A great beginning to the blockbuster season!

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2012)

I came into the fanboyhood of Joss Whedon late in my life, realizing I was a fan of his productions unknowingly. I didn't put him and Avengers together until recently, but after that I was rather in anticipation of it since. Very much filmed with the same eye for sci-fi as Firefly, the continuity of the film had a warmth and familiarity to it that was easy to accept.
First off, it is a fantastic start to the summer blockbuster movies. With films like Prometheus and Batteship also on the horizon I will be probably more critical of what is to come as opposed to what just set the bar. With a legion of special effects people and filmed for 3D, I believe I did an injustice seeing it in a theater that was doing 2D: Some of the shots just did not come out the way I think it would have if viewed behind the glasses (I saw it in 2D because I am not a huge fan of 3D and all the hype). Technically, it was directed and filmed for 3D, and doing a backward compatibility might not have been the best. However, I do believe that when released as a BluRay disk, most people would not be able to watch it. The production crew may need to tweak it a bit before then.
Secondly, a master hand was at the helm shifting the weight of the film skillfully between CGI, Action, Drama and comic relief. Every artist has the right to interpret a story the way they see it. Based on characters the movie-going public have already been introduced to I'm sure helped, but for many, only Iron Man has had the most press. Hulk seems to have failed; Captain America did well at the box office but was oddly out of place; Thor wasn't as well received and his future as well wasn't a forgone conclusion. Natasha, Hawkeye, Nick Fury: If you didn't really read the comics you just wouldn't have guessed at their place in a movie with so many super-ego's in it. Somehow, Joss managed to extrapolate these vague characters and put them into a solid mix that did not always get along to at the gitgo.
The story is strong with continuity and weaves a strong relationship between the superhero's without haste. With a strong beginning, the plot is revealed very early but then dwells not so much on the story but the intermixing of the characters to form what the comic book is about: The alliance of superheros as a team called The Avengers. Ever been in a band where all the musicians compete for the spotlight but end up just increasing the gain of their amps? It is not an easy lesson to learn but it was obvious that Iron Man was the primary focus. Meetings, indifference, competition and cooperation, very hard lessons to learn when the world as we know it is at stake but they manage to put aside their egos for the common good and the saving of Manhattan.
Damn, why is it New York City is always the focus of monstrous plots? Guess I better not go there.
Navigating the story, there were many points where homage was paid to movies that preceded it. Obvious was Independence day, Ghostbusters, Avatar and the likes. You had a mix of Asian, northern euro and American curltures which made for a multifaceted presentation. I had a few problems with future-world design, like the water/air ship which staged the initial disharmony of the superheros. I will also reiterate my comment about 2D and 3D screen presentation.
Alan Sylvestri does a stunning soundtrack, which didn't have the usual signature of the initial measure pop as in preceding films. It was appropriate though a solid theme was lacking... or maybe I just could not get a theme figured out while viewing all the action.
One of my biggest surprises was the re-write of Bruce Banner/Hulk. Totally unconventional, the taught character of the gamma-altered human was harsh, intellectual and sometimes more unemotional than his counterpart Hulk, who really stood out as a serious contender for a relaunch or maybe a new franchise if Jeremy Renner is open to it. The super-hero team accepted him and knew how to kindle the huge green giant's passion and formed an amazing bond with his peers. I would love to see a new Hulk movie with this reworked character.
Joss has weaved together an amazing story with very few holes, and maybe I will see it again, but this time in 3D just to see if my observation of the 2D version is correct. Go see it. Great action, great compassion, great story. Thanks Joss.