The Avengers isn’t the best superhero movie of all time (as many are saying), but it is a whole lot of fun. Well-cast, paced, and executed, it’s a crowd-pleaser with a ton of great moments, and some surprisingly funny ones as well. Joss Whedon does an admirable job of making this huge blockbuster a film that works on all levels. It’s far from perfect though. Overlong and a tedious first 30-40 minutes make seal its fate when comparing it to Nolan’s Batman films and Spider-man 2. I also preferred X-Men: First Class to The Avengers. Once the movie gets going though, it’s a lot of fun, complete with WWE style smackdowns and lots of sneering villainy.

Once you get through the incoherent sci-fi jargon and The Avengers start appearing (and fighting one another), the film takes off. The team must come together to stop Loki (an amusing Tom Hiddleston) from conquering earth. Robert Downey Jr steals every scene not nailed down as the smarmy, self-absorbed Tony Stark. His conflict with Captain America (a pitch-perfect straight arrow/boy scout played by Chris Evans) makes for a lot of fun. Captain America’s costume has a dorky, retro look that fits his character perfectly. Fanboys who hate it, don’t understand the character at all. Mark Ruffalo does a nice job as Dr Banner and HULK has never been more fun……he’s not a tragic figure, he just likes to kick a lot of ass. HULK finally gets his due and the crowds loved him. Scarlett Johannsson is boring (not her fault really) as Black Widow and Jeremy Rennar has a strong screen presence but is basically a less interesting Green Arrow as Hawkeye. Scarlett looks good and guys who dream about being beaten up by attractive women (whatever floats your boat) will enjoy her.

The Avengers has sharp dialogue and lots of cool action scenes. It’s a lot of fun watching the various brawls (THOR Vs Iron Man is especially cool, like an intergalactic episode of WWE Smackdown) and the movie has plenty of amusing one-liners (Point Break reference for the win!). The Avengers kicks off the summer movie season in high style. Fanboys (and girls) will have a blast.

Grade: B+

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