A great movie with good characters and special effects but the drama in the middle of the movie is tedious. The movie could be more epic if Spiderman and the Fantasic Four join in the fun since they are Marvel characters.

Was almost certainly going to struggle to live up to the hype that's surrounded it, but this was great fun, if a little slow to start. There were a couple of plot points I didn't quite get, but well worth seeing.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Avengers is perhaps one of the most anticipated superhero movies ever made. It has been in production since Iron Man (2008). Each one of the Avengers has had a great first movie. Now after four years of build up the Avengers movie is finally here and being a fan of the previous films, except for Iron Man 2 (2010), I decided to go and see it. While the Avengers is fast, fun, and exciting some unnecessarily long action scenes prevent the movie from being great.

The movie opens up with Loki, the villain from Thor (2011), coming to earth and stealing the Tesaracht, brainwashing some guys including Mr. arrow shooter. Afterwards, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) decides that in order to stop Lokiâ… Expand

@Ben_Otter Green Lantern and Superman are DC characters so no they wouldn't be in a Marvel movie you moron! Anyway this movie was pretty good. Not the best movie I've ever seen, but I'd definitely recommend it.

As a director and co-screenwriter, Joss Whedon is no stranger to mixing and matching genres, and 'Avengers' is no different; while it has one of the most engaging, well-written, and slickly paced screenplays ever known to Marvel-based films, met with spectacular action sequences, shot at scrolling multi-dimensional angles--the non-stop action foregrounded from the mesmerizing setpieces and cinematography--too, is the suprisingly clean wit that brings relief at the most opportune times; both when the action subsides and drowsiness kicks in, and when the overstimulation of explosions, sound effects, and "Hulk-fists" flood the senses. However, notwithstanding its keen eye for diversity, and its frequent reminder to the audience that its characters are, real people with real lows and highs, and even larger hearts, albeit shown tacitly, 'Avengers' is, proudly so, a mind-vacationing summer caper; one that just happens to be much more tolerable, thanks to its ensemble cast's performances and the aforementioned flair. Assuming the form, though, of the genre, the film is host to, well...problems. Further, it tries arduously to make the viewer unaware of its issues, usually of continuity, masking them up, both literally and figuratively, but fanboys and casual moviegoers alike, will be far too engaged. Nonetheless, if one doesn't think too hard, 'Avengers' is an elite, alpha-male, man-amongst-boys spectacle that can't be missed. Put differently, it more than marginally exceeds its hyped expectations. More specifically, though, the pairing of the script with each of the "heroes" is a delight in itself; each brings something a bit different to the table, and each delivers in their role. First and foremost, is Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. Downey benefits, arguably the most from the quick-punching dialogue, as he wears his arrogant, billionaire-playboy-braggart aura so balanced that, when on-screen, he is all the audience can look at; his performance plays out like he was born to play the character, "Shakespearan-bearded," and all. One can't leave the theaters without Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow on their mind. As the tantalizingly tempestuous scarlet-beauty, she moves the screen with her walk, her talk, and her kick-ass, which apparently all can be done in one scene; think interrogation becomes interrogator. Next, is the unexpectantlyn refreshing Mark Ruffalo who plays the night-and-day role of anxiously cool Bruce Banner and the robustly stalwart and indomitable Hulk. Aside from his own contribution as Banner--which he does wonderfully--is the remarkable semblance his CGI'd-Hulk draws to the original, Lou Ferrigno (the "hulking" homo erectus with a thick, bushy, black-and-gray brow as well as the same touch of humanoid sense of self). Chris Evans' 'Captain' is also commendable, although, Evans himself, looks a good 15 pounds slimmer. He steps up to the role, but his same massive physique displayed in his own self-titled journey, is greatly reduced, which in turn, subtracts from his physical prowess. In addition, Hemsworth's Thor looks and acts just as formulated--his Aryan, golden-locks and azure eyes, bulbous shoulders and arms and the same misplaced naivete and ignorance--fits Whedon's mold. Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury, is no exception. While not as charismatic as the others, his "Shaft"-like spin, stern, in-your-face, and collectedly in control, is also apt the ensemble. And, although Renner's Hawkeye/Barton adds some action-filler, he doesn't quite offer anything much other than a few bicep flashes and stray arrows; such arrows that never seem to run-out. But, that is only one, very minor, continuity issue found among the many others. At the same time, however, special mention goes to Tom Hiddleson's Loki. Now, here is a villain who is so unpredictably nefarious, that almost an entire film is centered around him, but it works. I thoroughly enjoyed Hiddleson as Loki in "Thor," probably even more so than Thor himself, and again, he delivers with such darkly crafted charisma and snakily twisted facial expressions that is almost as fun to root for him as it is against him. So, yes, each character contributes. But, I have to ask, what's up with Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson. Not quite sure if Whedon is pointing to a, let's say, "fruity" demographic or what; his role is not really necessary, and only kills extra time and strong moments. As a whole, though, 'Avengers' packs an astounding beginning, a slow, estrogenic drama-anticlimax, followed by a resonantly solid close that does an incredible job at finishing on a high note; a ringing conclusion that acts as the world's best eraser--it wipes the distractingly uninvolved middle right from the minds of its audience--and re-draws a picture worth looking at: a superior, Marvel-action-flick-masterpiece. Sadly for Whedon, not all are as easily manipulated.… Expand

After setting it up with multiple films about how the individual characters gained their super powers, The Avengers finally brings together all of the heroes in one story to either work together as team to defend Earth or fight amongst each other aided by their massive egos and verbal bravado. Perhaps never before in cinema history have there been so many movies released as prequels to set up the eventual crown jewel. Batman and Superman only met in the comics, not on the big screen. The Avengers appears to be sort of a test case to see if so many leading superheroes can all share the same screen.

While all six characters each receive a certain amount of on screen time and side story, some are pushed more into the foreground than others. As Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is a fan favorite and is always handy with a funny quip, he is front and center along with Captain America (Chris Evans) who even though does not have much of a super power, places himself in a sort of leadership role within the group. Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and the two characters that did not get their own films, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) all fight for the leftover screen time in the background. The puppet master is Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who spends most of his effort in sheep dog mode herding these guys from their billion dollar towers or their self-imposed exile.

So what possible threat is great enough to require the efforts of six superheroes? Eh, itâ… Expand

The film worked best when the Avengers played off each other and in the strength of the majority of dialogue. Loki has gravitas as a villain, Iron man is witty and Hulk is treated with restraint by the film-makers, but steals the show.
It does however have flaws; the extended actions scenes aren't all the memorable and are exhausting (especially in 3D). The opening will make you feel like you missed a film and played too seriously for how silly it is. Loki's army is under-developed, borrow an unrelated (and stupid sounding) name from the comics and are dealt with via a plot-contrivance, followed by a convenient killswitch. A lot of assumed knowledge is required to get for example, Maria Hill's inclusion or the foreshadowing of the final shot of Stark tower. Odd things like not calling Hawkeye, 'Hawkeye' seem like easily fixable glitches that get over-looked. The Avengers is great, but the barebones, flawed main storyline stops it being exceptional.… Expand

Superhero movies need two things - a decent baddie (not too camp, not too psychotic) and the film must still be watchable when the heroes are in civilian mode. Does The Avengers have both of these? Just about. The baddie, Loki from the first Thor movie, has the (Hollywood) required British accent that all baddies must have these days, and weaves carefully between camp and stabby-nasty, without straying too far into either territory, though the horned helmet was surely daft.

