The Official Rate/Review Thread for Marvel's The Avengers! (TAG SPOILERS!!!)

[Spider-Fan]

Since we have early screenings, let's make an OFFICIAL review thread, with a rating poll!

Also added a reminder in the thread title, POST SPOILERS IN TAGS!!!

[Quasimod0]

Thanks spider-fan!

[Mrpaul]

Great movie, 10 out 10

[prluver]

I'm giving it a 9 because

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

Phil dies

[flickchick85]

I voted a 10 but I'm rounding up. My actual grade is 9.999/10. Just thought I should clarify.

[Spideyfan93]

We have been waiting for this film for years upon decades. It has been a long time coming and with Iron Man 1, a dream was in the midst of being realized. Well today, that dream is a reality! The Avengers is everything that a classic Hollywood blockbuster should be and it exceeds beyond. There is a great balance of comedy, drama, horror, and suspense!

We have a big cast with mostly big names, even more so than the previous X-Men trilogy! And surprisingly enough, EVERYONE gets their fair amount of screen time along with their moments to shine! The characterizations and interactions are the most intriguing and the relationships that develop over the film are amazing to witness. Leading into the action sequences, these sequences complement the story and the relationships developed before the climax make moments even more memorable and strong!

Tom Hiddleston who plays the menacing Loki is honestly now solidified as one of the best super hero villains of all time and perhaps one of the best villains of the last 10 years too. He truly steps up his game from 2011's THOR and he comes off as extremely threatening while also being subtle, scary, and creepy.

The only gripes I have are that aside from the main theme which I really adore and love, Alan Silvestri's score, while being very awesomely reminiscent of John Williams sounds fails to be memorable. Again, the main theme is actually very memorable and it is very epic! Also if you didn't watch the original 5 films, you won't have as much of an emotional investment in these characters, especially when situations get extremely dark and dire. I do not wish that the original films were referenced more because this was it's own beast and movie. There was little to no need to reference the past. This is The Avengers!

This will be a classic one day 9/10

[Chewy]

From the other thread:

Obviously I walked in with sky-high expectations. Especially with the reactions the past couple of days, I wasn't sure it could meet them. It completely blew me away.

The story is a fun one, pretty basic plot structure with perhaps a few unexpected, shall we say, "tweaks". But the movie's heart lies in its characters. It is a true ensemble, in every sense of the word. Every character feels so fleshed out and three dimensional, you won't need to have seen the previous flicks to appreciate it.

Iron Man is Iron Man. He's sassy and snarky and just when you think he's a total dick he does something so selfless and noble. If you had a problem with his performance and arc in Iron Man 2 because he was never "off", he never let the stakes get to him and had a moment of sincerity, you won't have that problem here. RDJ's performance here meshes the fun and the sincere so well, it's great and it's hilarious and it's memorable in all the right ways.

I know some people found Evans' performance in Captain America bland. He was very Superman-esque: stoic, unflappable, heroic. Dare I say, pouty. True to the character but not necessarily what some audiences are looking for. Here, he's allowed to play. His interactions with these characters bring out all the best in him, both the strong noble leader and the fun jokey action hero. His arc in the movie is clear and it pays off in big ways in the film's third act.

Ruffalo's Hulk is fantastic. I'll just be blunt with it. He makes some very interesting decisions performance wise that give the character a very interesting dichotomy between an uneasiness and a total comfort. He's the one who you'd probably think wouldn't fit in a team movie, but the chemistry Ruffalo builds with the rest of the cast makes it seem so... inevitable. Huge crowd pleaser, people who hated the previous Hulk movies will love him here.

Thor is basically stepping in right where his solo movie left off. That character and that performance from Hemsworth was so effortlessly entertaining, such a star making turn. His chemistry with the others is so much fun, his moments with Hulk specifically deliver in big ways and he is never once shown as anything other than a powerhouse. I know that's been a concern

Scarlett Johansson was given nothing to do in Iron Man 2. I'll just come right out and say it. She was handed a character with no personality and one action scene and told to deliver. Well, not here. Black Widow is as integral to the team as the four big names. Her backstory is delved into a bit, and it's not as clean as most superhero's are. Johansson gives a very memorable performance and people who couldn't care less about her previously will probably be singing a different tune.

Can't really say much about Hawkeye and his role in this film without dipping the toes into spoilers. But even though he's not necessarily involved with the team through the whole movie, Renner has you cheering him on as much as the others when he finally is. You won't once question why a guy with a flippin' bow and arrow is so highly regarded by people with such influence and power.

