It's no Dark Knight but it sits comfortably at the number 2 spot.

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2012)

There isn't really much plot going on here but what there is plenty of is character depth, Joss Whedon does a fantastic job of giving these characters so many levels that we never knew they had. This added depth to the characters really causes us too feel for them in their moment of hardships. The character I ended up empathising for the most was actually Black Widow which actually surprised me a great deal. But that's thing that Whedon does really well, he is used to developing characters and yet again his fantastic writing does it again here. Now if you had your doubts about Joss Whedon's directing ability then let me reassure you that you can put those fears to bed. Some of the shots he creates are absolutely stunning making for what will be some very iconic scenes from the movie. Not only did Joss Whedon direct this action filled roller coaster he also put pen to paper and wrote it, as I said the plot isn't exceptional but the dialogue is utter brilliance. Every word out of Tony Stark's mouth is absolutely hilarious making this funnier than a lot of comedies I have seen.
Everyone knows the standard of the acting that is typically found in these Marvel movies, it's pretty good but nothing really amazing. Robert Downey Jr. obviously returns as the obnoxious and downright funny billionaire, Tony Stark. Everyone has seen this role before so you don't really see anything new here but you know what, that doesn't mean it hasn't gotten old. As usual Robert Downey Jr. performs brilliantly, displaying one of the best performances of the movie adding some comedy to an otherwise action filed adventure.
Downey Jr. isn't the only one that shines here, Mark Ruffalo – who I am a huge fan of – plays Bruce Banner/ the Hulk brilliantly making for my personal favourite Hulk's we have seen to date and there is nothing I wish more than for him to get his own movie after this, but we all know that isn't going to happen. Ruffalo also supplies us with many laughs throughout the movie and he also gives us a collection of the best action sequences in the whole movie with his "Hulk smash!"
We see the return of Tom Hiddleston as the menacing Loki and he plays the role absolutely beautifully. The first shot we get of Loki is harrowing which is mastered by the combination of Hiddleston's devilish performance and Whedon's gorgeous directing. Loki not only makes for a horrifying villain but his chemistry between Downey Jr. as Iron Man is priceless. If you weren't fond of Loki in Thor – like I wasn't – your mind will be changed here he truly is an evil person making for an iconic villain.
Chris Evans and Hemsworth show us the performance you expect from seeing them in their individual Marvel movies, they aren't show stopping but are good enough for this movie. I feel as though the best moments of acting are when all of the Avengers are together, the chemistry between them is perfect, they all have their own different relationship between each other that can swap from hatred to best friends in a matter of minutes.
Now the one thing that you don't have to worry about in this movie is any of the main characters being pushed aside. When I first saw the trailer I thought that this will end up being Iron Man & Co. but trust me it isn't, all of the characters you want to get all the screen time they deserve. Maria Hill played by the brilliant Cobie Smulders is one of the very few characters that gets pushed to the side, but she was never really regarded as one of the main characters although I would have liked it if she had a bit more ass kicking to do. Pepper Potts played by Gwyneth Paltrow makes a brief appearance which literally lasts a minute but you don't really care about that as this movie really isn't about her.
The Avengers isn't exactly perfect, there was one thing I wasn't too fond of and that is that these movies are starting to feel far too familiar. Apart from the stature of this movie in comparison with others it doesn't really vary it's self from the other Marvel movies – Paramount Pictures – the direction has the same old comic book action style which you can spot in all the other movies. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I can see many people starting to tire of it.
I feel as though it is usually useless and extremely overpriced, the same can be said here. I didn't feel as though the 3D was necessary, if it was it would have been filmed in 3D and not post converted like most films are these day. The 3D wasn't used like Avatar to fully engross me in the world, it just felt like it was there and there was nothing really too it, I know I would have enjoyed the film just as much in 2D.
The thing The Avengers does best is what it set out to do. It isn't trying to be a dark superhero movie with a serious tone – like The Dark Knight – and that's good because trying to compete with that is a ridiculous thing to do. The Avengers tries to be a comic book action-filled, Hollywood blockbuster and you know what it does that perfectly.
Trust me, if you are a fan of superhero movies then you will fall in love with this movie, it is the movie we all wanted and expected, Joss Whedon has done us all proud and for that I would like to him, thank you very much. This is the perfect start to a Summer filled with brilliant movies.
If you enjoyed you can check out many more at: http://moviesoclock.wordpress.com/