The Avengers Review: Lives Up to its Hype

The first half of the movie brings together a group of fleshed-out characters through witty dialogue and a plot that explores their strengths and weaknesses.

Stark (Iron Man) is a genius but a textbook narcissist. He strikes an easy friendship with the intellectual Banner (Hulk) who can lose control and go on a rampage any minute. On the other hand, he clashes with the straight-laced Rogers (Captain America), who is still stuck in his own time.

Thor stands up for Earth but has sibling issues with Loki. Black Widow is a super spy who has her own fair share of secrets. And Hawkeye, well he seems to be a mysterious badass that looks like a member of a rebooted Village People.

Each of the characters has their fair share of screen time, giving them enough frames to become relatable.

The story is simple but rooted in the superheroes’ humanity, giving the movie emotional weight when the second half kicks in.

When the action starts rolling, the audience is taken into epic super-powered action pieces that are worth seeing in 3D. The action scenes are easy to follow and immerse the audience into what’s happening, rather than assault them with a barrage of pyrotechnics.

Performances from the whole cast are top-notch, proving that with a well-written script superheroes can feel like real people thrown at an end of the world predicament.

The leads have great screen chemistry and portray their true to their comic book characters convincingly. Robert Downey Jr. would have completely stolen the show if the other actors didn’t bring their A-game.

Superhero movies have been a hit and miss lately, but Joss Whedon is able to balance just enough substance with style. The end result – a funny, thrilling, and engaging movie that finally nails down the right formula and pulls off a superhero feat of his own.