Not just a great super-hero movie

Rating: Null/10 (6 May 2012)

I went into this with guarded optimism- let's face it, the movies that led up to it were fun but nothing more. But after seeing this movie, it not only gets my nod for best super-hero movie ever, it's probably going right into my top 10 all-time movies.
Director Whedon has proved that he can take intense action, witty dialogue, and some real emotion and tie them all together into a package that never feels forced. Too often ensemble movies like this try too hard to manufacture tension between members, or artificially manufacture importance for one character at the expense of another, but everything here flows. The Avengers have always involved internal conflict, and the movie portrays it perfectly without going over the top or under-playing it at any point. It's also obvious that there is real love and respect for the characters, as it all feels true to how they were originally written. In all ways, a true winner.