Review of The Avengers (2012) by Mike

Title: The Avengers (2012)


Original UK Release Date: 26^th April 2012

Original US Release Date: 4^th May 2012

UK Rating: 12

US Rating: PG-13

Director: Joss Whedon

Genre: Action

Plot: When the world is attacked by an alien race, the threat brings together the superheroes of the world and they unite to save the Earth.

Mike's Review

First of all I will not be referring to this film by the crap UK name of Avengers Assemble. The film is The Avengers and that all it needs to be called.

This is biggest and most anticipated film from the last few years. It is a sequel to the Marvel films Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America (2011) and The Incredible Hulk (2008). But is it possible to make one film starring them all? Would it work with all of them in lead roles?

The film brings together Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans) & Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) along with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). They join forces against Thor’s Brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who has unleashed an alien race upon the Earth so he can conquer it.

As many of you will know by now, I am a huge action movie and comic adaption fan, so this film exactly what I was looking for. I kept away from many reviews and possible spoilers. However I had to see the trailers. After seeing them and being blown away I got a little worried for the film. Many trailers use so much of the action and plot that they show most of the good parts of the film. I really hoped that this wouldn’t happen with this one. I wanted this film to be good.

After the first 5 minutes I was worried. The film started out well but there was a really, really bad camera cut/edit.  As a film reviewer it stood out and slapped me in the face. I started to worry that it was a sign of things to come. However my fears were soon dispelled as the film sucked me in with outstanding direction, visuals and 3D effects like I have never seen before. The way the film was prepared for by starting out with Iron Man in 2008 and then tying in all the following films together as a big lead up to this one was a huge gamble but it really paid off. The outstanding cast work so well together. With all these larger than life characters already having their own individual stories told, all that was left was to bring them together but they first start out against each other. Their individual egos explode as they battle each other with explosive devastation. Soon they all share a common goal and start to band together then the film really lets go. Up until this point it was amazing. When they finally start working together that’s when an amazing movie exceeds all expectations and takes the superhero genre to a level never before seen. This is also the point that the 3D effects take on a whole new level. Prior to this they were used for depth and clarity of the film very well, but now it bring you into the film and doesn’t let go. The greatest effect is an alien ship appearing from over your head. It actually startled me as it appeared above my head before it was on the screen. Never before outside of a theme park has a 3D film managed this.

Fortunately it didn’t just meet my expectations, it exceeded them more than I ever thought possible. I really can’t find the right words to convey how good this film really is. It has moments where you laugh so hard you cry, amazingly the best of these involve The Hulk! There are moments where you find yourself holding your breath at the sheer scope of what you are seeing. The action raises the bar for the genre to maybe unattainable heights. This film is so very good. “Unfortunately” when I went to see this my girlfriend Kelly wasn’t feeling well so I took our son by myself. The up side however is that I get to watch it again when I take her next week!!

I usually rate films on a scale of 1-10 but 10 feels inadequate for this. So for this one I am using 1-100. This film scores a 99, only losing out on 100 due to the single bad edit at the start of the film. Joss Whedon has managed the impossible with this film and pulled of a film no one expected to be so good. For this reason and for the first time my stand out performance is the director Joss Whedon, for creating a perfect superhero movie.

One final point. Mark Ruffalo takes over the character of Bruce Banner/Hulk and he does a great job with the role.

You have to see this on the biggest screen you can find and in 3D!

99 out of 100

Additional Information

Stand out performance: Director Joss Whedon

Trailer