Amazing, and I will break down why

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2012)

When the Tesseract suddenly activates itself, it briefly opens a portal. A small one, but nonetheless it allows Loki(who uses his illusions well) to pass through... and he now has a sceptre that allows him to take over people by touch. He escapes with the aforementioned seemingly limitless source of energy, and with the threat of it being used to allow an invasion of Earth by the alien force the Chitari, what can Fury do other than... Assemble Avengers. This is an excellent piece, that lives up to the hype. It will satisfy comic readers and more casual viewers of this franchise alike. A lot of people will be exclaiming that, so I will try to back it up instead of just fawning over this(and believe me, I could go 1000 words just doing that). It follows up on all... no, *all*... of the threads set up in the five films that came before(and yes, it will really help to have watched all of them before this... then again, if you have any interest in this, you probably already have). Nothing is abandoned or ignored. The sheer planning that went into this... and this is still full of fantastic surprises. And for all the development(all of that in this is highly credible, by the way) of characters, powers and conflicts(and this takes the ball and runs with it, and adds the interpersonal relationships of these people who have not shared a screen before now, who are rather different people) that precedes this, there is a solid amount of it in this, as well. All six(and no, you can't tell that two of them, one of them especially, haven't gotten much screen time before this) members of the faction are treated to an astonishing introduction(actually, that goes for Nick and the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, both very cool, as well), a strong heroic act that only they could have accomplished, *and*... a situation of immense peril(not to mention that they(and we) are treated to one continuous tracking shot that showcases all of them taking names using their talent, one by one, once they've grown into a team, working together... no, they don't start out like that, and yes, there is indeed infighting early on, and yes, we get every one-on-one that anyone wants, and it is glorious... the trailer is literally just the preview). All of them have something to do(and they are recruited gradually, no one overshadowing anyone else... and somehow, this gets all the aspects that make them work individually, in their own movies, somehow, without getting tonal schizophrenia), some reason to be in this, and the threat(Hiddleston is friggin' intimidating) is grand enough that we need all of them, and for them to band together. Tony has to prove that he is selfless, that he doesn't just fix his own mistakes(and he brings his mainstay of taking what can barely even be called calculated risks, that come out to putting a severe dent in the enemies). Steve has to adjust to a world and time completely foreign to him, and bring them all into one, effective unit(and he is the great leader that is required, one that you yourself would follow, and, indeed, a Super Soldier(a title he earns)). Thor(who brings godlike might, and a Shakespearian sibling rivalry with the bad guy) and Natasha(who is the real brains of the operation, and can manipulate the foe... they use one of her qualities well, that being her apparently complete detachment from emotion leading to an uncertainty of what she does feel and what not) are dealing with a lot of guilt, on account of it being an Asgardian causing trouble for the planet and her... dark past as a spy who'd take on missions for or against anyone, respectively. Clint(who brings his specialized arrows and extreme accuracy to good use) has his own to make amends for(you'll see...). Bruce(who comes with the sheer destructive weight of his alter ego) is brought on for his expertise on the subject of Gamma radiation(he can help find the vital cube), and... I don't need to spell out what he feels bad about, do I? He does seem to have gotten the Hulk under control... or has he? This builds up the transformation, and he remains a danger. He's the only one to have another person attached to it than played it last, and while I had no problem with Norton(who I love in other stuff... in that, he didn't do all he could with it, though), this part is Ruffalo's. There is this very terrifying aspect to him, he could metamorphose and cause significant damage and pain... and he plays it like you'd expect him to be, very non-confrontational and anxious, yet smart and confident in his field. All of them risk their lives and limb for the good of mankind, saving countless people. There are not many supporting roles(Phil Coulson does return, and he is enjoyable, with a fandom of Cap; there's also a female agent named Hill, who kicks ass... in fact, every woman in this is hot, independent and not objectified... kudos for that, along with the rest, Whedon), with focus placed where it should be, on the ensemble cast. Is it necessary for me to devote space to let you know that the acting is spot-on? You've already seen Chris, Robert and Liam do incredible, and they do so here, too. Everyone does. The writing is phenomenal. I am struggling to find one line of dialog(with Iron Man-like wit and banter) that isn't quotable, sharp and well-delivered. The action is plentiful, has distinct stages to it(none of that unaimed, mindless crap), culminating in a truly massive climax, and somehow never running out of steam or exhausting the audience. This keeps to a pitch perfect pace, and at nearly two and a half hours, there is nothing tedious or rushed. The FX? Breathtaking. 3D? Used right(only little distinctly moves towards/points at you). I recommend this to everyone who is considering it. 10/10