The Avengers

****
Dir. Joss Whedon

The Avengers is what it sets out to be, a treat for fanboys and a good action flick for casual moviegoers. I went in knowing it wouldn't be nearly as thoughtful and provocative as a superhero film done by Christopher Nolan or Sam Raimi, but seeing if Joss Whedon could do justice to these characters by making a fun and entertaining comic book movie. Having anticipated this one for quite some time, I can say that I am pleased by the final product.

Starring Chris Evans-Steve Rogers/Captain America, Robert Downey Jr.-Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth-Thor, Mark Ruffalo-Bruce Banner/Hulk, Jeremy Renner-Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Scarlett Johansson-Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Tom Hiddleston-Loki, and Samuel L. Jackson-Col. Nick Fury, the film will engage viewers with a solid story line and well executed action sequences.

When Loki returns to Earth after activating a portal through the Tesseract, his lust for revenge spells certain doom for S.H.I.E.L.D. The brother of Thor manages to enslave several of Fury's best agents, including Hawkeye, with mind control techniques. With no where else to turn, Fury decides to at last launch the Avengers Initiative, despite facing opposition from the United Nations and various government agencies. Yet the process of forming a team of independent Superheroes, each with different motives and intentions, is no easy one. Nevertheless, in order to save the human race from the greatest extraterrestrial threat it's ever faced, this band of vigilantes must set aside their differences.

This being the first live action, big budget Hollywood portrayal of any Superhero team (sadly, DC could've made a Justice League live action movie by now), fans had high expectations. Being a comic book lover, I was very impressed. Not only did it fit the qualifications for a good summer Blockbuster, but it really did the characters justice. With Marvel having had its ups and downs throughout this series, the task of culminating each of these stories together was no easy one. However, Whedon and Zak Penn constructed a plot which was great for die-hard fans as well as those unfamiliar with a lot of the characters. And from a cinematic perspective, it is dynamic. My first glance at the Helicarrier brought me back to when I first witnessed the Enterprise in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek. Whedon directs with a definitive style that makes for a nice Hollywood blockbuster. Unlike idiots like Michael Bay and Jonathan Liebseman, he knows how to effectively use CGI and make it relevant to the storytelling process.

With Executive Producers such as Avi Arad, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, and Kevin Feige, you can't go wrong. And to top it all off, one of my favorite composers, Alan Silvestri, does a tremendous job with the film's music. All in all, I'm happy to say this was worth the years I've waited, and I would venture to say many of my fellow nerds would agree. Avengers assemble!