Good introduction to Marvel's heroic ensemble

Rating: 8/10 (9 January 2019)

Faced with an existential threat posed by Asgardian renegade Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles a team of "Earth's mightiest heroes", including Ironman, Thor, The Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye (Robert Downey Jr. Chris Hemsworth Mark Ruffalo + CGI, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner respectively). Loki's plan revolves around possession of the Tesseract, the same glowing blue MacGuffin that plagued Captain America in his debut solo film ('Captain America: The First Avenger', 2001). The disparate team of egos and alter egos meets, squabbles, reconciles, and finally cooperates as the skies open and Loki's Chitauri army attacks the Big Apple. All of the heroes (super and otherwise) are well played and fun, and Tom Hiddleston is excellent as the conniving Loki. The overall story is entertaining and the film, especially the climactic battle, very well made. All in all, a good start to the complex story arc at the core of the popular and profitable franchise.