Two years after his defeat, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is returning to earth to steal an artefact called the Tesaract, the power source that gave the Hydra Nazi's there deadly weaponry. Standing in his way is Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of shield and he has a bold plan to stop the evil demi god - to bring together earth's most powerful heroes to defend humanity. But can Captain America (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawk-Eye (Jeremy Renner) learn to work together for a cause much bigger than themselves?
Now there are those who will say that this is just another crappy comic-book film meant to entertain the simple minded masses - to those people I say Bullshit. This is not just another comic book film - its THE comic book film and easily the best film of the year so far. True its no The Artist but who cares, it is superbly epic. It is also the only film of its kind in one other respect: the build up. As any film fans will know this film is born out of the continuity of all the super hero films of the last 5 years being brought together into one universe and it has been done so brilliantly.
Now, getting the bad comments out of the way early. First of all DON'T see this film in 3D if you can void it: mostly because it doesn't offer anything more to the film but also, most of the CGI in this film is pretty good, maybe a little thick in places but it is forgivable given the circumstances. But when coupled with the 3D it will screw your eyes and head like a charging bull. Second don't expect anything overly intellectually: let's face it, Avengers Assemble was not made with the intent to be very challenging for audiences. See this film for what it is: a comic book action epic.
With that done, time to get to the good stuff. The cinematography is a wonderful blend of exciting and new ideas, mixed with expected and classic good filming. The story is really good. I am no comic book geek but there is a lot of serious stuff going on that is guaranteed to make everyone pay attention, even if you have never read a marvel comic before. The acting is outstanding - the all star cast, who were all star players in their own films, have all been brought together and they give one hell of a good performance. Whether it is feeling the emotions of the cast or laughing as they jab at each others differences, there is plenty to enjoy. Finally the ACTION; unforgettable and extreme. When the heros aren't smacking 7 different kinds of pain into the alien armies, they are pounding on each other: you can finally see the answers to the question of 'who would win in a fight' we've been asking since Iron Man 1. As i said, there may be a lot of CGI in some places but by god it works.
The Avengers aren't to only ones who need to assemble. Comic book fans everywhere will need to see this super film (pardon the pun) and best of all, with a sequel lined up in the storyline, there is more action on the way.
Stan Lee Spot - old guy playing chess.
