Avengers Assemble (2012)

I really have to review this film because well, it’s totally fucking epic. Not since the Dark Knight has a superhero film of such quality and panache graced the silver screen and any comparisons between this film and that one are completely justified. I wouldn’t say it was as good per se but it’s definitely in the same league. Unlike the Dark Knight, this film doesn’t take itself nearly as seriously, the script isn’t nearly as good but this film overdoses spectacularly on special effects which when combined with the reasonably well written script and a plethora of strong leading characters who have an interesting dynamic between them all creates a film that is a hell of a lot of fun. It’s not difficult to see where the $220 million dollar budget has gone either, in terms of SFX this film reminds me in many ways of the ugly love child of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon.

By the time the film was finally released I had heard enough of the hype to expect a good film and it surely delivered. Marvel Studios has been building up to this film for some years, releasing first Iron Man, then continuing through The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and finally Captain America. To this end, the backstory for most of the characters is already in place leaving just Hawkeye who needed to be introduced. Director Joss Whedon obviously has a passion for the source material this film is based upon and it really shows. The only other feature film I’ve seen of his direction is Serenity and that film was amazing, the TV series Firefly to which it is the conclusion also being a greatly enjoyable ride. So there was no doubt in my mind really that he could pull this one off.

It’s the subtleties that make this film all the better though. The movie sports a very strong cast including Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark / Iron Man), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers / Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner / The Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Tom Hiddleston (Loki) along with Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts). The interaction between this diverse cast feels very organic and at times is down right hilarious – there were more than a few moments in the film where I was in stitches. The humour felt well placed and helped to move along a film which at 2 1/2 hours long seems to fly by.

Ultimately for fans of the genre and fans of any of the character films I cannot recommend this film enough. I haven’t seen a film this year which tops it. IMDB Rating 8.9 / 10.