It feels especially small now, but was a massive move for Marvel and is always an entertaining experience.

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2018)

There's a sense of infancy and an accompanying intimacy, despite the large scale ending, because 'Avengers Assemble (2012)' is, for all intents and purposes, so retrospectively small and yet actually so big. It represents a keen, unprecedented challenge for writer/director Joss Whedon and it was a 'surprise' success to the delight of many a fan and studio-head across the globe. The fact it pulls off a six character crossover, without a clear protagonist I'll add, is impressive, and slightly concerning. It's also consistently entertaining and fast-paced, packing in all the action and spectacle you'd expect along with the quick character moments that make it stand out. There's the occasionally hammy line or ever so slightly cheesy moment, actually evocative of Whedon's style, that's only more amplified by the distance afforded by time and the fact that this flick wasn't what the MCU now is nor was it what the MCU then was, as it represented a shift in the 'universe' that was then shifted again rather quickly. These inconsistencies, of tone and character both past and prophetic future, aren't major issues and are often marked by moments of clairvoyant clarity or otherwise pitch perfection pertaining to comic-book character personas and, as such, the relatively plotless piece is still a delight to behold. It's smashy-bashy finale is also especially well-realised, though showing its age now, and feels like a tangible sequence rather than a series of green-screen sets connected by digital extensions. It isn't the best Marvel film, but it represented a big leap for the studio, and the genre as a whole, and is an enjoyable ride throughout. 8/10