Tom Hiddleston's Loki is a monster. He just is. He goes from pontificating about lowly humanity to snarling and stabbing and killing with such ease. It's very much an extension of his performance from Thor. But he's moved on from the cuddly confused frost giant in Thor. Dude's a bad mother****er.

Samuel L. Jackson is given the unenviable task of playing a character that is a riff on himself. He handles it with aplomb. He creates a character who feels powerful but helpless, a man in charge who ultimately has no say. It's the first time I've seen him truly act in a decade. Welcome back, Sam.

Smulders, Gregg, Skarsgard and Paltrow are all good in supporting roles. They have their moments and they handle them well. But this is an 8-man show. No one's overshadowing the big guns here.

The film is structured wonderfully, it's a bit of a slow start but once it gets going it is breakneck, relentless, nonstop, brutal. The third act is like nothing you've ever seen in a superhero movie. It's the ending to one of the Transformers sequels, if said Transformers sequel had taken the time to build stakes and characters and made said final act feel earned. It's long but it flies by. You'll never want it to end.

Flaws? It's got them. What film doesn't? There are 3 or so scenes set in space early on that are fairly cheesy. It's a bit of a slow-starter, the first 20 or so minutes are mostly build-up and not as well paced as the rest of the film. There were 2 camera angles that felt wonky to me, and a single moment of CGI that felt off.

9.5/10. Brilliant. Can't wait to see it again at midnight on May 4th.

Rounding up to a 10 for poll purposes.

[BigThor]

Originally Posted by Chewy

From the other thread:

Obviously I walked in with sky-high expectations. Especially with the reactions the past couple of days, I wasn't sure it could meet them. It completely blew me away.

The story is a fun one, pretty basic plot structure with perhaps a few unexpected, shall we say, "tweaks". But the movie's heart lies in its characters. It is a true ensemble, in every sense of the word. Every character feels so fleshed out and three dimensional, you won't need to have seen the previous flicks to appreciate it.

Iron Man is Iron Man. He's sassy and snarky and just when you think he's a total dick he does something so selfless and noble. If you had a problem with his performance and arc in Iron Man 2 because he was never "off", he never let the stakes get to him and had a moment of sincerity, you won't have that problem here. RDJ's performance here meshes the fun and the sincere so well, it's great and it's hilarious and it's memorable in all the right ways.

I know some people found Evans' performance in Captain America bland. He was very Superman-esque: stoic, unflappable, heroic. Dare I say, pouty. True to the character but not necessarily what some audiences are looking for. Here, he's allowed to play. His interactions with these characters bring out all the best in him, both the strong noble leader and the fun jokey action hero. His arc in the movie is clear and it pays off in big ways in the film's third act.

Ruffalo's Hulk is fantastic. I'll just be blunt with it. He makes some very interesting decisions performance wise that give the character a very interesting dichotomy between an uneasiness and a total comfort. He's the one who you'd probably think wouldn't fit in a team movie, but the chemistry Ruffalo builds with the rest of the cast makes it seem so... inevitable. Huge crowd pleaser, people who hated the previous Hulk movies will love him here.

Thor is basically stepping in right where his solo movie left off. That character and that performance from Hemsworth was so effortlessly entertaining, such a star making turn. His chemistry with the others is so much fun, his moments with Hulk specifically deliver in big ways and he is never once shown as anything other than a powerhouse. I know that's been a concern

Scarlett Johansson was given nothing to do in Iron Man 2. I'll just come right out and say it. She was handed a character with no personality and one action scene and told to deliver. Well, not here. Black Widow is as integral to the team as the four big names. Her backstory is delved into a bit, and it's not as clean as most superhero's are. Johansson gives a very memorable performance and people who couldn't care less about her previously will probably be singing a different tune.

Can't really say much about Hawkeye and his role in this film without dipping the toes into spoilers. But even though he's not necessarily involved with the team through the whole movie, Renner has you cheering him on as much as the others when he finally is. You won't once question why a guy with a flippin' bow and arrow is so highly regarded by people with such influence and power.

Tom Hiddleston's Loki is a monster. He just is. He goes from pontificating about lowly humanity to snarling and stabbing and killing with such ease. It's very much an extension of his performance from Thor. But he's moved on from the cuddly confused frost giant in Thor. Dude's a bad mother****er.

Samuel L. Jackson is given the unenviable task of playing a character that is a riff on himself. He handles it with aplomb. He creates a character who feels powerful but helpless, a man in charge who ultimately has no say. It's the first time I've seen him truly act in a decade. Welcome back, Sam.

Smulders, Gregg, Skarsgard and Paltrow are all good in supporting roles. They have their moments and they handle them well. But this is an 8-man show. No one's overshadowing the big guns here.

