Smarter than the rest, better than the best

Rating: 9/10 (23 May 2012)

Let me preface by saying that I am no fan of superhero movies, whether they be from DC or Marvel. I find that their biggest failing is that they have long action sequences that become dull because you simply cannot identify very deeply with the characters involved. This is usually a result of poor character development and hackneyed dialog. The abysmal Transformers movies and Star Wars prequels come instantly to mind (my wife and I almost fell asleep during the opening scene of Revenge of the Sith during the long, boring space battle). Fighting and action need context to have an impact on the more discerning viewer. The 13-year old version of me probably would have enjoyed the aforementioned movies, at least a little bit, but 34-year old me would rather scrape sandpaper over my eyeballs than be subjected to a pointless visual assault.
Now with the Avengers coming out, my wife and I decided that we should probably check it out for 2 reasons: Joss Whedon and Robert Downey Jr. When it comes to the superhero genre, Batman Begins and the first Iron Man sit at the top of our lists. Iron Man was funny, engaging and completely owned by Downey's personality. It was great fun and left the viewer with lasting thoughts and imagery. So with this being a Joss/Downey production for the most part (if you don't love at least some of Whedon's work, then you are not on my Christmas Card list), we were excited.
We watched all of the prequels, hating Iron Man 2 and the Edward Norton Hulk movie, but loving Captain America and Thor. J. Michael Straczinsky wrote the story for Thor, and it showed with it's depth and scale. We are huge Babylon 5 fans, so we simply had to see it. If you have yet to see The Avengers, the only absolutely necessary prequel is Thor. You really must see it for critical story elements to truly appreciate The Avengers. The rest of the prequels you can afford to miss, but Iron Man and Captain America are both great and it would help to some extent to see them before the Avengers. After seeing all of the prequels, we were ready to jump into the Avengers last night in 3D IMAX on a 72 foot screen (not that fake IMAX Experience crap on a 25 foot screen). And we had a grand ole time.
The movie pretty much starts where Thor left off, story-wise, and quickly advances the plot. Whedon ably does this while developing the myriad characters within. By the time the obligatory massive action sequences occur, you are "all in" and right there with these heroes. I would much rather see story than action, personally, but the balance was well handled and kept the user engaged at all levels throughout. Humor and drama were well balanced as well, with every character bringing some humor, but Downey stealing the show as he was destined to do. We were never bored and the 2 and half hours flew by. My wife is a big Neil Gaiman fan and she felt the the actor who played Loki did a near perfect job in both Thor and The Avengers.
Whedon is the new "King of the World"
9/10 - almost perfect