A great summer film. Is it more than that, sorry Joss, no it's not.

Rating: 7/10 (4 May 2012)

The Avengers is not as good as The Dark Knight, I'm just going to say that from the off, the storyline is escapism and it has some genuinely funny moments in it, but it doesn't have the deep characters or visual spectacle. Joss Whedon's script keeps the film going, and lets be honest, this film could have been a train wreck. What makes The Avengers tick is the relationships that each of the characters have with one another. This is where the film really takes flight, when all the characters are in a pressure cooker together, it gives the film weight and suspense especially with Mark Ruffalo's Hulk. Joss Whedon should be given a lot of credit for crafting such a cohesive and well thought out script.
The Dialogue is what keeps it above board, visuals have never been Joss Whedon's strong suit, but I did notice a wink to his first feature film Serenity in zoom shots in the action sequences (see Serenity's finale as the ship falls from the sky). The film doesn't look bad by any means it just has the same sheen that the other Marvel films seem to support, but it didn't really have a choice following suit from its predecessors. But lack of visual flair is sometimes what makes me dislike these movies, they look too clean and have a sheen that makes it look too much like a cartoon for my personal taste. Other Superhero film don't seem to have this "sheen", making them more visually pleasing to me - the Nolan and Burton Batman's spring to mind as well as the Marvel Xmen films.
The film works equally as well in 2D as it does in 3D, the "third" dimension is not needed here, the visual storytelling (though nothing groundbreaking) stands on its own two feet, making the 3D gimmick unnecessary.
Its very difficult to score this film as it is by and large a fantastic superhero film, thats enjoyable from beginning to end. But enjoyment isn't all I mark it on, was the story original, well no not at all, it was an accumulation of its heroes solo films. Were the visuals good, yes, but they weren't anything you haven't seen in other similar films. The Avengers is fun and Joss's ingenious and humorous dialogue will make you come back for another sitting, but by and large this isn't a anything more than a summer popcorn film, not that it tries to be more either. But what do I know I gave Salt a 9.