So, finally it's here. The film we (and by we I mean the fanboys and girls, the Empire readers, and the Downey Jr oglers) have been waiting for since Iron Man first swooshed onto our screens in 2008. Expectations have fluctuated with the release of each origins film - Iron Man was amazing, The Hulk less so, and Iron Man 2 even less so IMHO. However with the announcement in Spring 2010 that Joss Whedon was on board as both co-writer AND director (be still my geeky heart) my expectactions suddenly went sky-high. Essentially the plot is fairly simple: Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's greasy and petulant brother, is plotting to invade Earth with a shedload of gnarly-looking aliens and their magical floating giant fish-skeleton things. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson looking fabulous in black leather and an eyepatch) of SHIELD has been busily recruiting superheroes and, with the help of the droll Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) rangles them into a team to fight back against the evil Loki and his minions. After trading insults and some testosterone-fuelled scuffles, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, along with Hawkeye and Black Widow (not popular enough to get their own origins films, bless them), team up to battle their nemeses on the streets of New York.
I am pleased to report that the Avengers utterly lived up to expectations and is the epitome of awesome. Joss Whedon, God of Banter, has created a film that is much more than the sum of its superheroic parts. After Iron Man suddenly got all smug and annoying in Iron Man 2 here he is returned to the witty and charismatic scientist we all loved in the original film. Thor is still noble and heroic although I missed his viking-esque antics now that he is a little more streetwise (no smashing of coffee cups sadly). Captain America likewise. Hulk, now with new and improved Banner alter-ego in the shape of raffish Mark Ruffalo, is hilarious and gets some of the best lines in the film (watch out for his "puny gods" moment, it's a delight). Hawkeye and Black Widow are intriguing but do suffer somewhat from a lack of back story. I'm not familiar enough with the comics to know where they'd come from so it's sometimes hard to care for them as much as the characters I knew from previous films. However it's the combination of our six heroes that is the key. Joss Whedon can create a team dynamic like no-one else and the success of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly rested squarely on the strength of the relationships between the characters. People really cared what happened to Buffy and the Scooby gang, and the Firefly crew. I honestly don't think Marvel could have found anyone else who could balance the dynamics between such huge and well-known characters but Joss makes it look so easy and the tit-for-tat dialogue, pop-culture references, and off-beat humour that he is so well-known for makes the film feel much more accessible than the average blockbuster.
In addition to the white hats this film has an excellent villain in the shape of Loki; Tom Hiddleston scampers about with zealous glee and deploys his almost Nicholson-like gnashers to excellent effect. There's something about an ever-smiling nemesis that makes them truly creepy. I've always been a fan of Hiddleston and hope that these films bring him the recognition he deserves. As well as the excellent cast and the snappy script though, Whedon brings his skill in filming action sequences to the fore, having only done fairly small-scale stuff in the past he doesn't shy away from the massive battle in the final act of the film. Smashing up New York with gay abandon (and the aforementioned fish things) he manages not to over-egg the pudding (Transformers directors, take note) and with so many different fighting styles to enjoy, and different levels of peril (the Hulk is satisfyingly indestructible, but seeing Hawkeye balanced on the edge of a skyscraper looking worryingly human and fragile with his wee bow kept me on the edge of my seat throughout), there's never a dull moment. I would go see it again in a heartbeat and highly recommend this film to anyone. Even if you just want to find out who would win in a fight - Iron Man or Thor.


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