When the heroes aren't on screen, the movie's carried by Samuel L Jackson, Robert Downy Jr, and Chris Evans, who together manage to neutralize Scarlett Johansson's usual monotone, single expression, cardboard cut out performance. New Hulk on the block Mark Ruffalo, is probably the best Bruce Banner to date. Thor and Hawkeye make up the numbers, and though I loved the Thor/Hulk punch-up scene (comic fan boy wet dream), thought the film would haven't lacked if either Norse god or arrow slinging assassin had stayed at home. Script-wise, there were some nice touches, with Samuel L Jackson's Rick Savage (silly name) leaving one classic sentence unfinished and therefore adding to the kudos factor ten fold (you should spot it if you're paying attention). Luckily there wasn't too much of the irritating Tony Stark/Pepper Potts sniping that made Iron Man 2 so hard to bear. Chris Evans' Capt America was the biggest surprise for me. I thought in a lot of ways he was the clue that held the thing together - neither too gung-ho, too whiny and too daft, three traits that curse a lot of on screen superheroes.

The action sequences were ok, but the one at Shield headquarters felt a little contrived. The pacing also abruptly shifted down a gear about half an hour into the film, and stayed there for what felt like too long, with all the talkie bits stitched together in one long sequence. On the whole though, quite good for a superhero film, and from a box office point of view, beat that Spider-Man and Batman.… Expand

You couldn't ask for finer popcorn entertainment. I enjoyed this movie as will most people, especially kids. However critically speaking there is not much more to offer and the film doesn't provide any great depth for those who don't appreciate big action movies. The humorous banter between the cast of disparate characters trying to come together is clearly a strong point. The lack of development on a couple of key players detracts from an otherwise rather wonderful character-driven experience. The plot is largely derivative and predictable but as the focus is on characters it remains true to the spirit of the comic source material. The exaggerated violence while amazing and funny is, when you consider the flip-side, implausible and cartoon-like at points. Avengers is a highly enjoyable movie and a grand visual spectacle to boot but won't appeal to anyone looking for meaningful cinema.… Expand

Joss Whedon creates a fun blockbuster with a huge ensemble cast that most directors would screw up. Not a great film but it sure is fun for it's 2 and a half hour running time.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. *The good*: Lots of CGI.
*The bad*: No character development. Zero. The nerds and the unimaginative among us will fall over themselves to oppose that claim, but the truth is that there is zero character development. Apparently the Avengers are a "time bomb". WTF? Why? Because of their egos? Because they, being heroes, haven't figured out how to be heroes yet, despite having their own movies where they did just that? The problem is that Joss Whedon is playing at telling a compelling "modern-day" hero story (which is all skepticism and a sense of shame regarding the past classic superhero take), but he can't actually do it. Rather than really develop characters, he opts for cheap one-liners designed to tell you that the Avengers can't get along, but he's too cowardly to show it and say why. A better film would go over why the Avengers don't get along. What happened to the characters between their own films and this one? Why are they jaded? Now, as a forgettable film, it's fine. Lots of CGI, some humour and competent direction. So why do review sites have it as 8.9 (I'm looking at you, IMDB)? How have people here managed to rate it collectively at 8.7? Why are the nerds wetting themselves over this? I have no idea. It could have been better, but instead it is... not. Hawkeye is lameness personified. Scarlett Johansson's outfit is tight but the character forgettable. Captain America is crowded out. The Hulk apparently can't control his rage (which is used against them by Loki), but then at the end he miraculously can! Thor (a demi-god) is bland and ineffective. Iron Man is **** but insubstantial. In all, the characters are very weak. Enjoy it as a popcorn (albeit $100 million+ popcorn) movie, but don't tell me that it has "developed characters" or anything of the sort, or that's it's worth anything more than a 7 out of 10.… Expand

An amiable way to while away...how long was it? I found it less engaging than either Iron Man 1 or Thor, and whilst the dialogue interludes were welcome relief from all that crashing and banging, they didn't really go anywhere to help create believable characters. Not the point, perhaps: you can't create 'belief' in demi-gods and superheroes who are, to all intents and purposes, indestructible, by endowing them with mortal failings like arrogance, brotherly love, rage, patriotism and a desire to set the record straight?

On the plus side, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk; stupendous effects (undermined by their ruthless efficiency - they're not special anymore) and a couple of good belly laughs; Scarlett Johansson in leather...… Expand

Very overrated movie. The story was not as good as other super hero movies like batman but the action kept it alive. Worth seeing but don't expect it to blow your mind.

I think this was my very first movie I watched in 2012 and I gotta say, I liked it. My initial concerns were about how the movie would live up to this enormous hype it had already built up and how Joss Whedon, a director I have never even heard of, would develop the personalities of multiple characters the movie has. Surprisingly enough, he exceeded my expectations in a good way. The story and dialogue was created with full blown Hollywood style treatment, but it was witty, enjoyable, and had a solid point. The character development was also strong, something that most directors cannot handle due to the fact that making 7 superheroes individually stand out is pretty difficult. But hey, Joss Whedon did it, so I give huge credit and respect for it. Anyways, long words short, in my opinion this was a good summer blockbuster, keeping constant of it's premise and living up to the hype. Recommended watching.… Expand

This film is not as good as everyone said it was. It is quite bland, seemed somewhat lifeless and was backed up by a lacking storyline. But, it was quite good fun; despite the problems I had with the story, the acting was of a pretty high standard from most of the cast, particularly from the main antagonist of the film, who was creepy, strong and weak at all the right times, perhaps a little stale at times however. The music was forgettable, the action was good, but not outstanding, and even though every character got a good amount of time in the limelight, it felt like Iron Man and Black Widow's film. The film is very conventionally shot, no nice camera tricks or spectacular shots appeared in the movie, this is not so much a negative of the film: but it certainly could have been better. Overall though, The Avengers is a fun film, that will definitely appeal more to fans of the Avengers, but both the Amazing Spiderman and the Dark Knight Rises present a more appealing superhero movie for 2012. Decent fun, but flawed. 68/100.… Expand

Marvel's The Avengers is a fun movie. It's a +2hrs ride full of capes, suits and explosions. Just the type of entertainment you expect for the summer. It's not a deep movie, it's rather the opposite. The focus was on the Avengers coming together. While it was cliche usually, I enjoyed it. I knew what to expect, yet I watched it with pleasure. I think that's the point of such movies. You go to the cinema not expecting a masterpiece, but a good funride. We're presented with the obvious mid-movie crisis between the heroes and then the big fight with all of them fighting together. Cliche, but it's still nice to see Hulk alongside Iron Man :)

Whedon and his cast deliver. Most of it, at least.
The movie is stolen by Ruffalo's Hulk. Peroid. He gets the funniest moments, with Thor coming in second. Suprisingly - Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) is only trying to be funny. I didn't laugh at any of his jokes and sometimes even felt a bit irritated.
Hiddleston's Loki is believeable, while Evans is a complete and utter mistake. I just can't bring myself to liking this version of Captain America. Evans looks and acts in this movie like a dumbed-down 25 y.o. with muscles bigger than Thor's. Not my pair of shoes.
Renner steals the dumbest scenes in the movie with his funny faces and acting seriously, while doing stupid things. The felt... unnecessary. Both of them, really. Well no. Black Widow served a purpose. As opposed to Cobie Smoulder's Maria Hill. If she was supposed to be the eyecandy, she surely didn't catch my eye.