The film is structured wonderfully, it's a bit of a slow start but once it gets going it is breakneck, relentless, nonstop, brutal. The third act is like nothing you've ever seen in a superhero movie. It's the ending to one of the Transformers sequels, if said Transformers sequel had taken the time to build stakes and characters and made said final act feel earned. It's long but it flies by. You'll never want it to end.

Flaws? It's got them. What film doesn't? There are 3 or so scenes set in space early on that are fairly cheesy. It's a bit of a slow-starter, the first 20 or so minutes are mostly build-up and not as well paced as the rest of the film. There were 2 camera angles that felt wonky to me, and a single moment of CGI that felt off.

9.5/10. Brilliant. Can't wait to see it again at midnight on May 4th.

Rounding up to a 10 for poll purposes.

This is one of the best reviews have read so far, it's very descriptive without being full of spoilers.

Great post Chewy Armstrong

[Whiskey Tango]

Originally Posted by Chewy

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

From the other thread:

Obviously I walked in with sky-high expectations. Especially with the reactions the past couple of days, I wasn't sure it could meet them. It completely blew me away.

The story is a fun one, pretty basic plot structure with perhaps a few unexpected, shall we say, "tweaks". But the movie's heart lies in its characters. It is a true ensemble, in every sense of the word. Every character feels so fleshed out and three dimensional, you won't need to have seen the previous flicks to appreciate it.

Iron Man is Iron Man. He's sassy and snarky and just when you think he's a total dick he does something so selfless and noble. If you had a problem with his performance and arc in Iron Man 2 because he was never "off", he never let the stakes get to him and had a moment of sincerity, you won't have that problem here. RDJ's performance here meshes the fun and the sincere so well, it's great and it's hilarious and it's memorable in all the right ways.

I know some people found Evans' performance in Captain America bland. He was very Superman-esque: stoic, unflappable, heroic. Dare I say, pouty. True to the character but not necessarily what some audiences are looking for. Here, he's allowed to play. His interactions with these characters bring out all the best in him, both the strong noble leader and the fun jokey action hero. His arc in the movie is clear and it pays off in big ways in the film's third act.

Ruffalo's Hulk is fantastic. I'll just be blunt with it. He makes some very interesting decisions performance wise that give the character a very interesting dichotomy between an uneasiness and a total comfort. He's the one who you'd probably think wouldn't fit in a team movie, but the chemistry Ruffalo builds with the rest of the cast makes it seem so... inevitable. Huge crowd pleaser, people who hated the previous Hulk movies will love him here.

Thor is basically stepping in right where his solo movie left off. That character and that performance from Hemsworth was so effortlessly entertaining, such a star making turn. His chemistry with the others is so much fun, his moments with Hulk specifically deliver in big ways and he is never once shown as anything other than a powerhouse. I know that's been a concern

Scarlett Johansson was given nothing to do in Iron Man 2. I'll just come right out and say it. She was handed a character with no personality and one action scene and told to deliver. Well, not here. Black Widow is as integral to the team as the four big names. Her backstory is delved into a bit, and it's not as clean as most superhero's are. Johansson gives a very memorable performance and people who couldn't care less about her previously will probably be singing a different tune.

Can't really say much about Hawkeye and his role in this film without dipping the toes into spoilers. But even though he's not necessarily involved with the team through the whole movie, Renner has you cheering him on as much as the others when he finally is. You won't once question why a guy with a flippin' bow and arrow is so highly regarded by people with such influence and power.

Tom Hiddleston's Loki is a monster. He just is. He goes from pontificating about lowly humanity to snarling and stabbing and killing with such ease. It's very much an extension of his performance from Thor. But he's moved on from the cuddly confused frost giant in Thor. Dude's a bad mother****er.

Samuel L. Jackson is given the unenviable task of playing a character that is a riff on himself. He handles it with aplomb. He creates a character who feels powerful but helpless, a man in charge who ultimately has no say. It's the first time I've seen him truly act in a decade. Welcome back, Sam.

Smulders, Gregg, Skarsgard and Paltrow are all good in supporting roles. They have their moments and they handle them well. But this is an 8-man show. No one's overshadowing the big guns here.

The film is structured wonderfully, it's a bit of a slow start but once it gets going it is breakneck, relentless, nonstop, brutal. The third act is like nothing you've ever seen in a superhero movie. It's the ending to one of the Transformers sequels, if said Transformers sequel had taken the time to build stakes and characters and made said final act feel earned. It's long but it flies by. You'll never want it to end.

Flaws? It's got them. What film doesn't? There are 3 or so scenes set in space early on that are fairly cheesy. It's a bit of a slow-starter, the first 20 or so minutes are mostly build-up and not as well paced as the rest of the film. There were 2 camera angles that felt wonky to me, and a single moment of CGI that felt off.

