Go see it now.

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2012)

I saw the movie in 2D and loved it. The summer of 2012 begins with a BANG and the rest of the season movies "have met their match".
Making the blockbuster "The Avengers" into a masterpiece of entertainment, at the time it was announced, seemed impossible for me to achieve with such a high level of efficiency and art. Not even the news of Joss Whedon directing (which I'm familiar with since his "Buffy" times"), not even the actors cast, not even the most recent trailers, could have prepared me for HOW WELL this movie is made. I already knew it was gonna be good, but I wasn't expecting it to be THIS GOOD!
All the actors are at the top of their game. I won't stand out anyone, let's just say they're all excellent. From the main cast and even the secondary characters like agent Coulson or agent Hill. They're really good in this. And they all get their moments to shine, not only individually, but as a group. I didn't feel that one or the other got more "screen time" than the others, or that one was more important than the rest (speaking about the super-heroes). Each had its own relevance, contributed to the group, and we can clearly feel that when the team finally bonds, "they're tough as nails". This is a rare feat when dealing with ensemble casts. I'm wondering if any other movie has achieved this level of balance with such a high caliber group of actors.
The script and the dialogs between characters, between the Avengers or between each one and Loki, are also spot-on. It's more than obvious the Whedon touch, who creates a tapestry of living words that sometimes goes beyond the "comic book" feel of the movie into something more (specifically the lines Loki delivers). And there's no shortage of humor: there are laugh out loud moments, funny moments that we weren't expecting, especially one very short scene between Thor and Hulk that takes but a blink of an eye. Oh, before I forget: if the trailers left you with a bitter taste of "Transformers" in your mouth, make no mistake: the action isn't, and by far, as robotic, tedious and soulless like in those movies.
Regarding the technical aspects, there's not much to tell here. ILM delivers as usual and almost like no other. The art direction, the sound effects, the costumes are great. Alan Silvestri's score is more than competent.
In short, "The Avengers" reaches without a problem the title of best movie of 2012 so far, and it will surely be in many top ten lists when the year is done. It is a landmark of cinema and in its particular genre that, although different from other movies of the same quality ("Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight"), will absolutely not go unseen by lots and LOTS of people (fans and non-fans), and that we will remember like a "Hulk smash to the head": a 2h 20m punch that goes by so fast and that leaves me wanting much more. Joss Whedon had a gigantic task ahead of himself, and not only he delivers perfection, he may finally get the recognition he's been deserving for years: he's become the next great director not to miss. Welcome to the big league, Mr. Whedon! When will "The Avengers 2" be coming out, sir?
9/10 (which may well be a 9.5 or 10 after a second viewing)