Spoiler-Free review of an Awesome flick!

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2012)

The movie touches on all bases that a good super-hero / fantasy movie should. A fantastic story line, solid action, good humor, and amazing visuals.
The story is a bit much, kinda out-there (literally) but it is in keeping with the nature of the Thor / Asgard storyline. You cant include a Norse God without accepting some magik / fantasy elements. Plus the Avengers always tackled those issues in the books. Even the pacing was right on; at no point does it get slow or bogged down in exposition. Bottom line: it works.
The action is solid on all levels, and some of it is just breathtaking. Even the face-offs are surprising, and fun to watch. Best action in a superhero movie period.
The humor / emotion: the movie is hilarious without being stupid or directed at 8-year olds. Lucas / DC Comics take note! You don't have to make lame, childish jokes to be funny. Think more Joker with the pencil than anything in Green Lantern. Downey Jr is the driving force of this movie, and his Stark is turned up a notch. There a some literal laugh-out-loud moments in there, and some moments where the theater became deathly still. They pull strings without making you feel like a puppet.
Finally, visually the movie looks amazing. ILM outdid themselves, and the one spot I'm sure everyone was worried about, the green one, just looks sick. Not a lot of shake-the-camera fake action, but some great scenes, even a few surprising choices of vantage points.
The cast was perfect, Ruffalo IS Banner. A throwback to the Bixby days, instantly making you forget Norton or Bana. Evans owns the Cap / Leader / Good Guy role. You want to follow him. Johannson is a bad-ass in her role, Hemsworth is good, although Thor is kinda one-note. Hawkeye is an intriguing character, and Renner has the same great smirky tension he had in Hurt Locker. Agent Coulson has a much-expanded role in this, and his parts are special in themselves. And of course, Downey is king.
Im not a huge Avengers fan, never was. X-Men or The Justice League were always my favorites, so I'm not total fanboy, but I think this movie captured every element a true comic fan would want to see on the screen, and casual fans can just enjoy it as well, because it stands alone as a great movie. Probably the best since First Class, maybe the best since Dark Knight. I know I walked out feeling like I did after Return Of The King. It's that good!