Very entertaining. Superhero ensemble done right.

Rating: 8/10 (26 April 2012)

Over the past five years we have been exposed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has introduced us to a multitude of characters. Finally, it all comes to a head in this massive ensemble. Following the arrival of the Norse God Loki (Tom Hiddleston), S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) assembles a team of six of the most powerful individuals the world has ever seen to combat the threat. However, their egos and suspicions of one another create a lot of friction in the group. Many feared that the screen time of this film would be dominated by a single character, with the rest simply playing supporting roles. They needn't have worried, as each Avenger is given an appropriate amount of attention. Returning to their roles from the previous Marvel films are Robert Downey Jr. as the pretentious yet well-meaning industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Evans as the recently resurrected World War II hero Steve Rogers/Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Norse God Thor (Loki's stepbrother) and Scarlett Johansson as enigmatic spy Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. Jeremy Renner expands upon his brief cameo in "Thor" as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, by far the most interesting member of the group. Replacing Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/The Hulk is Mark Ruffalo, who fills the role surprisingly well. Badass as usual is Jackson as Fury. We also see quite a lot of fan favorite Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who makes his most memorable appearance so far. Returning in supporting roles are Virginia "Pepper" Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Dr. Eric Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard). Introduced in this film is Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), who doesn't really get enough screen time to make a proper impression. While the entire cast is solid, the best performance by far is by Hiddleston. As the film's primary villain, he cuts an imposing figure, peering a death glare at the audience and relishing every word as he attempts to get inside the heroes' heads. Director Joss Whedon, the man behind "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "Firefly", once again shows his ability to create a well-made ensemble piece. Following in the footsteps of Jon Favreau, Kenneth Branagh, Louis Letterier and Joe Johnston, he was the ideal choice for this film. Whedon was able to cover all of the necessary areas, from the emotional impact of the death of a major character, to the film's many moments of humor and the many heart-racing action scenes. Another triumph is the film's special effects. The motion capture used to create the Hulk has made him look more realistic than any previous live-action portrayal, Loki's army of Chitauri aliens are a convincing force to be reckoned with and vehicles are created that could never exist in reality. Furthermore, Whedon alumni Alexis Denisof is unrecognizable as The Other, a mysterious villain who hints at what is going on behind the scenes (and what will come to the front in future installments). While it won't win any Oscars, The Avengers succeeds in all of the intended areas. A character-driven story with heart, action and humor, it brings these iconic characters to the big screen in a way that does them justice, and will thrill audiences from beginning to end.