One of the Best Super Hero Epics!!!

Rating: 10/10 (13 May 2012)

Since the epilogue in "Iron Man" (2008) when Nick Fury broached the idea of the Avengers Initiative to wisecracking Tony Stark, Marvel Comics has been patiently whetting our appetites for "The Avengers." This imaginative ensemble epic assembles not only Iron Man and Hulk, but also Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Nick Fury. Agent Phil Coulson is back, too. Ostensibly, these paragons of virtue are all that stand between Thor's scheming step-brother Loki and the fate of mankind. Happily, Loki brings more to the table than he did in Kenneth Branagh's anemic "Thor." Indeed, Thor and Loki seem to have matured considerably during the interim. Loki ranks as a first-rate villain; he is ready, willing, and eager to kill anybody who confronts him, and actor Tom Hiddleston relishes every moment. Ultimately, "The Avengers" qualifies as Marvel's ambitious attempt to deliver an all-star, no-holds-barred, alien invasion thriller to rival both "Independence Day" and "Transformers" franchise. Of course, we know that our heroes won't capitulate, but this 142-minute, PG-13 extravaganza takes everything down to the wire. Inevitably, the extraterrestrial villain--only hardcore Marvel Comics fans may recognize him—who boasts about subjugating Earth is as presumptuous as audiences who fail to appreciate the artistry of "The Avengers." Unlike other ensemble pieces—like the venerable "Star Trek" movies that always relegated some regulars to obscurity, "The Avengers" gives everybody a chance to perform an integral part in this larger-than-life smackdown. Reportedly, "Serenity" director Joss Whedon shot more footage of Captain America than reached the screen. Nevertheless, the fish-out-of-water, World War II hero still participates in a major way. Melodramatic, with more humor than you might imagine, but just enough tragedy to make things bittersweet, "The Avengers" doesn't wear out its welcome. Moreover, this far-fetched nonsense holds up under repeated showings. I've seen it four times, and it loses none of its spontaneity.
"The Avengers" opens with audacious Asgardian exile Loki (Tom Hiddleston of "Archipelago") cutting a deal with malevolent aliens elsewhere in the galaxy and then appropriating a formidable source of energy, the Tesseract, from Nick Fury's (Samuel L Jackson) SHIELD outfit. If you're interested, the Tesseract showed up initially in "Captain America, the First Avenger." Once Loki gets his power-hungry hands on the Tesseract, he plans to unlock a portal in space with the expertise of Professor Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård of "Thor") so an extraterrestrial horde, the Chitauri, can invade Earth. The Chitauri are reptilian warriors with humanoid body structure in silver armor that cruise the skies as trios in chariots. Along the way, Loki recruits Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner of "The Hurt Locker") to do his evil bidding with the help of his glowing scepter. Meanwhile, Fury recruits his own team, first persuading Steve Rogers (Chris Evans of "The Fantastic Four") who has not quite grown accustomed to the 21st century to join him. Chiefly, Captain America doesn't know what most of the popular phrases mean. Former Russian spy Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) heads off to Calcutta to round up Dr. Banner. Eventually, Iron Man shows up, too. Thor barges him when he discovers that Loki is up to no good. Everybody boards a futuristic aircraft carrier that does more than ply the seas. Whedon does a masterly job of interspersing comedy with drama. Moreover, he manages to ante up enough time for each hero to make a contribution as they struggle to defeat Loki.
Whedon's "The Avengers" emerges as the climax to several recent Marvel Comics super hero escapades. Thor and Captain America toplined their own respective origins stories and generated well over a $100-million in box office receipts. If you've been keeping track of Marvel movies, you know the least successful super hero of the quartet is the Hulk. Unlike "Iron Man," "Thor," and "Captain America," the pugnacious green gargantuan never formulated the right mix of leading actor, atmosphere, and narrative tone. Marvel's two "Hulk" movies failed to forge a charismatic hero after Marvel's major success with him on prime time television. Director Ang Lee's "Hulk" (2003), with Eric Bana as the title character, took itself far too seriously and tackled unpleasant issues such as child abuse. Marvel rebooted the character with director Louis Leterrier's "The Incredible Hulk" with Edward Norton as the eponymous character. This adventure surpassed "Hulk," but remained half-baked. Unfortunately, actor Edward Norton feuded with the studio over the film's interpretation of the material. Happily, for Hulk, lightening strikes the third time. Mark Ruffalo looks ideal as Dr. Bruce Banner and Whedon literally has remade the Hulk in Ruffalo's own image. Hawkeye and The Black Widow aren't exactly in the same league with luminaries like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, or Hulk. These two are conventional agents of SHIELD with special skill sets. Neither, however, possesses Herculean prowess. Lastly, ubiquitous Agent Phil Coulson hasn't changed an iota. Like Nick Fury, Coulson has appeared in most of the films. More than any other character, Coulson makes the greatest impression in "The Avengers" when Loki throws down the gauntlet.
There are two kinds of super hero movies. First, you have the brawny, exciting sagas, with sparkling verbal repartee, like "Iron Man" and "Captain America," that are lightweight and exhilarating. Second, like "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," you have those that are dark, literate, complicated, and rely as much as possible on realism. "The Avengers" belongs to the first category, and Whedon's opus ranks as one of the best. The action never sacrifices its momentum for expository information about any of the heroes. Iron Man has lost none of his quirky, anti-heroic personality. Captain America is still as straight as one of Hawkeye's arrows. Hulk acquires a mystique lacking in prior incarnations, and Thor becomes the hammer wielding equivalent of an intergalactic lawman. Again, Loki's machinations keep thing interesting. "The Avengers" is the kind of movie where you need to stick around even as the end credits roll to learn more about the villains and the heroes.