The Avengers rocks.
Now, this is a movie that breaks absolutely no barriers. It will not be remembered for its unique plot (it follows the "build-the-team-get-almost-beat-come-back-and-win" formula to the letter). Furthermore, there is precious little character development -the viewer is practically required to come to this film having seen the previous movies about the individual heroes. Actually, I could see how the plot could be a bewildering mess for someone who had not seen all the previous films. The plot is almost an afterthought: I'd think you are quite in the majority if you have no idea who all the alien dudes were at the end who were fighting in New York. All most people know is that Loki was doing something presumably bad with the glowing box, which resulted in cosmic bad guys who need to be squished by Hulk. Artistically, there are no deep meanings to be found, no deep philosophical discussions on the nature of good and evil, the line between heroism and madness, no exploration even of why we would want the world to be saved (all questions the last two Batman films explored very well). In short, there is very little of artistic value in The Avengers. Everything that happens in the movie, on its own, might seem superficial and rather ridiculous.
None of that matters, because The Avengers is fun. This is a movie that I will buy on Bluray as soon as it comes out, and I will watch it with shameless frequency. I have loved and read the comics of these heroes for years, and in The Avengers they come to life in almost every way that I would expect and kick some serious bad guy butt in every way that I could have hoped. The Hulk shines, having more great moments than in the previous two movies dedicated to him combined. Thor was fun -I've always wanted to know what would happen if Mjolnir was used on Hulk. Iron Man was as I would have hoped, as were Black Widow and Hawkeye (I should say "eventually" for Hawkeye, as he spends half the movie doing something I didn't quite expect). Captain America especially pleased me, as I never really thought he came into his own in the Captain America movie. Sure, he looked the part, but he never seemed the great leader and confident commander he is in the comics. In Avengers we finally get to see that start. This is a highly entertaining movie that starts strong and never lets up until the end -you'll not believe how quickly 143 minutes can go by.
Technically, the movie is also extraordinary. The credit for all of it goes to Joss Whedon, the director and writer of the screenplay. There are more special effects shots than I care to count, but none seem to be done simply for the "look at the pretty things we can show you" factor (unlike the Star Wars prequels). And for being almost 2 1/2 hours, the movie never seems to drag due to an excelent screenplay. Humor is liberally sprinkled in, bringing much more laughter than you might expect from an action flick. The only technical aspect that does not shine as brightly is the acting. Not that any of the acting is bad, it just simply does not shine like the rest.
So what else is there to say but this: when the movie is over you are going to want to try shawarma.
Entertainment: 9/10
Artistic value: 3/10
Technical merit: 7/10
Overall: 6/10
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