Took it Seriously

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2012)

In terms of quality, I would compare "The Avengers" to "Superman" starring Christopher Reeve, i.e. Absolutely no hokeyness whatsoever. The story was superb, the writing crackled with energy, and the acting was excellent. I thought that that the pacing was magnificent - suspense actually increased as the story proceeded and the perils became more and dire and catastrophic.
Each actor and actress seemed to me to be utilized to the optimum not only in terms of their skills as characters, but, moreover, in terms of their thespian skills. I thought that the movie was a real tour-de-force, a sort of how-to-really-do it, beckoning sequels of similar high quality to follow, I hope.
I was relieved and glad to see Josh Whedon make full use of Liam Hemsworth as Thor, something I thought was sadly lacking in Hemsworth's first venture in portraying the Viking god. Mark Ruffalo finally gave us the first truly satisfying Hulk since Lou Ferrigno! Even Scarlett Johannson's Black Widow, with ample opportunities to overact, to ham it up, utilized her minimalist skills to allow the audience to interface with the story. In the final set pieces of the movie, Downey and others also played down what was roiling inside of the characters' minds and hearts and souls -allowing the audience, once again, to interact and participate - as opposed to being dictated to or oversold on the emotions. For a fantasy and a superhero movie, that is quite a feat. Not only does Josh Whedon deserve tremendous credit for that result, but also Jon Favreau and Stan Lee - among others - The portrayal of Loki was on a par with Shakespeare's Iago, a character who takes great glee in being purely evil.