The Avengers

"Superheroes? In New York? Give me a break!"

Not since The Dark Knight have I enjoyed watching a superhero movie which blew away every single comic book film by miles. What can I say about The Avengers that hasn't been said already? Well, let me tell you why I think its the best Marvel film ever, best comic book film ever and the best movie of 2012 thus far. 

The story of the Avengers has been set up very well by five previous Marvel films; Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor & Captain America: The First Avenger. They all tie in together with hints to each other and all comes together in this epic film. 

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) comes to earth via the Terrasect, and plans to rule earth by unleashing the Chitauri army provided by a being known as The Other. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his S.H.I.E.L.D. organisation plan to bring together remarkable people to form a group to save the earth from Loki's army. 

Most the main cast from the 5 previous films return; Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Nick Fury, Loki, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Eric Salvig (Stellen Skarsgard), JARVIS (Paul Bettany) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) return and are all their same classic characters from their individual films. Downey Jr. is a stand-out. 

Joss Whedon directs the film and does a really great job. Intriguing camera angles adds realism to the film and makes it more enjoyable as every scene has something to grab your attention. Joss Whedon knows his comic books and I love all the Marvel Universe elements he added like the Heli-Carrier & some comic book scenes made into the movie. Hope he directs the sequel. 

One notable change in cast is Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, who definitely gives the best performance of any Banner/Hulk featured on screen. The Hulk, unlike his previous two films, really feels like a second person connected to Bruce Banner & Ruffalo does an excellent portrayal acknowledging that the Hulk is a terrible alter-ego. The Hulk was a definite highlight of the film. He smashes the way only the Hulk can and is a instant favourite to watch once unleashed. Really funny & menacing, I can't wait to see Ruffalo return in future films as Banner/Hulk. 

Another highlight character is Tom Hiddleston as Loki, who does a better performance than in Thor. Taking things to the extreme, with his tricks and evil demeanour, I feel Loki is established one of the greatest superhero villains ever in cinema. A special mention to Clark Gregg for his portrayal of Phil Coulson, who has a larger role than previous appearances. Really funny and a great character overall, Coulson unfortunately will be missed. 

Every superhero film needs action and The Avengers delivers plenty of it. Very creative and packed with lots of fighting & destruction, some of the best action I've ever seen. The battle in Germany is quite enjoyable and some fighting between the heroes is interesting. But the main event is the final alien invasion battle which comprises a large bulk of the final act. Very long & action packed every second, one of the greatest cinematic battles & finales I've ever seen. 

I should mention one of my favourite moments, which actually talks place during the credits. After the first portion of the credits finishes, an extra scene occurs where Loki's supplier The Other warns his master that The Avengers are deadly if taken on. His master turns and grins at the camera. I won't spoil it for those wanting find out on a future Marvel film but I can't wait to see this character unleash his fury on the Avengers. 

I better discuss the negative points but there aren't that much, if any at all. I would've like to have seen Captain America fit into 21st America but there are some deleted scenes with some moments & no doubt Captain America 2 will deal with it more but I'm not complaining. 

Another thing I would've liked where more of the original Avenger members making appearances like The Wasp, Ant-Man and possibly Ms Marvel, Wolverine & Spider-Man. But for legal reasons in the case of Spider-Man and Wolverine, we can't and probably won't in the future film. 

In conclusion, I love this movie, instantly in my Top 10 films! The acting, the action, the story, the humour, the directing, everything is done really well. Setting the bar very high for Avengers 2 and future Marvel films, this is the perfect cinematic portrayal of superheroes & comic books.

Fantastic characters, action and story, The Avengers in my opinion is the greatest comic book film ever produced.

★★★★★