What happens when you put a group of super powered “humans” together in one place? In the DC universe you get the Super Friends aka Justice League, in the Marvel Universe you get the dysfunctional ego ridden Avengers. The hero’s of the Avengers are not only The World’s Mightiest Hero’s but some of the world’s most complex.
I have been waiting for this movie for years. The chance to see some of my favorite super hero’s on one screen has been a dream. I then heard that Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy VS, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse) was directing and I knew they had the right man of the job. Whedon is not only a terrific storyteller and creative director but he is a fanboy. His love for comics is well know and he in my eyes was the right person for the daunting task of wrangling the an A-list cast and the cast of characters, many of which have very, very complicated back stories starting in the 1930’s.
I have to say success was achieved. The first minutes of the film are filled with action and the action almost never stops. The story, which I won’t give anymore away than the trailers let you know, is about the origin of the Avengers as a team. The World facing alien invasion lead by Thor’s brother Loki and the effort by S.H.E.I.L.D the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, to combat the invasion by assembling the best we have to offer to fight it off.
I don’t think the success of this film would have been possible without the long wind up by Marvel Studios to make the previous Ironman, Capitan America, Thor and Hulk films. The back ground given in those films gave you a primer on the universe and the background on several of the characters involved. You didn’t have to be told that Tony Stark is an ego maniac or that Thor is not of this world or that Cap is true of heart and conviction. The small introduction you got to Black Widow in Ironman 2 and Hawkeye in Thor as well as the easter eggs involving Nick Fury at the end of each film go along way with giving the Avengers a running start.
The action is fast and the story is sound filled with good dialogue and jokes that will keep you and the kids laughing. You even got to see some of the matchup you’ve dreamed about as a kid like Thor vs. Hulk and speaking of the Hulk, Mark Ruffalo may have just made the definitive interpretation of Bruce Banner the Hulks less violent side. I think this is saying a lot considering that there have been two other actors portraying the Hulk in 2003 and 2008.

We’ve seen NYC blown up every way to Sunday. We seem to try to make it an art. The destruction was viewed by a detached bus mirror, through the back of a broken taxi window and in the reflection of the shattering glass of buildings. The creativity gave us a new way to look at the city we seem to love to destroy. I for one if living in the Marvel Universe would not want to live in New York which seems to have a disaster every week.
I loved this movie in case you couldn’t tell. I recommend it you adults and youngsters. The PG-13 rating seems to be for violence. The violence is often against nonhuman looking creatures. So Assemble your friends and head to the movies for Avengers.