Other major flaw is the forced 3D. My cinema didn't offer me the choice between 2D and 3D. And I regret that, because I watched about 30% of the movie with glasses off. It doesn't improve the experience, but on the contrary - makes the faster paced fight scenes blurry and hard to watch.

Whedon's humour is clearly visible throughout the whole thing and is a major strength of the movie itself. And again - Hulk steals it. Stark tries to be funny, but on majority of occasions fails.

I left the movie satisfied with the outcome. There were superheroes, big fights, laughs and Johansson in spandex (unfortunately 3D instead of pleasing the male audience did the opposite, blurred everything in closeups :( ).

If you wanted a movie with tons of your beloved comic heroes doing good, you get better. You get a well paced and executed picture, which clearly sets up the ground for sequels. And I, for sure, will be visting a cinema nearby to see it. Just as I will go to Iron Man 3 and Thor 2.

I will not go to Captain America 2, because Chris Evans is NOT my Captain America and at the same time is the biggest flaw of The Avengers. Pity, but we get Hulk, Iron Man and Thor to cover him up. And that's enough for me.

Assemble in a theatre near you and enjoy. As did I.… Expand

It is an entertaining movie on the lines of Thor. I would not call it an exceptionally good one like Iron Man 1 or Captain America. The climax was too long like Transformers 3. I think they should have given more focus to Loki and Hulk because Marvel had separate movies for other characters and it felt like they were repeating the same movie again. It is definitively a one time watch but don't keep your hopes high. 7/10 is my score.… Expand

The Avengers is not as good as The Dark Knight, I'm just going to say that from the off, the storyline is escapism and it has some genuinely funny moments in it, but it doesn't have the deep characters or visual spectacle. Joss Whedon's script keeps the film going, and lets be honest, this film could have been a train wreck. What makes The Avengers tick is the relationships that each of the characters have with one another. This is where the film really takes flight, when all the characters are in a pressure cooker together, it gives the film weight and suspense especially with Mark Ruffalo's Hulk. Joss Whedon should be given a lot of credit for crafting such a cohesive and well thought out script.

The film script is what keeps it above board, visuals have never been Joss Whedon's strong suit, but I did notice a wink to his first feature film Serenity in a zoom shot near the finale. The film doesn't look bad by any means it just has the same sheen that the other Marvel films seem to sport, but it had to be this way to fit all the heroes together. But lack of visual flair is sometimes what makes me dislike these movies, they look too clean and have a sheen that makes it look too cartoony for my personal taste. The Xmen films and Burton and Nolan's Batman films seem to not have these "sheens" to them, which make them visually more appealing to me.

I've also never been a fan of 3D even when it works superbly like in Avatar, its just a gimmick to make more money most of the time. So I'd recommend watching Avengers in 2D, as it doesn't add anything to the film being in that third dimension.

Its very difficult to score this film as it is by and large a fantastic superhero film, thats enjoyable from beginning to end. Is it as all engrossing and goose-bump inducing as The Dark Knight, well no. Is it better than Spiderman, well yes, but I was never a fan of Sam Raimi's Spiderman anyway. Is it better than Thor, enjoyment wise its about the same. With no back stories to get through in The Avengers the time certainly flies by, it is great summer film. Is it anything more than that, sorry Joss, no its not.… Expand

This is the type of film where if you don't take it seriously, and just sit back for the fun of it, you'll have a blast. It reminds me a little of Independence Day. The writing and characters are piss awful, but the sheer spectacle makes it fun enough to give a decent rating. If you go into the film wanting a fun action movie, then The Avengers provides, but if you want a sophisticated superhero movie like the Dark Knight, then save your money for the Dark Knight Rises. The film is difficult to score, but it is a blast to sit and watch. Go see it.… Expand

Overall the movie was very good. The visual effects were amazing, the cast did a great job, and the movie achieved the ultimate goal of any movie, to entertain. But, I think it's been slightly overrated by a large chunk of people calling it the best superhero movie ever, when I think The Dark Knight still holds that title. There are just a few moments were it seemed the plot was kinda stretched to the limits, like when Tony Stark figures out that Loki is at the top of Stark Tower based on absolutely nothing. Then there are the several awkward dialogue moments like when Cap. America says, "The last time I was in Germany and I saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing." This line literally made me cringe. But, hey, it's funny, its cool, and its got like 6 superheroes in one movie so its definitely worth seeing.… Expand

I had a great time watching it a lot of awesome fights and action sequences not to mention the special affects, the characters are the same as always you would have had to watch the other movies to understand the characters, but what I didn't like about the plot is the storyline, the antagonist is a supernatural being and god while Captain America, iron man, and the hulk are scientifically powered, how is captain America or the other non- super natural being going to fight against a god? Thor is the only one could fight Loci, and you know it just doesn't make sense theoretically, Captain America and Iron man are meant to fight villains like for example the Green Goblin or magneto or something scientifically not a god. Thanks for letting me rant =)… Expand

Angels: I expected so much more. I do not want to be a contrarian, but....d'you remember the movie 'John Carter'? ...Well, this reminds me of John Carter, except, the acting is better, and so are the special effects. My mother always says, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything. I am trying real hard to say something nice, but I'm afraid this review will be short. This was an electric blue, sharkskin zoot suit, with black and white patent leather alligator shoes, a large diamond lapel pin, swinging a slim ebony cane with a gold handle topped by a sparkling ruby, and the suit is completely empty! Watching this movie was like going out on a date with this gorgeous curvy sex-on-legs amazon, eyes that make love to you, a sleep-with-me-tonight smile and a hip swing that could cause an earthquake who turns out to be a cyborg, with no engine! The Avengers was special effects in search of a movie.
Angels, stop me now, because I am not saying anything nice. This gets a '7' for the eye popping special effects.… Expand

It was a good movie. Not the best, but overall very entertaining. Not the best movie i've seen in years, but it was good.

