Before I begin this review, I would just like to express how much fun I had watching this movie. It was one of the most anticipated openings this year and it was every bit worth the wait. It opened to very high expectations and it did not disappoint.

The plot of The Avengers revolves around a mysterious cube known only as as the Tesseract, which is being researched at a secret facility in order to become a source of sustainable clean energy. When the facility is attacked by Thor’s exiled half brother Loki, SHIELD is called to respond to the scene. However, Loki succeeds in taking the Tesseract and hypnotizing Agent Clint Barton a.k.a. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard from the Thor movie) to work for him and help him use the energy source to open a portal to space that will unleash the alien race called Chitauri so that Loki may reign supreme on the realm of Earth. As SHIELD leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) races to trace the location of the Tesseract, he enlists the help of Earth’s greatest heroes — super solider Captain America (Chris Evans), billionaire genius Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Dr. Bruce Banner a.k.a.The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), thunder god Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and reformed assassin Natasha Romanoff a.k.a. Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) — and hopes against hope that they may unite under the Avengers Initiative to become the world’s greatest weapon against the forces beyond its control.

From the beginning, I was quite curious to see how director/screenwriter Joss Whedon (Buffy, Dollhouse) would approach the movie. While Whedon has proven his skills in the small screen with hits featuring strong women, I was a bit scared to see how he would fare with a roomful of testosterone loaded superstars. I am glad to report that consistent with the other Marvel features earlier released by the studio, Whedon made the movie not just action packed popcorn movie but also an entertaining watch.

The first thing I liked about the movie was that it did not veer too far away from the original comic book material. Fanboys would find it easy to relate to references about the tensions within the group — Thor vs Hulk, Iron Man vs Captain America — which was featured in some of the comic books. Newbies who know nothing about the franchise will also not get lost as the movie establishes the roles of the characters lengthily in the beginning.
Another thing that I loved was the intelligently written script that provided a very real balance between seriousness and fun, which is really what a movie based on the comic book should be about. It’s like they would go into an elaborate battle scene and then it gets punctuated in the end with a witty one liner or an unexpected gag. Watch out for the Thor/Hulk team up and you would understand what I mean. Third, the chemistry among the stars was great. I loved how the personalities clashed and how the actors stuck to their guns and presented excellent and consistent portrayals of their characters’ roles.

The main stars weren’t the only ones to watch out for because Tom Hiddleston was an excellent main villain although he wasn’t really the most A-list of the roster of villains that any of the Avengers had to face. I must say that I had a soft spot for Loki in the Thor movie but this was further strengthened in this film. Agent Coulson also makes an appearance and I just love this dude. The great thing about the movie was that that it seemed to take out the best of each of the Marvel movies and combine them in one neat package. Even if one watches the films in succession, there is a sense of consistency and continuity despite the fact that the movies were directed by different filmmakers who had different approaches to presenting their features. This perhaps, was owing to the fact that some of the directors and producers of the earlier movies also had an active role in this one, and that was pretty cool.

The graphics was excellent and very fluid and the integration of the old school action scenes with new technology was very refreshing. I was just wondering why the make up artists would want to slap on an uncomfortably huge amount of foundation on Chris Evans, who is hot even if he appears imperfect. Anyways, I loved the updated version of the costumes, especially Thor’s. The Cap’s I’m not so sure about, no matter how much Coulson raved about his suit but these are quite minor and negligible aspects of the movie that should not have been mentioned at all.

All in all, the movie was an awesome, adrenaline pumping, superhero movie that casts a shadow on all other recent releases. It will surely be enjoyed by fans and non fans of the Marvel franchise, I guarantee. A tip, there is an after credit scene at the end that hints at the next Avengers villain, and this one’s a doozy. Another tip, if you still haven’t seen it, go watch it NOW! If you miss it, you miss one the best movies of the year. Hurry! (Note: I am not being paid to write this but I just loved it so much I couldn’t help endorsing)