Not 100% perfect but still an outstanding film in so many ways

Rating: 9/10 (10 August 2014)

Superhero films are always fun to watch when they are done right, and while to some degree it is understandable why people wouldn't be totally enamoured with it(as seen in a lot of the negative comments, a lot of them being condescending though- enough with the ignorant conspiracy theories already!- and some not even worthy of being called reviews) Avengers Assemble for me was an example of a fun and intelligent superhero film that was done right. True, the story is formulaic but not to the extent that was too distracting. In fact my only two complaint was to do with one performances that didn't quite work personally. And that was Jeremy Renner who was rather on the dull side as Hawkeye, whose character development did seem a little rushed and underwritten, that Hawkeye has inner demons is made very clear but it could have come through more strongly. However the rest of the performances were great, a big shout out going to Tom Hiddleston who is serpentine personified as Loki, though Robert Downey Jnr's charismatic Iron Man, Samuel L. Jackson's no-nonsense Nick Fury, Mark Ruffalo's very confident Hulk(he doesn't make you miss Eric Bana or Ed Norton), Chris Hemsworth's dynamic and not wimpy Thor(if he was I put it down to his hidden demons character development) and Chris Evans' modest, heartfelt Captain America were equally great. Scarlett Johansson convinces mostly too, Black Widow's back story is intriguing and Johansson is wonderful when she acts fearless but when in her emotional, imploring moments her acting is rather forced and out of character for Black Widow. For a film with as many characters as seen here, Avengers Assemble still makes a vast majority of them very interesting(only Hawkeye really disappointed), in character and not one-sided and all of them have their turn to shine. It didn't feel to me like a film that tried to cram in too many heroes all at once for the sake of it. The film is very slickly made with astounding special effects and dazzlingly executed stunt-work. Alan Silvestri's score pulsates with power and the action sequences are exciting. The story may be formulaic and standard good-and-evil but is crisply paced and intelligently handled with just the right blend of humour, pathos and action with not one component over-shadowing the others. What was really enjoyable especially was the toe-to-toe with Thor and Iron Man and Hulk. What was really remarkable was the script, filled with thoughtful exposition and snappy banter that stayed true to The Avengers while also with Joss Whedon's own style that was apparent in a lot of his other work. Overall, Avengers Assemble may not be 100% perfect or among the best ever but it is still an outstanding film with a lot to love about it, and no this is not coming from a fake account or a plant, just someone who can be hard to please who genuinely enjoyed it. 9/10 Bethany Cox