9.5/10. Brilliant. Can't wait to see it again at midnight on May 4th.

Rounding up to a 10 for poll purposes.

This was good. One thing that stands out is how you mention Widow getting her fair share. I remember an interview with Joss talking about how hard it was going back to the script again and again, making sure that everyone got their due. It would have been really easy to cut corners and gloss over BW's role but it sounds like that didn't happen.

The wait is going to suck. Just shy of three weeks. @#$%^&*.

[BigThor]

Originally Posted by Whiskey Tango

This was good.

The wait is going to suck. Just shy of three weeks. @#$%^&*.

[Whiskey Tango]

Originally Posted by BigThor

yes, EXACTLY like that. But with more alchoholism and a yellow-stained wifebeater.

[Iceman]

Originally Posted by Chewy

From the other thread:

Obviously I walked in with sky-high expectations. Especially with the reactions the past couple of days, I wasn't sure it could meet them. It completely blew me away.

The story is a fun one, pretty basic plot structure with perhaps a few unexpected, shall we say, "tweaks". But the movie's heart lies in its characters. It is a true ensemble, in every sense of the word. Every character feels so fleshed out and three dimensional, you won't need to have seen the previous flicks to appreciate it.

Iron Man is Iron Man. He's sassy and snarky and just when you think he's a total dick he does something so selfless and noble. If you had a problem with his performance and arc in Iron Man 2 because he was never "off", he never let the stakes get to him and had a moment of sincerity, you won't have that problem here. RDJ's performance here meshes the fun and the sincere so well, it's great and it's hilarious and it's memorable in all the right ways.

I know some people found Evans' performance in Captain America bland. He was very Superman-esque: stoic, unflappable, heroic. Dare I say, pouty. True to the character but not necessarily what some audiences are looking for. Here, he's allowed to play. His interactions with these characters bring out all the best in him, both the strong noble leader and the fun jokey action hero. His arc in the movie is clear and it pays off in big ways in the film's third act.

Ruffalo's Hulk is fantastic. I'll just be blunt with it. He makes some very interesting decisions performance wise that give the character a very interesting dichotomy between an uneasiness and a total comfort. He's the one who you'd probably think wouldn't fit in a team movie, but the chemistry Ruffalo builds with the rest of the cast makes it seem so... inevitable. Huge crowd pleaser, people who hated the previous Hulk movies will love him here.

Thor is basically stepping in right where his solo movie left off. That character and that performance from Hemsworth was so effortlessly entertaining, such a star making turn. His chemistry with the others is so much fun, his moments with Hulk specifically deliver in big ways and he is never once shown as anything other than a powerhouse. I know that's been a concern

Scarlett Johansson was given nothing to do in Iron Man 2. I'll just come right out and say it. She was handed a character with no personality and one action scene and told to deliver. Well, not here. Black Widow is as integral to the team as the four big names. Her backstory is delved into a bit, and it's not as clean as most superhero's are. Johansson gives a very memorable performance and people who couldn't care less about her previously will probably be singing a different tune.

Can't really say much about Hawkeye and his role in this film without dipping the toes into spoilers. But even though he's not necessarily involved with the team through the whole movie, Renner has you cheering him on as much as the others when he finally is. You won't once question why a guy with a flippin' bow and arrow is so highly regarded by people with such influence and power.

Tom Hiddleston's Loki is a monster. He just is. He goes from pontificating about lowly humanity to snarling and stabbing and killing with such ease. It's very much an extension of his performance from Thor. But he's moved on from the cuddly confused frost giant in Thor. Dude's a bad mother****er.

Samuel L. Jackson is given the unenviable task of playing a character that is a riff on himself. He handles it with aplomb. He creates a character who feels powerful but helpless, a man in charge who ultimately has no say. It's the first time I've seen him truly act in a decade. Welcome back, Sam.

Smulders, Gregg, Skarsgard and Paltrow are all good in supporting roles. They have their moments and they handle them well. But this is an 8-man show. No one's overshadowing the big guns here.

The film is structured wonderfully, it's a bit of a slow start but once it gets going it is breakneck, relentless, nonstop, brutal. The third act is like nothing you've ever seen in a superhero movie. It's the ending to one of the Transformers sequels, if said Transformers sequel had taken the time to build stakes and characters and made said final act feel earned. It's long but it flies by. You'll never want it to end.

Flaws? It's got them. What film doesn't? There are 3 or so scenes set in space early on that are fairly cheesy. It's a bit of a slow-starter, the first 20 or so minutes are mostly build-up and not as well paced as the rest of the film. There were 2 camera angles that felt wonky to me, and a single moment of CGI that felt off.

