to be, in the flesh. How wonderful it is.
Once you get past the awesome visual reality that is the Avengers, assembled, it's a delightful pleasure that the director or the screenwriters implemented several "laugh out loud" moments that were seamlessly woven into the flow of this movie. The Hulk, in particular, provides at least a couple of comic moments that had everyone in the theater roaring.
It's not that we don't take this stuff seriously - we really do. It's great entertainment, and the box office results prove this. Yet, lest we forget, there is a bit of ridiculousness in this mish mash of a giant green monster, a man in red and blue tights, a modern-day bow and arrow archer, and so forth - and why confine entertainment to being one-dimensional spectacle and visual effects when you can select and choose from a true arsenal of gifts.