Avengers disassemble...

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2012)

I love the Avengers, in theory. Unfortunately, in practice I couldn't wait for this movie to end.
From the empty backstory for the 'bad guys', to a total lack of empathy for any of the main characters, I found this whole experience soul crushingly dull. Which is odd when there's an explosion or a fist fight every 5 minutes.
It would be quite annoying to work out the veneer-thin plot if not having seen some of the prior Marvel outings for Thor, Iron Man, et al, but there are some saving graces.
An almost seamless set of special effects does lend a sense of realism to the ridiculous scenarios that the heroes find themselves in. And with plenty of running time to allow each a fair chunk of screen time, it doesn't feel as if any one member is worth less than the rest.
That's part of the problem for me- with trying to squeeze an equal share for everyone in, it starts to feel patched together, losing coherence. When the flow begins to break up, my attention span begins to shorten. I start to not care about the events or their impact on the story, and instead just want to see the Hulk smash.