A fun but forgettable match-up of superheroes

Rating: 8/10 (1 March 2013)

The Avengers is a huge project considering the number of films leading up to it. Marvel's superhero flicks have been centered around a sexy cast and a fast-paced plot rather than emotional or intellectual depth, comparing poorly to Nolan's Batman films. The Avengers ends up being stronger than its predecessors in that it doubles the amount of fun with its superb character roster and has wittier dialogue, but falls short of a superhero masterpiece.
The film plays with the dynamics of the characters and the actors and uses humorous twists and Joss Whedon's trademark "cut to" technique to great effect. The first half of the film (after the pointless prologue) is a joy to watch -- it reminds me of the fun I had with the first Pirates of the Caribbean film. After that there is a lengthy war scene against generic alien invaders, during which the film doesn't lose focus from its character chemistry but starts to drag a little.
The plot is rubbish thinly disguised as philosophy (Loki's speech about human subordination). As the film is mostly constructed on visual and verbal gags, I feel it doesn't hold up on a second viewing -- after all, a joke is funny only on the first telling.