Despite a Cast of A-List Stars, "The Avengers" is Just Another Superhero Movie

Rating: 6/10 (23 July 2014)

I will start out by saying that overall, I did enjoy this film. I feel like the rating system here on IMDb is used so incorrectly by the majority of folks who use it. For example, if someone loved this movie, they give it a 10. If they didn't like it, they give it a 1, where the truth actually lies somewhere in the middle. Everything is NOT black and white in movies, and I feel like this movie is an unfortunate byproduct of that misconception. With a star studded cast and some pretty incredible visuals, "The Avengers" does many things well that a superhero movie should. What this movie doesn't do well is deliver a unique "gosh that's the best superhero movie i've ever seen!" experience, despite what the inflated rating would tell you.
The plot of "The Avengers" features a pretty basic premise; The US government, naive to their own research on a mysterious object called the Tesseract, accidentally opens a rift to another world allowing the Norse god Loki to enter Earth and essentially wreak havoc. This of course leads to the formation of "The Avengers", which is a collection of Marvel superheroes that many of you will recognize, either from the comic books or previous Marvel films. Together, under "The Avengers initiative", these superheroes go to battle with Loki over the sacred Tesseract which, when wielded by Loki, can open a rift to another dimension and potentially end the world as we know it. Sound familiar? It should, as this general pretense has been used many times over in the past. While the plot doesn't feature any large holes, it also doesn't bring anything new or exciting to the table, either. You can expect many "mini" battles between Loki and the heroes along the way, ultimately leading to the "final showdown" of the film. This is superhero movie 101, and while it works for all intensive purposes, "The Avengers" hardly innovates the genre in any way. Based on it's high rating, I had expected a somewhat unique experience for a superhero movie, but I was unfortunately let down in this regard. The movie does pace itself quite well, however, which kept me interested throughout. If there is one thing "The Avengers" does very well, it's keeping the viewer interested without any serious lulls in the action.
Next up is the acting/casting. This movie is literally jam packed with famous actors/actresses, from Robert Downey Jr. as the always recognizable Iron Man(my personal favorite from not just these films but all in the Marvel collection), Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, and Chris Hemsworth returning as Thor(my second favorite of these characters). There are many others, from Scarlett Johansson, to Samuel L. Jackson, to Jeremy Renner, etc etc. You get the idea. There are lots of famous people in this movie. The acting from these heavyweights of the industry is generally very good, despite a pretty generic script. You can expect a lot of cheesy one-liners, petty arguments, and general "i'm a better superhero than you" moments throughout the script. With a lack of clever writing and, in my honest opinion, a truly despicable villain(Loki just doesn't do it for me, sorry. He looks like a 15 year old boy with a deer helmet), "The Avengers" has a hard time distinguishing itself from the pack, despite all the talented actors involved with this film. One could really make the argument that the talented actors casted for this film ARE what makes the movie above average, because they really have to make the most out of what they are given in the script.
Overall, "The Avengers" offers an exciting, albeit predictable, superhero experience. The actors bring their A-game for this film and the electricity between them definitely makes this movie better. I do have to say I felt a bit of nostalgia watching some of my favorite heroes from childhood band together on the big screen to battle evil. Despite it's fairly long runtime, "The Avengers" kept me interested from start to finish even if I cringed at some of the writing from time to time. Overall though, I think it was the villain, Loki, who brought the viewing experience down for me. He just isn't believable as a true villain, and the "twist" at the end will leave you feeling pretty underwhelmed. Despite these fall backs, though, this is still an enjoyable film to watch. If you expect something more than a 2 hour superhero romp coming into this, you may find yourself a bit disappointed like I was. If you come into this thinking that you will see some cool superhero action and some great actors, you will be much better off. "The Avengers" is a cool superhero movie, but in my opinion, nothing more. This film isn't American Beauty or even the Dark Knight(best superhero movie ever IMO), so as long as you temper your expectations, you will more than likely enjoy "The Avengers".
For an exciting, if somewhat underwhelming, superhero experience, I give "The Avengers" a solid 6/10.