Another Amazing Marvel Movie

Rating: 9/10 (19 November 2012)

For the unfortunate enough to have not seen this movie, Joss Whedon's "The Avengers", be prepared for a few hours of comedy and suspense. A classic Marvel film at the hands of Joss Whedon and you're in for classic superhero action, humor, and thrills. If you're one for large character development, going into the minds and psychological aspects of each character, this movie may not be for you.
The story starts with the secret organization S.H.I.E.L.D. experimenting on an energy source known as the tesseract. Before long, Loki, who is essentially the main villain in the film, comes to steal the energy source to raise an army. It's at this point that S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, Nick Fury, forms The Avengers.
We see a few familiar faces in the Marvel franchise such as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Captain America and Black Widow. It feels a bit lacking for the amount of superheroes has under their belt but what can we expect without waiting another five years for each individual hero to have their own film.
Many familiar faces as well as some fresh new ones come into play of the film. It isn't the first time we've seen the witty antics on Robert Downey Junior play the billionaire playboy Tony Stark and I'm sure it won't be the last as he pulls it off so well. Each scene with Mr. Downey Junior contains jokes and wisecracks at those around him such as his scene in the ship where he points out the man playing Galaga in the background, or jabbing at Doctor Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo, for turning into "a giant green rage monster". We see other major names such as Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, and Jeremy Renner. Each actor/actress doesn't fail to give good presentations of their character but there's always room for improvement. Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow character doesn't seem as intimidating as displayed in her comic book versions but still a different look and feel for the Russian assassin. All in all the performance in my opinion was exceptional except for the few ticks that don't seem to fit for some characters.
After the initial formation of The Avengers, the main focus for the next hour is for them to find their resolve and eventually gain each other's trust. Using the death of an ally as a stepping stone to stop Loki, all their problems with each other were overlooked. Eventually, the last half hour of the film was used in the fight scene against Loki's army, the Chitauri, and The Avengers. In the end, everything is about the way it should be for a superhero movie, where the good guys win and another enemy ready to pounce.
In terms of sound effects and special effects, Whedon and the Marvel crew knows precisely what it takes for a superhero movie. We're taken from a flying battle fortress to a ruined downtown Manhattan under the attack of an alien army known as the Chitauri. The visual CGI is stunning and everything looks about as real as you can touch them. Although not quite as suspenseful as in theaters, the sound of each punch, background noise, and even the clarity of conversation between characters give you a sense of reality and a feel for actually being Another thing that was a bit of a personal let down was the lack of minor details. If you haven't seen each of the movies related to the characters in this one, then you're a bit lost on each of the personalities and backgrounds of each hero. Each hero is given perhaps a 30 second explanation or subtle hints on their whereabouts and relationships before the film. Another such detail was the fact that in the end of Thor's movie, the major issue was the fact that he could never return to Earth again. When making The Avengers, the detail seemed overlooked with no explanation just to fit another superhero.
It's easy to overlook the minor things to get the full pleasure out of this film. It's a classic good vs. evil superhero movie that most audiences can enjoy. You get to see your favorite superhero come to life again to take down another threat. It's very highly enjoyable and a good action/adventure film. I would recommend this as a film to watch.