The True Comic Book Movie

Rating: 10/10 (23 May 2012)

There's something unique about this movie. It speeds through a complex back story (many back stories actually) and yet makes it work through excellent dialog and even more incredible and often subtle acting. It adds more action than a Michael Bay film but does it right by investing the audience beforehand, not to mention how much better the actual action is. It assembles characters with very uneven powers but manages to make them all shine.
Basically it's excellent. Everything's good in it. But I'll just state the reasons you should see it. The dialog and character interaction is AMAZING. The fight choreography is unrivaled. The comedy is just as incredible as the action and they often intersect beautifully. The cast is excellent. The villain makes the world conquering routine seem fresh (which is not easy to do). The stakes are high but at the same time it's a personal battle. Each of the characters has a different reason for being there and the movie gives them all importance which is one of the most difficult things about ensembles like this. There are even more subtle story arcs that expand the viewers interest in the heroes personalities given them depth while foreshadowing directions for future films in this franchise.
There are a lot of things this movie had to overcome that it did beautifully. For one thing it was the first movie that I know of that attempted to build off of other stand-alone films. It connects them quite well. Then it had to survive the editing room. Apparently over an hour of footage was left out (most probably at the request of the studio). The pacing is still great. It had to live up to fans expectations. Don't know about other fans but I've been collecting comics since I was 8 and this movie blew my mind. Joss Whedon's greatest achievement had to be to introduce these characters to each other, create group tensions and then quickly have them learn to work together. If you pay attention you can see them learn each others rhythms and adapt to each others styles slowly as the movie progresses.
I especially enjoyed Mark Ruffalo. I was skeptical about this casting choice (even though I really liked him in Shutter Island). I have to say he plays the hulk much more enjoyably than any previous incarnation. While others have always portrayed him in a more cliché'd "Jeckyl and Hyde" style, he plays him with his own technique. He attempts the character of Bruce Banner like a person who's learnt to overcome a crippling addiction/flaw, similar to what a lot of recovering rageaholics (real thing) go through. But the world and Loki seem to be begging him to release "the other guy". You truly feel for once, that the Hulk and Bruce Banner are the same person but in very different states of mind, which is how it's supposed to be. He also has a sense of humour about his condition making him more likable than the usual whiny Bruce Banners. His Hulk is just the most amazing character. When the big fight scene happens he does not disappoint.
The cinema experience is great. The movie is 2 and a half hours long but just flies by.
What I personally most enjoyed about the movie is that it wasn't shy about being a comic book movie. In fact it celebrated the comic book over the top attitude with everyone and not just fans. There was no humor in this that was an in joke that only fans would get. It pokes fun and shows flaws in its heroes. It makes the hero villain struggle very enjoyable.
Basically this is the movie I've wanted since I was a kid. It's big and it's smart but also didn't have to go to dark and gritty story lines like a lot of other comic book movies (which often feels out of place and humourless to me).
A definite must-see.