“The Avengers” Movie Review

Easily the most anticipated movie of the year and perhaps even the team superhero movie of all time, “The Avengers”, directed by Joss Whedon and starring big names like Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson, is a movie adaptation of the Marvel comic book of the same title. Not only is it an action-packed spectacular you would expect from a butt-kicking superhero film, but it also integrates the element of comedy quite smoothly. This 2 ½ hour film is one you’d gladly watch over and over again and—pun fully intended—marvel each time.

The Avengers are made up of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), gathered together by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. which includes agents Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Robi—I mean, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). Their mission is to retrieve the Tesseract, a cosmic cube of energy, from the evil hands of Thor’s adopted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and of course, save the world.

Yes, it’s a pretty cliché overall plot, (SPOILER ALERT, they win) but what sets it apart from other superhero movies is that it brings together a group of individuals who are unlikely to get along with each other due to their many differences. Two assassins, a rich man in a suit, a superhuman soldier from the past, an Asgardian god from outer space and a green giant with anger management issues don’t really mix well together and you would expect a lot of personality clashes. There are a lot of those, especially between Steve Rogers/Captain America and Tony Stark/Iron Man. The huge ego, irresponsibility and laid-back attitude Stark has, while Rogers, being a rule-following goody-two-shoes, having a natural sense of leadership and an urgency for responsibility… well let’s just say they didn’t get along very well. Of course they all had to in the end though, for world-saving purposes.

All I have to say about it is that it’s just a lot of fun. The heart-pounding battle sequences, the breathtaking special effects, and the mass destruction. Even in the slow, non-action scenes, Whedon manages to keep you happy and alert with the comical aspect of the movie—hilarious one-liners and witty comebacks mostly delivered by Stark. The Hulk, though, has definitely the most amusing scene of all, a classic violent “ragdoll” beat up, which leaves a so-called god wheezing.

“The Avengers” is everything you would expect from a summer blockbuster and more. It set the bar much higher for Marvel films and is an undeniably hard act to follow. I came into the cinema with high expectations, and I’m glad to say I walked out of there fully satisfied and craving for a shawarma. The next instalment of the film is surely one to look forward to.