Proof That Bigger Can Be Better

Rating: 8/10 (3 June 2013)

The Avengers definitely had the house riding on it. Marvel set up the film for success, releasing solo pictures of each character in the group with varying degrees of quality from pretty good (Iron Man) to terrible (Iron Man 2). Fortunately, the rest of those prequels were in the good to above average range, laying out a huge amount of hype for the granddaddy to outshine them all.
On that level, the Avengers definitely does not disappoint. It is a leading candidate for the best Marvel movie thus far (the other two being X2 and X-Men: First Class), showcased by an excellent script and easy chemistry between the ensemble cast. It would probably be expected to think that Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man is in a league by himself here but he is actually outshined by Mark Ruffalo and Tom Hiddleson (Bruce Banner/Hulk and Loki, respectively).
Ruffalo is spot on as Bruce Banner, bringing an easygoing nature to a role that was played with much more brooding by both Eric Bana and Edward Norton. The laid back-ness offers the yin to Hulk's destructive yang, adding needed context to the misunderstood hero's backstory.
Hiddleson continues to impress as the troubled Loki, thirsty to drink vengeance against his brother Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and willing to enslave Thor's beloved Earth to do so. Most movie adaptations of Marvel villains are pretty simple affairs, but Hiddleson wills viewers to fully understand the depth of his hatred and propensity for chaos.
Chris Evans is fine as Captain America, although the fact that he plays the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four (another Marvel franchise) bothers me greatly. I'm sure there are other actors who can carry Cap's shield, so to speak. Samuel Jackson, Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson reprise their roles as Nick Fury, Hawkeye, and Black Widow to round out the crew and add another layer of bad ass-ness to the film.
The plot here is standard comic book fare: Loki has teamed with a group of alien baddies to steal the power of some sort of cosmic cube that Fury is hanging onto, and the Avengers need to stop him before the world goes to poop. It's not important to explain the story as much as it is to note that Joss Whedon is proving he is a master of the spectacular. Avengers is the type of summer movie the season is made for and fully worthy of the box office receipts it tallied.