9.5/10. Brilliant. Can't wait to see it again at midnight on May 4th.

Rounding up to a 10 for poll purposes.

Another big review here! Thanks for the individual character details..have been looking for something like that. Don't think any forum regulars have given a bad or even average/slightly above average review yet. Everyone's been blown away so far (that I've seen).

[flickchick85]

I love that review Chewy, and I agree with every single word. (Even the flaws!)

I was expecting this to be a great movie, but it still somehow managed to knock my socks off.

[MahvelBaby!]

I'm interested in the reasoning the Space scenes seemed cheesy, I don't know why but I am interested lol is the effects?

[flickchick85]

Originally Posted by MahvelBaby!

I'm interested in the reasoning the Space scenes seemed cheesy, I don't know why but I am interested lol is the effects?

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

No, the effects are fine. It's the combination of the Asgardian-esque dialogue (which always sounds a little hokey to me) and the visual design of the Chitauri leader, who looks like a more flamboyant Emperor from Star Wars or something, lol.

[Rock Sexton]

Originally Posted by MahvelBaby!

I'm interested in the reasoning the Space scenes seemed cheesy, I don't know why but I am interested lol is the effects?

Well my opinion is the opening sequence with it was rushed.

Originally Posted by TheWallCrawler

I know, a stupid question, but did Spider-man have a cameo or was he mentioned in any way?

Man you guys seriously have got to stop this crap already.

[Rock Sexton]

Figured I'd just paste my review in here as well .....

My mind was officially blown to smithereens this morning. I pretty much still need a whole day to allow all the awesomeness (which is boiled over in my head like suds in an over-filled washing machine) to settle. Guys, Whedon re-shaped how you do comic book movies. I got out of the film absolutely beaming. I think the guys at 93.3 KDKB got a kick out of me when they interviewed me about my reaction to the film. Wow ....just wow. I'm trying to figure out how to describe my experience so bare with me.

As one can expect from Whedon, he was on point with the dialogue. His natural sense for wit and timing really brings these characters to life in ways you haven't seen. After seeing Cabin in the Woods last weekend, I knew we were going to get a good amount of one-lines for laughter. I can't even recall how many there were .... in fact we're going to need a thread just to discuss all of our favorite ones once you all have seen the film. Stark brings the heat in that regard. He's probably landed 75% of them. LOL. Joss understands that the comedy is essential to get people loosened up, especially when you've got many outlandish elements. As far as the cinematography, I was concerned beforehand. Rest easy guys. So many beautiful shots. The pictures you've seen do not do this movie any justice. The transitions when they're fighting the alien horde were top notch.

In a film with multiple superheroes they had to figure out a way to stretch these guys thin like a 3 year old rubber band about to snap. Objective achieved guys. It was done in two-fold fashion. After you get thru the first act of being reintroduced to your players, the 2nd half is chalk full of tension tension tension. It's at this point everyone is pretty much sick and tired of each other (making Loki a happy man) .... guys are squabbling, Cap is baiting Stark ...... and then the real mayhem breaks loose.

The third act is every bit the "war" film Whedon wanted to make. The action just keeps coming .... it has to, because again the heroes need to be overwhelmed to raise the stakes. So you went from them being mentally exhausted with each other, to now being nearly physically exhausted in battle ..... having to reach for that last ounce of effort to overcome.

Ever hero in this film got a legitimate chance to shine. Whedon really knew how to pass the baton in that regard. Heck, I even liked Evans' Cap instead of just kind of having to put up with him in his solo film ..... that's all due to Joss. It's never more apparent than with a character like Black Widow who was so poorly/thinly written in IM2. When being pressed for who shined the most, I can honestly say that is a truly tricky question. They are going to have a tough time going back to the solo films after the treatment all these guys got. BTW, the Loki in this film is every bit the Loki we deserved to see ..... powerful, wretched, scheming, and down right bad mofo.

So many iconic moments ..... essentially there might be some complaints about the duration of certain inter-hero spats, but that's only because you never want it to end ..... hell, I never wanted the movie to end period. I can't wait for you guys to see the Thor-Hulk fight/interactions because Whedon put a nice little cherry on top when they're fighting the aliens. Speaking of the Hulk it took some time into the movie for me to get adjusted to Ruffalo, but I give him credit. He worked out just fine in an ensemble kind of way. The Hulk was beautiful. What else was there to expect really with technology having improved significantly since the last version. He's far more ape-ish in this one. Just wait till you see him meet the flying snake thing for the first time.