Everything about this movie is slick and classy, from the dialogue to the action sequences (which I must also say are 10 times better than in other action films I have seen throughout the years). The plotline is actually sophisticated (praise the lord!) and therefore the movie doesn't need to treat the viewers like dummies (seriously, could I ask for anything more?) Particularly impressive is how well the film integrates the various stories regarding the different superheroes into one cohesive, kickass unit. And I mustn't forget that the film is fun. You'll have a blast watching it. It's entertainment at it's best. Did I mention the film is fun? Wait until after the credits for another scene that will make your viewing experience even better.… Expand

While extremely entertaining, the film felt to generic. The whole "Big city apocalypse" where our heroes need to learn to work together and save the day. There is some pretty funny dialogue between the main cast, and the effects were great. Despite the final twenty minute non-stop action sequence, it started to feel boring near the end. I heard such great reviews earlier, and through the whole film I was waiting for it to really take off and amaze me, which unfortunately it didn't. Pros: The acting is good, for the most part; The writing is funny, yet cheesy; The action and special effects are some of the best as far as superhero movies go. Cons: It felt strangely unsatisfactory; plot was bland and not very original.

Overall Grade: B… Expand

@subseq //Please. "It's just comic book stuff" doesn't excuse the fact that it still must be made to look reasonable for the viewer to buy into it. // Wait, what? It _IS_ just comic book stuff, you clown. The title of the movie is "The Avengers" ... which, shockingly, is the title of the comic book series. What movie did you think you were going to see? Did you get lost on your way to "The King's Speech" or something?… Expand

It's a kids' movie! Extremely predictable plot, cliché characters, unrealistic comic relief. Effects were great, and great cast. Part of what makes this movie great is the fact that many other movies led to it. But the movie by itself... not that impressive.

A fun, action packed romp that finally pulls together all the little trailers at the end of the credits in past Marvel character movies. The main action sequence near the end went on about 20 minutes too long for me. Other than that, it was fun. Probably won't be really clear to you unless you've seen some or all of the preceding movies. Worth the $8.

Maybe the most hyped movie ever, considering the 4 or 5 movies that started the journey. Overall The Avengers delivers. One of the biggest question marks going in was how do you put this many characters in a film and keep the story cohesive. At no point during this movie did I feel that a character was being used in a negative way. The story flowed naturally and the dialogue was fun and light. The action looked amazing faithful to the characters and most importantly entertaining. This is the best pure summer popcorn movie to come along in a while.… Expand

The movie was very well written, and very good quality, however I did feel that the movie had too much fantasy, and too much special effects. Overall The movie is a GO!

To sum it up into a few words The Avengers is a fun movie. Don't go in expecting something that will blow you away and leave you speechless. It's funny, the characters mix well for the most part, and the action is good. To be honest I would be giving this movie a lower score if it weren't for the egg head combo, and the nice pockets of humor. Definitely a movie to see, but if you have something else to do watch this later.… Expand

This is an action film- and nobody likes action films with not enough action. I went to this movie of the normal opinion I go to see action movies with- I'll have seen all the action in the trailer. This is absolutely not the case with Avengers! I was pleasantly surprised with the fact there was far more action than your average superhero movie film, with not too many less-interesting talky talky bits. I gave this a seven because though the effects and acting were astounding, I felt it could have used a bit more explanation of the storyline, and was a bit slow to get going. Some stuff I just didn't get as well. But besides that, good job! Definitely better than a lot of the things I've seen in the cinema of late (cough john carter cough)… Expand

Ok. Firstly, I've got to say that I had a good time watching The Avengers. There were some interesting moments and liners that even I still remember up to now. Robert Downey Jr. did well as Tony Stark/Ironman and I seriously can't imagine that character is played by another actor. Mark Ruffalo also stole the show. From the beginning until some moments before the ending you could witness how tense he was. He seemed to think that as if he was a nuke that could just blow out at anytime. In short, in term of the characters, I think that there was no flaws at all. The characters were delivered superbly.
However, just like most superhero movies, I found out that I actually don't care about the faith of each character. I had already known that every single main character would survive the day even before I started watching it. As a result, I felt no personal feelings toward the characters. I wasn't afraid that by the end of the movie Ironman would probably die nor I couldn't care less about Hawkeye and Black Widow's relationship. Apart from Bruce Banner character, I felt that I wasn't attached to the characters. They were all flat. And the way I see it, there is always a minus point in watching a movie that you know that the major characters will just survive: There is no tension. I ain't commenting on the story since this movie is not for the hardcore audience;this one is aimed into family teritory. Thus, the flaws in the story and the 'too-much-focus-on-the-effects-is all fine.
I recommend this movie to those who want to have a good time. Prepare some food and watch it with your family. You'll surely have a good time.… Expand

While the action scenes are breath-taking, Whedon has trouble juggling the litany of characters ingrained in the story, leaving it, overall, thinly plotted and surprisingly predictable.

Very good action sequences and had more character development than the previous installments...
However of all the recent, undeserved films getting a 2 pt. treatment this feels like one that definitely deserved it and would have been very beneficial.
I felt as if they started to develop a plot - about the team being manipulated - then left it.
Maybe in the sequel.

There are a lot of people giving this movie a perfect ten out of ten. This is understandable, but only if you are going into it thinking its a family movie. The Avengers is relatively tame, contains cheap, slapstick humor (take the Captain America trading cards for example), and the plot is extremely simple and easy to follow. Though these detract from the movie in my personal opinion, there are some upsides if you are like me and prefer a more complex action movie. The special effects are amazing, the cast is, for the most part, star studded, and if you have invested time in the other movies leading up to The Avengers there are references that reward the viewer. That being said, if you are either going as a family, or a fan of the other movie, you will enjoy The Avengers. However, if you were not interested in the past movies leading up to The Avengers and are looking for a complex, non-linear plot, than this may not be the movie for you.… Expand

I don't get all the hoopla over this film. In the end, it was yet another superhero movie with the same predictable storyline. It does have great special effects, good action (although a very shaky camera during the action sequences), and good 3D. They were smart to feature Iron Man more than the others as he is by far the most interesting of the Super Heroes. I have to say though, that it gets old that these heroes keep getting beaten to a pulp, then they get up without a scratch on them like a cartoon character. Ridiculous. I also thought that the Hulk was not supposed to be lucid when he was in his hulk state, yet at the end of the film he is calm and even says a few words while being a Hulk. I did look at my watch a couple of times and for me the 2 1/2 hours was excessive, but it was just good, not great.… Expand

Less than impressed with this film given its stellar reviews upon release. It is one of those not so rare cases of style over substance, the style being fight scenes and blowing stuff up before coming to an inevitable conclusion of saving the world together and going their separate ways. The attempts at comedy are laboured and obviously, like the film, directed at a popcorn chomping audience where films are to be enjoyed with minds switched off. The emotional climaxes in the film also seemed contrived and insincere, as is the case with many big budget films lacking in story and human connection. Firstly are we really meant to care about agent coulson dying merely because we are told 20 minutes before he died he ideolized captain america? And secondly what is the point in pretending to kill off iron man when all of the audience has seen that moment in the trailer a million times when the hulk catches iron man out of the sky and destroys a building in the process? Obviously they were not going to sacrifice a main character in this kind of a film when the secondary ones will suffice for audience emotional interaction. Joss Whedon, a genius, really?… Expand

Generic and predictable plot. Some characters like Black Widow and Hawkeye were uneeded. Although, it does have some nice and expensive special effects and okay action scenes.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. All I can say about this movie is that it was one of best marvel movies so far. The movie was entertaining but the major problem is the story and plot. There has been this build up for 5 years throughout 5 movies in which the main plot had to do with the Tesseract. So as soon as the Avengers movie starts within the first 10-15 minutes the whole plot is destroyed by bad writing and nonsense.

