The Avengers

It has taken four years, five films and one hell of a marketing department to get the Avengers, one of Marvel’s biggest and longest running team of superheroes, to finally assemble on the big screen. That kind of anticipation can be potentially harmful to a review, where the writer can easily succumb to the hype, objectivity flies out the window and the readers are left with a fanboy’s ramblings about how awesome the movie in question is.

But you know what? Believe the hype. Joss Whedon’s The Avengers really is that good. It’s a fan’s wet dream and a ridiculously fun action flick, whilst also being surprisingly accessible to audiences who might be unfamiliar with these iconic characters. It is, to put it simply, the blockbuster to beat this year, which means the Dark Knight and the Amazing Spiderman have a huge shadow to step out of.

As opposed to other franchises marred by convoluted storylines (the kind featuring pirates and transformers), the set-up for The Avengers is mercilessly straightforward: bad guy is leading an alien invasion to Earth, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must assemble to save the day. That’s all you need to hook your audience and there is beauty to behold in such simplicity, especially for a film that has the unenviable task of tying in four separate franchises.

Admittedly, Joss Whedon (whose background rests in cult TV shows) does take his time with a few dialogue scenes in the first half, leading you to wonder whether he’s aware he can’t postpone the big action sequences to next week’s episode. But with dialogue this good, he is instantly forgiven, for The Avengers is easily the funniest film Marvel has made so far – any Whedon fan who recalls Angel and Spike’s priceless bickering will know that the prospect of Iron Man ripping into Captain America and Thor (or rather, “Capsicle” and “Point Break”) is rib-tickling to say the least.

Considering he’s the character with the biggest franchise of the four, there was always the risk of Iron Man hogging the spotlight but thankfully that is not the case – Joss Whedon’s experience with handling large casts on Buffy, Firefly and Dollhouse ensures everyone gets their chance to shine. Robert Downey Jr is on fine form as ever as the afore-mentioned shell-head, who is becoming more valiant with each film but still retains his winning wit and sarcasm. Chris Evans’ Cap is the latter’s polar opposite, a noble hero whose unfamiliarity with modern day pop culture make him a source of amusement, while Chris Hemsworth brings some welcome exotic flair to the table as space viking Thor, despite arriving relatively late to the party.

What’s immensely pleasing however is that, after two so-so films and an overwhelming sense of indifference from worldwide audiences, it is the Hulk who steals the show and will win you over. Eric Bana was too intense, Ed Norton too bland, but Mark Ruffalo proves to be the perfect Bruce Banner: shy, sensitive but with a glimmer of recklessness in his eye. It also helps that his facial features are mo-capped onto the green goliath, meaning you actually recognize Banner in the Hulk. Not only does he get the best line in the whole film (seriously, the awesomeness scales are going to need redefining), he also gets some of the funniest moments.

And what about those action scenes mentioned earlier? Not only do you get some fan-pleasing hero on hero scraps in the film’s earlier stages, Whedon has also come up with the mother of all smackdowns in the final half hour. To sum up its scale, ingenuity and cathartic ability to wow you is nigh impossible, so let’s just say that Spiderman 2’s train bust-up and X-Men First Class’ Cuban Missile Crisis scenario have got nothing on this.

But enough with the fan boy rambling. Go online, book a ticket now and get down to your local cinema asap. If you're going to watch the Avengers assemble, you're going to want to see them do it on the big screen.

5/5