Man ..... seriously can't wait to see this again. I have a few complaints, but the rest of the movie is so good that it really doesn't matter. I thought the first act sort of shoe-horned in Loki/Thor a little bit. The meeting between Loki and the Chitauri general felt rushed. I was curious if they would show where he's been ..... they did, but it needed just a few more moments to develop. The first act also has some issues trying to find a good balance. The 3D was an issue for me as well, particularly in those space scenes.

I was blessed today. That's all I can say ...... well that and the end credits gave me my other wish. Anyone who's read my posts on this site know what/whom I've been asking for.

9.5 out of 10 ..... I can't say 10 because no movie is ever flawless in my opinion, but this one got close enough for it's genre.

[Matt Mortem]

I finally got home from a busy day that started with THE AVENGERS. I gotta give it a 10/10 I spent the majority of the film leaning forward in my chair with my jaw dropped or a grin a mile wide. Never a dull moment, never a moment where I wanted them to just get on with the story, it was all fun from start to finish. I have to say, as many have, the Hulk is a scene stealer. He wins the movie. The last 30 minutes or so with all of the characters at war is awesome and as action packed as anyone could hope for, but when the Hulk starts smashing it is something to behold. The one moment that sticks out most for me is the Hulk vs Loki fight. It was short, but man was it sweet. My biggest problem with the movie is I could only see it once today. I would have gladly gone to a second showing if they had one. Also, the after credits scene has me so hyped and excited I was bouncing out of the theater. To see Thanos on the big screen, however brief, was just indescribable. I cannot wait to see what Phase II of the MCU has in store for us!!!!

[Gamma Burst]

Originally Posted by Matt Mortem

I finally got home from a busy day that started with THE AVENGERS. I gotta give it a 10/10 I spent the majority of the film leaning forward in my chair with my jaw dropped or a grin a mile wide. Never a dull moment, never a moment where I wanted them to just get on with the story, it was all fun from start to finish. I have to say, as many have, the Hulk is a scene stealer. He wins the movie. The last 30 minutes or so with all of the characters at war is awesome and as action packed as anyone could hope for, but when the Hulk starts smashing it is something to behold. The one moment that sticks out most for me is the Hulk vs Loki fight. It was short, but man was it sweet. My biggest problem with the movie is I could only see it once today. I would have gladly gone to a second showing if they had one. Also, the after credits scene has me so hyped and excited I was bouncing out of the theater. To see Thanos on the big screen, however brief, was just indescribable. I cannot wait to see what Phase II of the MCU has in store for us!!!!

I couldn't be more excited!

[Nirvana]

I'm just going to post my entire review in spoiler tags, it's pretty spoilery.

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

When I got to this theater, our host for the event informed us that the world premiere of the movie was a couple days earlier, so outside of those people, we are the first to see it. In fact, when the premiere took place it was in regular 3D, whereas our screening was in IMAX 3D, so we were the first to screen the movie in IMAX. it was a very exciting event.

That said, lets get to the actual review. I'm a massive Batman fan, and I think The Dark Knight is better than all the MCU movies combined. My anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises is incredible. That said, I just just have to say...Nolan has a LOT to live up to right now. This movie is perfect in almost every way. I cannot express how much I absolutely loved this. Just imagine any Avengers comic or cartoon you've ever watched. You're always kind of like: "Man, I wish they could do a live action movie like this." They ****ing did it. This is literally a comic book brought to life.

The movie starts off with a voice over talking about the Tesseract and Loki's army,

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

the Chitauri.

Once that is over we're treated to a massive action piece where Loki is unleashed through the Tesseract and attacks a SHIELD base. It's a pretty exciting piece that sets up the mood for the rest of the movie. From there we're re-introduced to Banner, Rogers, Stark, and Romanoff. From here they pretty much grab you by the throat and don't let go through out the duration of the film.

Thankfully, one thing I can say is that this movie is not Iron Man and friends. They actually do a great balance of servicing every major Avenger player, with most of it focused on Rogers and Romanoff. The only Avenger who gets the shaft is Hawkeye, he spends a majority of the movie under Loki's control until the final major action sequence. But Cap and Widow definitely get the most focus.

People I need to point out from the acting categories. Obviously, Robert Downey Jr. is fantastic, but we all already know this. Chris Evans did a great job with the man out of time, yearning for a sense of belonging. But the real stand outs of them all is, surprisingly, Mark Ruffalo. He did a great job as Banner, and I absolutely loved Edward Norton. I'm actually excited to see what else they can do with Ruffalo Hulk. Speaking of Hulk, this is the first movie where Hulk is actually terrifying. Whereas in previous movies he was kind of just temper tantrum monster, here he's more like "I will ****ing kill you." The fact that Ruffalo played Hulk as well is also incredibly impressive. Of course, Chris Hemsworth was great as Thor, but Tom Hiddleston KILLS it as Loki. There is a scene where he talks to Widow and descriptively tells her how he plans to murder her...Good god, it's like an actual psychopathic serial killer. I really hope we see more of Loki in the MCU.