First we have a Evil villain tell Loki to retrieve this cube for him. So he is given a staff with the same powers of that cube that opens a portal right to it. Now this staff idea ruins all logic in all the the movies. If these aliens were looking for this cube in the first place why didn't they retrieve it using this staff along time ago. So after Loki retrieves the cube he doesn't immediately leave but instead he wastes time getting captured for no apparent reason to have his slaves build a machine to create a huge portal to bring an army to destroy Earth. What? That doesn't make sense. Loki was threaten that once he got the cube to return it to the aliens. Everything was backwards.

What should have happened was this.
1)The alien gave Loki an army to invade Earth and retrieve the Terrasect
2)Thor knowing this army is heading towards Earth warns S.H.I.E.L.D
3)S.H.I.E.L.D begins to gather the rest of the team
4)The aliens begin there attack on Earth as a distraction so Loki can retrieve the cube
5)Loki retrieve the Cube but he and his army is defeated by the Avengers

There should have been no portals involved in this movie period. Also the flying aircraft carrier was pointless as well. The damn thing served a better purpose in the water instead of the air. All it took was one arrow to put this thing out of commission.… Expand

I didn't like most of the prequels to The Avengers, I didn't like Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America. So I was pleasantly surprised by The Avengers which is quite better. It is however a movie that I would never like to see again. It is awesome the first time, but there is nothing left once it's over. The sole value of the movie lies in its action scenes, and sometimes fun, sometimes not fun jokes here an there. So switch your brain off and enjoy, the entertainment is guaranteed. Once you've seen the action, you've seen all there is to see, and there is no point whatsoever to come back again to it. There is (as usual, sigh) some rubbish science talk that doesn't mean much and that shows how empty the plot is, so why bother including it at all? The movie could have been a bit shorter without it and without some other minor scenes, the action would have been more intense and the movie could only have been better. Anyway, I enjoyed it a lot, I didn't regret going to the cinema for once.… Expand

The Avengers accomplishes its goal as a fun, super geek event movie. It's not a film, but a movie and a good time. Once people take another look, they will likely notice a weak narrative, not so great special effects, big plausibility issues and less than A+ level filmmaking. Technically, there are many aspects of the movie that are B-level. The actors have a good time, and Robert Downey Jr steals the show.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It accomplishes what a typical summer action film does: action. I can't really complain about this film because action is what I expected over story. But if there's one thing I'm just tired of at this point it's this: aliens. Aliens, aliens, aliens. I just think it's just so cliche that this is the plot point that we've been buttered up for after all these years with disappointing films like Iron Man 2 and Captain America. They should have just made this film from the beginning. The climatic battle felt more like Transformers 3. The whole premise felt like a Transformers movie. I mean, we have the Tesseract, a small cube-like thing that has energy to open portals and/or is a beacon of immense energy (sound familiar?), that's not very explained in the movie, or why the alien dudes want it. Albeit that moving action shot where it got all the Avengers doing their thing beating **** up simultaneously was great. And there's the gags like Hulk not being able to pick up Thor's hammer, Thor telling everyone Loki was adopted, the shield employee playing games when he's supposed to be working, etc. But Agent Coulson's scenes were by far the best. It was really petty of Nick Fury to use him to guilt the Avengers to work together while shying away from the fact that he was planning on building weapons of mass destruction out of the Tasseract.

But then we had the long, LONG attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters where nothing was at stake. Loki got himself caught for reasons and nothing seemed to materialize from that. The Avengers all **** at each other as to how to handle the situation and then suddenly liking each other once some **** goes down. The Hulk acting like a lumbering ape, dragging his knuckles, who thought that would be a good idea? And finally setting up the Tasseract at Stark Tower to open a portal for the Decepticons to invade Earth. Something like that hasn't happened in a film recently, right? But again this movie was about gags and action and fanservice, so I cannot really complain about it. I got what I expected and it filled some time up in my night.… Expand

There is too much mayhem in the movie for my taste, although the story line is quite interesting: getting a group of superheroes, whose styles and personalities essentially do not click together, to get one supremely difficult task done. And the Big Boss is a black man! I would have liked to see some other minority groups, i.e., Asians and Hispanics, take a part in this huge enterprise too.

If you didn't see the other 5 movies, go watch them first (even Hulk). The movie will taunt you with flashbacks to the old movies and you won't get to see the full character development. Having only been armed with the Iron Man movies, understanding of Norse Mythology, and basic background on the other heroes, I still got a good understanding of what was going on. However, the movie had a lot of elements from the other movies, specifically Thor. The movie's beginning is S.L.O.W, almost as slow as the first Willy Wonka. I'm not going to spoil the story, but don't worry, you'll forget about it. It's basically the Marvel formula: Bad thing happens, find hero(es), train, find bad guy, some one dies, attack on New York, save the day, New Yorkers go yay. As for the characters, it's hit and miss. Tony Stark and Loki are very enjoyable and witty, Captain America and Bruce Banner are alright, and everyone else is paper thin. Very little character development happens and by the end, the characters are still the same people. The final fight scene was as you think it would be. The effects are well done and the Hulk provides comic relief. My favorite scene by far was when Hulk was chasing Black Widow, though. Don't worry about the music, because you won't notice it. It's drowned out the the amazing amount of dialogue in this movie. Even in the fight scenes they can't shut up. There's no suspense whatsoever. Overall, I was very disappointed, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a good movie. But, if you want a good superhero experience, just go watch the Dark Knight again.… Expand

Entertaining Movie, but the plot was lacking. when there was no action the movie was on the boring side. They were trying to build some conflict between characters, but there just wasn't that much. There was a little as far as the main character vs Shield but that was it. If they could have build the tension between the Main Characters and actually made it real tension not just some simple disagreements then the Movie would have been better. The action is some of the best I've seen but the plot makes it tough for me to give anything higher then a 7… Expand

This is definitely no The Dark Knight. Just another superhero-themed movie to fill in the gaps for the long-awaited The Dark Knight Rises. Decent flick, but really forgettable. (They really underused Jeremy Renner here).

I'm not a great comic book fan but found this film reasonably engaging. Robert Downey Jnr steals the show and the captain America character seems just as underplayed as his was in his own film. Looking forward the the inevitable sequel but it would be good if Hollywood could come up with some original idea's as well!

