The Avengers

Six films were needed to bring The Avengers to life. One would think that with so much material on the table, not much would be left of the story to fill a two and a half hour movie.

One would be wrong.

With perfect pacing, a huge budget dumped in marvellous special effects that actually serve the story, a fantastic cast that have mastered each and every character on screen and a director (Joss Whedon) who knows the material as well as the core audience it is intended for, The Avengers becomes the perfect blockbuster, the type of film that Hollywood has produced since the 70’s (Jaws and Star Wars) but has truly succeeded (above the financial) in only a handful of cases.

The six heroes and the villain of The Avengers all had their origin story told in previous features, allowing the film to begin with a bang, gripping the viewer’s attention and never letting go, until the full story is told and shown.

Everyone gets their dues, from Iron Man to Hawkeye. If any one of these heroes is your favourite, you will love this movie!

It is the best Iron Man film, the best Captain America, the best Thor and certainly the best Hulk. In fact, Hulk’s scenes are few but they leave a very definitive mark.

There are no filler scenes in The Avengers. Even when the action settles down, the masterful dialogue keeps us entertained with clever, witty Whedonian humour that helps develop the characters even further than the prequel films ever could. The action set pieces are wonderfully fun to watch and completely satisfying, from a very effective struggle between two hot-headed heroes to the final climactic battle. Everything is there, for everyone to enjoy, in a very nifty and complete package.

All this being said, I’m not sure if I should look forward to a sequel. There is the fear that the studios would add more characters, more villains, more action and special effects but less great dialogue. What if another director is at the helm? What if Joel Shumacher is involved?

As it is, The Avengers is a completely satisfying piece of entertainment that deserves every little ounce of hype it is receiving.

Go see it. Now. Twice.

12/10

Ok, that’s impossible.

10/10