The action sequences and CGI in this movie are so massive and phenomenal. When Thor first arrives there is a massive battle between him and Iron Man, and it was ****ing badass. one of the most amazing sequences in the Helicarrier attack. They managed so much awesome within ten minutes it's fantastic. Machine gun wielding Captain America, Hulk attack on jets, Sam Jackson badassery, and Hulk vs. Thor. Holy ****, when that Thor vs Hulk fight came on I had that rare geek moment of "Oh god...this is actually happening." Especially when Hulk attempted to lift Mjolnir, such an awesome awesome fight.

The final set piece where the

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

Chitauri

embark on New York city with Loki at their command was rather amazing. We're treated to so many incredible comic book imagery, some which include.

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

- Iron Man blasting repulsor blasts at Cap's shield only to take down aliens
- Thor vs Loki on top of Stark Tower
- Thor and Cap fighting side by side in the streets
- Amazing shots by Hawkeye taking aim at Loki
- Hulk taking down that giant space serpent transformer thing all on his own
- Hulk and Thor fighting on one of the serpent transformer
- Iron Man's amazing new "suit up" sequence
- And the best, Hulk rages and literally throws Loki around like a rag doll (This got the most cheers from everyone in the audience, myself included)

So, I pretty much loved this movie. There were a few minor nitpicky things that irritated me in the movie. The one that pissed me off the most; so at the end of Thor (2011) the bifrost is destroyed with no hope of Thor returning to Earth, with Jane Foster trying to find a way to get back to him. Seems like a pretty pivotal plot point. In the movie, Captain America and Iron Man capture Loki in Germany and while in the Quinjet a thunderstorm appears and Thor appears capturing Loki. Once him and Loki are alone Loki makes a comment about "The allfather must have used a lot of black magic to send you to Midgard." What the ****? A throw away line and a major plot point just glossed over? They could have done much better.

Also, during the amazing Iron Man vs Thor fight, Stark takes massive hits from Mjolnir...the weapon of a God, and comes out okay. Yet, later in the Helicarrier attack Stark gets severely damaged by some jet fans? Okay...

Also, and Major spoiler here.

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

I felt Coulson's death was unnecessary. Maybe because I really enjoyed his character, but I felt him dying served no real purpose beyond the "shock" factor his death would cause. It was a well acted death scene for sure, but I just felt they could have done much more by keeping Coulson alive. He was pretty much the connective tissue of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Oh well, wasted potential.

One really random complaint. Gwyneth Paltrow for some reason looked unusually old in this movie. On top of that, when we're first reintroduced to her, she's running around in short shorts and a loose blouse which made her look even older. It was really strange, maybe the makeup was off that day or something...


Also, mid-credit scene.

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

Thanos. But honestly, just from the opening sequence you can already tell that they're heading in that direction, so his big reveal isn't all that surprising, unless of course you know nothing of comics. I'm not sure how I feel about Thanos in a future Avenger movie, though. I'd much rather see them introduce the Pyms and get on with Ultron. But that's just me.

Apparently, they filmed the pot credit scene a few days ago, so by the time it hits theaters in a few weeks there might be the mid-credits scene PLUS an after credits scene.

As soon as the movie was over, I turned to my friend and took a deep breath and said: "I think I need a moment to recover." haha. Overall, I loved this. Best movie of the year so far, best Marvel movie hands down, and for now, best comic book movie. Everything you've ever wished for in an Avengers movies (aside from Ant-Man ) is here. Literal comic brought to life. unfortunate that I have to wait another three weeks to see it again, I cannot wait to see it again.

[LuisTX85]

Awesome reviews!

[SpiderMarvelite]

A RT review had my crying of happiness.

4/5

Not only is this, by FAR, the best superhero movie of all time, but it is simply one of the best movies I've seen, period. In terms of pure entertainment, I haven't had this much fun at the movies in over ten years.The crowd was cheering, clapping, and laughing our collective asses off. Everything works - the humor is great (and plentiful), the action/fight scenes are phenomenal, and none of the characters gets shorted - everyone has plenty of screen time and the characters are all well-developed.I can't recommend this movie strongly enough. The hardest part about this is having to wait 3 weeks to see it again!! or for that matter, waiting three weeks just to discuss it with everyone!Full review to come...

Martin Bishop
Super Reviewer

[BigThor]

Originally Posted by SpiderMarvelite

A RT review had my crying of happiness.