Disappointing. I can sum it up as 2 hours of explosions and 1 liners. Acting was... mediocre. I honestly expected a lot more. It was more of a straight action movie, the story was very very bland. Only good thing I can say about it was the visual effects were great and that is it.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The dialogue is crisp, the action is loud and in your face, and the characters are all there. For an Avengers fan, or someone craving snippy lines and mindless action, this movie is for you. For those of you looking for a truly epic experience, a story with impact, look elsewhere. In the end, the Avengers is all it could be, and what was promised in the first of what may very well end up being a trilogy. As such, our heroes are in no danger (and neither is our villain for that matter), and for someone who isn't a Marvel junkie, the whole journey just felt like pointless fluff. Even the overlong action sequence carries little impact as we all know how it will end. I suppose The Avengers was all it promised to be, but in spite of that I left the theater wanting more from this film. It still gets a passing grade, but I would not see it again.… Expand

Its an ok superficial superhero action/comedy and if you liked movies like Iron Man and Captain America you will probably like this to. It has funny one liners and good looking effects but not much more. If you want a movie with good story and any depth to the characters this is not for you.

Where are the attractive actresses? Are they all locked in rich peoples basements? Why can't an attractive female be in movies? Your review must be at least 150 characters long.

Whedon's Avengers is very entertaining. The dialogue is snappy when present, and the visual effects are great, but in the end, sensation trumps feeling.

The Avengers is the best Marvel comic book movie ever made. This movie had great action, great acting, and a great plot. It's 143 minutes of pure awesomeness and excitement. Also this movie had fantastic acting from Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, and Tom Hiddleston. This is one of my favorite films of all time. This is the best film of 2012 by far.

Probably much more enjoyable on the big screen -- and I'm sure it would have been more enjoyable for a comic book aficionado. But its appearance on some of the critics' "best" lists made me curious. Campy costumes and a primary-colored plot (to the extent that there was one) made it fun in spots, but for me could not make up for the cheesy dialogue and silly story. Robert Downey Jr. had most of the best lines and wittily made good use of them; his performance definitely was the highlight.… Expand

The special effects alone are not enough to make a good movie, but apparently not many people understand it. Often boring, rarely funny and exciting. Only look if you love Marvel.

I love superhero action movies, and though I was really looking forward to this movie, tried not get too high of hopes, so as not to ruin it for myself accidentally. I don't think it worked though, as I was kind of disappointed in this movie. It was decent, but it could have been so much better. As soon as it ended, my friend and I, who both love Joss Whedon, and this kind of movie, both turned to each other and shrugged. We both agreed that Joss has great ideas, but is not a great director of movies. Some of the shots were kind of random, pacing needed to be tightened up, it felt too long in spots (I started getting sleepy at one point and didn't think I would miss anything if I took a quick nap) and I wanted it to hurry and get to the point several times, and I just didn't feel much connection to or care about any of the "superheroes", even the ones I had already liked and connected to in previous movies. If Joss had more experience directing full-length films, I think this movie would have been much better. (Sorry, Joss, I really do love you! But, I have to call it like I see it.) But, all that said, I liked it okay, I just knew that it could have been really good, and was disappointed it wasn't living up to its potential.… Expand

As you can see by the overwhelmingly positive reviews, this movie is hardcore nerd pornography. I now have insight into the fanboy mind: Screen make flashy flashy boom boom I clappy my handsies if u don't like u just a h8r. But the special effects really do give this thing a great-looking outer shell. Kinda reminds me of a pretty Easter egg that you can't wait to open but is disappointingly filled with those black jelly beans everybody hates. I liked Downey Jr. and non-Hulk Ruffalo. Scarlet played a robot with an accent. Captain America dude and Thor just plain can't act. They're so bad, they're almost a parody of themselves. Put them on SNL. They won't have to change a thing. Stereotypical one-dimensional GOOD guy vs. stereotypical one-dimensional EVIL guy + one-liner + insanely long stretch of movie in which nothing at all happens + evil guy beats up good guy for a while + one-liner + good guy shows evil guy what's up = you still go back to your girlfriendless lives, nerds.… Expand

This movie wasn´t of my totally pleasantness, fools jokes, boring and spent history, but i wasn't like! i don't like! is a stupid movie. I only save the special effects

OK--first the pro's: great cast, stylish production values and some good moments. There was some of the clever dialogue I associate with Jos Whedon and some scenes that made me laugh. That said, Avengers is to Firefly or Serenity what the WWF is to Olympic wrestling--too LONG, lots of repetitive CGI. You'd like to think that Firefly was about people as a matter of choice, not because of a small budget alone. This movie makes me wonder. When it comes to CGI, just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD.… Expand

I said I wasn't gonna do it, but I watched 'The Avengers' last night, in glorious 2D. Now for a solid week, fake life-style comic nerds have been building this thing up to me like it was the second coming of Christ. It isn't. Think of it like this. 'Love In The Time Of Cholera' is a far better literary work than a 'Wolverine' comic. They are truly different animals. Using this example, "Scarface" is a far better film than "The Avengers". I didn't get the impression Joss Whedon was trying to make high cinematic art here, which is fine, if you take it at that level. It's fun. It's mindlessly entertaining, and the effects are top notch, but then they sort of had to be, didn't they? Watch it. Take your kids. They'll love it. Just don't let any Marvel fanboys build up your hopes too high. As comic movies go, it's pretty decent. As a pinnacle of modern filmmaking, it fails all over the place.… Expand

The Avengers has everything money can buy going for it and not much else. There's nothing offensive in the film but nothing provocative either. Did anyone here feel any tension whatsoever watching this? It plays it so safe. Hey, there's a lot of great stuff for the eyes, the pacing is good and I think the dialog is pretty funny, but there really isn't much substance or originality. A summer thrill ride and then it's over. Not that there's anything wrong with that.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Visually, the movie is a treat. And that ends to positive portion of my review. I basically agree with most of the negative reviews, but I refuse to give the movie a 1 or 2. It most certainly wasn't that bad. I just felt that I was waiting the whole film for something to bring me to the edge of my seat, and it didn't happen. The final battle scene was terrible. It went on and on and on, and got dumber and dumber as it did. It felt like it was half the movie, but after the first 2 or 3 minutes of the battle, we'd seen it all. It didn't need to drone on like a bad philosophy professor. There were two many characters for any of them to be written well. I hated the Captain America movie, but I was more interested in his character then than I was in this one. Bruce Banner was pathetic. And could someone please explain to me how Hulk suddenly could go from wanted to kill Black Widow to suddenly understanding everything? The Ironman Mark 7 bit was ridiculous, and some of the arrows that Hawkeye used were ludicrous. Yes, I am keeping in mind this was based on a comic, but come on!… Expand

Pedestrian pacing, clichéd dialogue and a generic plot. Yes, it's a super-hero movie; an over-hyped, big-budget, disengage your brain and chew your popcorn series of action sequences littered with painfully two-dimensional cardboard cut-out characters (with exception to Ruffalo's Hulk, arguably the only decent part of the film). One of the trailers preceding the film was advertising toys; there's your target audience: children.… Expand

This is last year's summer blockbuster. The Avengers has its moments and you won't fall asleep, but it is a bit too busy, probably because it has five or six superheroes too many, including two from Norse mythology. I'm not sure that Loki and Thor count as superheroes. Thor is the Norse god of thunder; in this film, he is frequently depicted wielding a gold oversized hammer that looks like a giant dreidel. Loki is, according to mythology, a rather weird loner of a god who causes all kinds of mischief, and he is famous for being a shapeshifter, an attribute which is not explored in this story. In this film, Loki is the mad genius who wants to destroy the world, the typical villain that turns up in every superhero movie from Batman to Austin Powers to the T-Rex in Jurassic Park. In Norse mythology, Loki is constantly fouling things up, and he is not a nice god, but he doesn't have enough ambition or smarts to try to destroy the planet.

