8 Degrees of Awesomeness

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2012)

The Avengers displays Joss Whedon's flawless comedic timing, and his ability to balance fun among serious situations perfectly. One can see why Buffy & Angel were a huge success, & Firefly/Serenity a huge cult hit. Welcome to the big leagues, Mr. Whedon.
As for the movie, I like this movie's Hulk more than the two stand-alone movies. This movie showcases why the Hulk can work best as a supporting character instead of the lead. Hawkeye, in my opinion, was an odd character to add, and the movie could have done just as well without him. The other characters perform their parts well, but Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark steals the spotlight every time he is on-screen. The chemistry between the cast is seamless. I also loved seeing Coby Smulders as a bad-ass action chick, although its a shame she did not see much action.
The only downsides I can think of is the sometimes cheesy dialogs, mostly by Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, and some very loose usage of technical slang.
Other than that, here is a toast to The Avengers, and I am surely up for seeing The Avengers 2, Iron Man 3, and (a man can dream) Coby Smulders in an action movie.