Top-notch action movie extravaganza

Rating: 7/10 (28 March 2014)

In Joss Whedon's "The Avengers," three Marvel Comics superheroes - Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans) and The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) - are recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. to do battle against Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the brother of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who has come to Earth with an alien army to claim the world for his own. But can three such distinctly talented yet strong-willed individuals put aside their differences and egos long enough to function as a team - as the Avengers - to save the planet?
There's no question that gathering three classic superheroes into a single film was a stroke of marketing genius, as well as a considerable treat for fans. The movie itself is lively, loud, and epic in scale with just enough character delineation to keep us engaged on a human level. Plus, it culminates in a spectacular jamboree of destruction in New York City that turns into a veritable Valhalla for CGI aficionados.
All the above-mentioned actors enter into the spirit of the enterprise, as do Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Clark Gregg, Samuel L. Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Powers Boothe, Jenny Agutter, and Harry Dean Stanton as the pure humans in the cast.
Good fun.