For example, in a famous mythological scene, Odin, the chief god, is on planet Earth strolling along to pay a respectful visit the King of the Dwarves. Odin is accompanied by Loki and another god. The King's son is also a shapeshifter, and the son is lounging by the stream in the shape of an otter. Loki sees the otter, and all he can think is “lunch,” so while Odin walks on ahead, Loki stops to kill the otter, throw it over his shoulders, and then give the poor Dwarf King a real shock when he enters the house a few minutes behind Odin, carrying some delectable meat. This causes Odin all kinds of problems, as he then has to find a way to give the Dwarf King restitution for the death of his son. Tom Hiddleston as Loki does a very good portrayal of unrelenting evil, but the relation to the mythological Loki is weak.

Even Robert Downey Jr. gets lost in the sauce, since his Iron Man has much less screen time here than what he's used to, and he's sharing the set with too many other A-listers. Downey is a little out of shape in this film, a state he seems to have recently corrected, but the main problem is that Iron Man as a team player doesn't seem to work. Mark Ruffalo's the Hulk is so hulking and destructive that he gets on your nerves. He's a bull in a china shop, and his massive destructiveness is a little annoying. The pleasant surprise is Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow. Her best scene is when she's tied to a chair and is seemingly being interrogated, if not tortured, but in fact she is the one conducting the interrogation by asking a lot of questions while perceived as being in a state of bondage from which she cannot escape. When she has to answer her cell phone, she drops the ruse, beats everybody up, and gets back to the office. That scene is worth the rest of the movie.

The film is entertaining on a somewhat juvenile level, but given that it made over a billion dollars, the producers are obviously not concerned about high art with respect to this genre.… Expand

Harboring a great deal of expectation of this record-breaking multi-superhero-in-a-row action mash-up, I finally caught up the last chance to watch it on the big screen, but unfortunately the film has indomitably become my very first disappointment in 2012. Alerted by the general opinion of â

The Avengers: A messy film that does little to appeal to the non pre-existing comic fans. Struggles to fit a coherent narrative between the action scenes.

While action is pretty, The Avengers never seems to quite know what to do with so many main characters. Making huge assumptions that the viewer already knows each character's arc, they bypass any arc entirely and just have them fighting a lot.

Even Transformers 3, a movie I found very messy and tough to watch, manages to have a pretty coherent and linear story, that just tries to do a few things too many. But The Avengers seems to decide to leave behind linearity and a character arcs, and just let chaos happen.

The best Marvel film for me is still Iron Man, as it plays with strong character arcs, a progressive and interesting plot, with a sense of 'realistic' special effects and the 'super hero' notion is dialled down a bit.

If you want super hero movies with a plot, try Batman Begins, The Watchmen Director's Cut, and to a more minimal extent Superman 2: Donner Cut.… Expand

this movie is so bland and overrated. honestly i'm still dumbfounded by the fact this movie has garnered good reviews. dont get me wrong. it's not a bad movie but its not as good as everyone think it is. Yes its super cool with a team of superheroes saving the earth but thats pretty much it. the dialogue and script of the movie is so bad. seriously. at times while watching the movie i laughed so hard at the script not becos its hillarious its because of the poor script. very cliche and predictable storyline. The action was not bad. and there are too many plotholes. when we watch a superhero movie we have to defy logic and just enjoy the 2 hours ride but i just cant for this movie. there are so many illogical and unwarranted events. The best marvel film so far is probly iron man without a doubt and maybe the incredible hulk. rober downey jr was at his brilliant best. mark ruffalo does a not bad impersonation of the hulk. the rest are very mediocre. honestly i didnt expect much from this movie. cos u cant expect a top class movie with multiple superheros. but i was quite excited to watch it like i said a team of superheroes. who wouldnt? but i guess blockbuster movies are like that. just hoping the dark knight rises and the amazing spiderman would be epic!… Expand

This movie isn't what it's all cracked up to be. I honestly didn't like it. The effects and what not was amazing but, the plot in general and the acting kind of pissed me off. But, In some cases I actually liked it.

The movie as whole is not bad but at the end of the day, it's pretty much the generic superhero/comic book movie - lots of explosions with some semi-funny one-liners. The action sequences were nothing outstanding (they were actually less impressive than the first scenes in Thor). On top of that, the movie is a bit slow until the half-way point. Some characters felt out of place like Scarlett Johansson's character and that Phil dude. Hulk's reason for being on the team was very blurry as well. Overall, an entertaining popcorn flick but nothing more.… Expand

Typical pro military movie with the most outrageous waste of money possible - a flying aircraft carrier. It doesn't even make sense...what's the point?

Ultimately, The Avengers is a Joss Whedon movie. For those familiar with Joss Whedon's works, you have a formulaic approach to group dynamics. There's the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Girl of the group, who is unfazed and stoic to all of the happenings around her and utilizes her femininity to trick the men around her while she lays the smack down. You have the Goofy Guy who makes light of everything and is terribly superficial. The No-Nonsense, Misplaced Guy who typically acts like he carries a heavy burden around with him in a world he doesn't fit in with anymore. And so and so forth. Essentially, if you've watched Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, or even read Whedon's run on Uncanny X-Men, you have the jist of his workings, a method he uses over and over again. If you're a fan, you'll love The Avengers. If you're not, well, Robert Downey, Jr keeps it entertaining (because this is his third outing in role he's grown into, unlike the rest of the cast). The Avengers is a good movie, but I think people ought to reconsider whether they're getting something fresh and entertaining, or if Whedon is just exploiting an already established character base of heroes and putting them into a mold he's done several times before.… Expand

I was trying to keep my expectations tempered. Now I have excitement churning in my chest, and a grin on my face that I can't fight. Can this be out already?

Regards
Diolt

This movie is yet another example of sloppy script writing covered up by special effects, a few good action scene moments and some good gags. I don't know if it's coming from studio involvement but overall the movie is filled with scenes that could have been simplified or written differently but instead were used to shoe horn in a cool special effect or line of dialogue. I walked out of the movie liking it but you couldn't pay me to sit through it again and I'm someone who likes the characters. As a whole you know movies are getting bad when a 80's action movie has a more solid script than the Avengers. If you like seeing people punch things though and cars explode with the occasional funny gag you will probably love this movie, if you want a movie that is more than that stay home.… Expand

All the pieces of the Marvel film puzzle have finally been assembled, and the outcome was... fairly satisfying. It has all the thrills and flares needed for the first blockbuster of the summer and its packed with a lot of humor and cynicism that keeps things light. The visuals and sound designs were dynamic; and action sequences bombastic, but the icing on the cake were the characters that were brought to life (once again) for the big screen; Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and the Agents. They were unique, dynamic, and director Joss Whedon did a good job at offering them equitable screen presence. None of them got lost in the mix. But the standout was surely Mark Ruffalo's take on Hulk, which exceeds the 2 previous versions by a land slide. Despite all the fun action and smart humor, the film was fairly empty. Our heroes weren't faced with any serious struggles or personal demons, they only had to kick the butts of those who wish to 'Take over the World'! And that wasn't a hard task for them. All that I saw in this movie was the same formula, redone in a (slightly) more charismatic way. Overall its an entertaining popcorn flick...which should be seen for the summer, but don't expect to take away much from it.… Expand

What works: the allure of Marvel Comic branding, cast and media marketing made 3D event a "must see".

