The Avengers Delivers On All Counts

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2012)

With each subtle hint at a future collaborative effort of various Marvel superheroes, it seems now that the entire world's anticipation was growing to an immense level. Now that The Avengers has shattered various box office records and is on pace to top the $1 billion worldwide gross mark, I'm sure anyone bothering to write up a review is doing so simply to state his or her case for how they enjoyed it, not so much to tell others what to expect.
As far as that goes, I was incredibly impressed with The Avengers. My initial expectation of an action-packed, SFX-laced adrenaline rush were met with ease, and nothing less would have been satisfactory for any decent superhero picture. I also expected a movie with a hefty dose of comedic relief, mainly because of Robert Downey's lighthearted take on Iron Man in both of his solo pictures. This also turned out to be true, and added just what the film needed in between extremely heavy scenes of fast-paced, chaotic action.
One of the strong dividing lines throughout recent years has been the casting choices for the various superheroes that have gotten both their own pictures and inclusion in the Avenger initiative. Going all the way back to the newer incarnations of the Hulk, fans were unable to come to any semblance of a conclusion on who would be best for what and why. "Why Chris Evans as Captain America?" is a commonly heard question, as is "Why didn't Edward Norton come back as The Hulk?". Unfortunately, you cannot please everyone with so many pivotal casting decisions, but I tend to feel that, overall, the characters portrayed in The Avengers are properly matched up to capable actors. Mark Ruffalo does an excellent job as the mild-mannered Bruce Banner, Jeremy Renner and Scarlet Johansson are easily up to their respective characters Hawkeye and Black Widow. The rest of the team has experience in their roles, from Downey's Iron Man and Evans' Captain America to Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. But, when combined on screen, you cannot tell the "rookies" from the veterans.
Simply put, The Avengers is the best Superhero movie you're likely to come across in terms of sheer entertainment. While I personally wouldn't rank it as my favorite (a reservation I still hold for Watchmen), it's without a doubt worth the price of admission and the incredible amount of hype it's received. An incredible feat of film production and merging talents, The Avengers is destined to be remembered as a high-water mark in superhero cinema.