4/5

Not only is this, by FAR, the best superhero movie of all time, but it is simply one of the best movies I've seen, period. In terms of pure entertainment, I haven't had this much fun at the movies in over ten years.The crowd was cheering, clapping, and laughing our collective asses off. Everything works - the humor is great (and plentiful), the action/fight scenes are phenomenal, and none of the characters gets shorted - everyone has plenty of screen time and the characters are all well-developed.I can't recommend this movie strongly enough. The hardest part about this is having to wait 3 weeks to see it again!! or for that matter, waiting three weeks just to discuss it with everyone!Full review to come...

Martin Bishop
Super Reviewer

Man I just love hearing that every character get's their just due in the film!

[nightwing06]

The Avengers is that rare/comic book/action film,that not only provides exciting and fun action sequences,but also pulled me in emotionally with its provition of backstory and view of the inner demons of the colorful characters that inhabit this nearly perfect film.

Director/writer Joss Whedon deserves praise for doing his homework on some of the most popular characters in the world.He puts the nature,spirit and mannerisms i love about the characters on the big screen
Each character is given multiple times to shine Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man,Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America,Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk,Chris Hemsworth as Thor,Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye,Tom Hiddleston as Loki,Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury,Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill,Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson,and Gwyneth Paltrow
as Pepper Potts
A lot of other films have attempted to put a ton of characters in a film which resulted in an overpopulated film, in which i ended up not caring for the characters and i felt the studio behind the film was just looking for action figure and Happy Meal money.
The Avengers is the complete opposite of the aforementioned.
Whedon also gets better performances from the cast,far better than what was displayed in the connecting Marvel films that lead to The Avengers.He lets the characters get under each other's skin,they not only poke fun at each other
but each character has their own Self-deprecating moments

There are revelations and surprises that are the icing on the cake of this fun film.
It has some flaws,the standout is that it borrows a bit from a couple of popular
Sci-Fi films.
Other than that everything else works just the right amount of romance,humor,and action.
If you are a Marvel super fan,casual fan or just a lover of action films,if you dont have fun with this film,check your pulse because you may be dead!!
I truly hope Whedon returns to direct the second ,third ,fourth Avengers film...yes im thinking ahead but thats how much i loved this movie
Scale of 1-10 a 9

Sidenote
Security was so tight for this screening,cell phones,and laptops,any type of recording device was collected plus i was waved with a metal detector and security scanned the crowd with nightvision.Sure it was annoying but i think Marvel/Disney just want people to experience the film they way it should be on the big screen!!!

[Naite22]

Originally Posted by nightwing06

The Avengers is that rare/comic book/action film,that not only provides exciting and fun action sequences,but also pulled me in emotionally with its provition of backstory and view of the inner demons of the colorful characters that inhabit this nearly perfect film.

Director/writer Joss Whedon deserves praise for doing his homework on some of the most popular characters in the world.He puts the nature,spirit and mannerisms i love about the characters on the big screen
Each character is given multiple times to shine Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man,Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America,Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner / Hulk,Chris Hemsworth as Thor,Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye,Tom Hiddleston as Loki,Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury,Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill,Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson,and Gwyneth Paltrow
as Pepper Potts
A lot of other films have attempted to put a ton of characters in a film which resulted in an overpopulated film, in which i ended up not caring for the characters and i felt the studio behind the film was just looking for action figure and Happy Meal money.
The Avengers is the complete opposite of the aforementioned.
Whedon also gets better performances from the cast,far better than what was displayed in the connecting Marvel films that lead to The Avengers.He lets the characters get under each other's skin,they not only poke fun at each other
but each character has their own Self-deprecating moments

There are revelations and surprises that are the icing on the cake of this fun film.
It has some flaws,the standout is that it borrows a bit from a couple of popular
Sci-Fi films.
Other than that everything else works just the right amount of romance,humor,and action.
If you are a Marvel super fan,casual fan or just a lover of action films,if you dont have fun with this film,check your pulse because you may be dead!!
I truly hope Whedon returns to direct the second ,third ,fourth Avengers film...yes im thinking ahead but thats how much i loved this movie
Scale of 1-10 a 9

Sidenote
Security was so tight for this screening,cell phones,and laptops,any type of recording device was collected plus i was waved with a metal detector and security scanned the crowd with nightvision.Sure it was annoying but i think Marvel/Disney just want people to experience the film they way it should be on the big screen!!!

1: That's the stuff I wanted to hear! That'll be the heart of it all & what makes the movie something MORE then just a hollow action flick! Very happy to hear you mention this!

2: That's what I was afraid of!!! Glad to hear this isn't the case with this movie!