What fails: script, cast chemistry and total lack of character development for key roles and length of movie (should have been part 1 of 2). Overall: Not even close to the hype; Catch on DVD.

Every hype is fake. The Avengers is not the best Marvel film to date and quite possibly is the worst superhero movie I've seen in terms of humor, history and has no replay value. Loki or Thor never have been "stars" in comics. Bad choice for an Avengers movie.

If it weren't for the great special effects and a few guilty pleasures, "The Avengers" would be a complete snooze-fest. A generally solid cast as well as the 3D imagery were woefully underutilized. For all the film's frenetic energy, there was little in the characters and the plot for the viewer to invest emotionally. In short, the sum was less than its parts in this overlong spectacle from Joss Whedon.… Expand

depending on what you are looking for you will either love this movie or like me be left sitting in the theater with a look of obvious disinterest. think of it this way, if you are a twelve year old boy you will fall in love with this movies big explosions and cheap easy comic lines. you can see the obvious struggle of creating this movie in the way of properly incorporating all of these large characters into one small movie (however not short). it was from a real quality of film standpoint not good at all. the whole plot just seemed to be there to accommodate the characters and then shove the one big climactic real action scene in at the end. its not the best superhero movie ever made but if you want something that is mildly interesting, and throws witty lines and explosions at your face as if you where not an actual real person then this would be a great movie for you.… Expand

I've been a fan of movies my whole life and I really love good movies. I love comic book heroes especially Superman and Batman. I really hated the Batman TV show growing up because I wanted a serious take on the character. I was so happy when Batman Begins came out because I finally got what I knew a comic book movie could be a serious dramatic endeavor and it still had its humorous touches too. BUT it was NOT campy. Then when "The Dark Knight" came out I was blown away because it truly was what I had been yearning for since I was 8 or 9 years old when I first saw the campy batman tv show you know with all the kapows and whamos they could throw in it. I don't know much about "Iron Man" or "The Avengers" comic books. I have never really gotten into reading comic books even as a kid I didn't read them. But when "Iron Man" came out I said this looks cool I have to check this movie out. And wow what an awesome surprise it was. Another great comic book movie in the same year. I own "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight" on blu-ray that is how much I love the first "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight". And I thought to myself it has finally happened we have passed into special effects nirvana where hollywood can now literally put anything they can dream up onto celluloid and it will look as if it truly exists. So now I'll finally get to see all the comic book movies turned into great movies. Well, then "Iron Man 2" came out and pretty much quashed the dream I had envisioned. Marvel went back to the batman tv show campy style and that style sucks I hate it. They had a chance to truly turn Iron Man into a great live action franchise and they screwed it up. And then I heard about "The Avengers" coming out and being released all over the world before it was released in the states. And anytime a studio does this it is so they can get the maximum return on their investment before its state side release because they know they did a decent movie but they know its just a decent movie and not a great one. I still wanted to see it though to see if they would steer back onto the correct course set in the original "Iron Man" and they gave a very valiant effort BUT after seeing the movie I came away feeling, "Eh ok I saw it but it doesn't really matter that I saw it." When I left the theater after seeing "Iron Man 1" I wanted to know where I could get an Iron Man suit. They could have made "The Avengers" make me feel that way when I left the theater but they figured oh well as long as its good enough the rest of the world will go see so it doesn't matter that we stop the action so the characters can exchange dialogue several times in key action sequences. The dialogue wasn't woven into the fight scene. They broke my #1 rule of movies don't make feel as though I'm watching a movie make feel as though the events are actually happening. Please don't think I'm not well versed in the movies I have seen them all and rank them in the following order (best to worst): Iron Man 1, Captain America, Thor, Both Hulks, Iron Man 2, The Avengers.… Expand

This movie is OK. good action but it miss something to merge all parts in one big thing. the solo movie of the heroes was better for me at least. The movie is a bit to long by the end. $6 is good investment for 2 hours of action movie

Here are 5 reasons why this movie wasn't as good as it could have been:
1.The actor playing the villain was too weak for the rest of the cast of characters.
2. Too much of the movie takes place on a Plane
3. That's 3 strikes now for casting a decent HULK actor, or even scripting a good HULK storyline
4. Robert Downey Jr.'s shtick is getting tired and repetitive (see: every movie he makes)
5. Thor is a super-powerful God, what is it that the other characters have to offer? (maybe they are the distractions)… Expand

5 out of 10, even though that's going against the general opinion of the public. It was a really good movie, but it was still a Superhero movie that comes at the tail end of an ongoing fad in Hollywood. I enjoyed it, so don't misunderstand what I'm saying. It just needed to step up it's game in order to compete with some of the other movies that are circulating out there. A lot of people loved it, but I'm not a lot of people. It had it's moments of well done special effects, humor, and dialogue. I was hoping for better, but it didn't meet my expectations.… Expand

The special effects were great and the action was great, but The Avengers was lacking in other areas. The story was ridiculous and not engaging whatsoever and the jokes just weren't very funny at all. God, Robert Downey Jr. annoyed me so much!

This movie was a lot of talking, mainly just arguing between the Avengers. The Antagonist is nothing to fear, and there is no doubt in the viewer's head that he will be defeated with ease. The gigantically long and redundant battle scene against the monster things wasn't special because every alien thing was the same and there was nothing special about them. Robert Downey, Jr. was the best part of the movie. His portrayal of Tony Stark was great and humorous. Captain America was boring and annoying at times. I don't understand the hype at all. It was "all right" at best.… Expand

Joss Whedon a thespian of the TV world directs his first big budget studio backed super hero movie bringing together some of the most iconic Super Heroes of the Marvel Comics universe. In my personal opinion the movie falls short of the promise it held with the recently successful Iron-Man, Thor and Captain America who all come together as The Avengers a special task force

It IS a good movie if you're a Marvel fan, but otherwise there's not much to it. The "story" is as simple as it gets and the action scenes are so big and so frequent that it fails to impress after a while. It's all about explosions and one-liners and superheroes beating up bad guys, and if that's enough for you... well, great. For me it isn't.

I really tried to love this film but when the plot holes are beyond obvious it is hard and unexplained actions were even worse. Half of S.H.I.E.L.D didn't even need to be there. It didn't stop it being enjoyable. Robert Downey Jr. was the highlight of this film. Still worth watching.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Wow. I had heard a lot about this movie. Heard it was possibly the best film of all time from some people. There's certainly been plenty of noise about The Avengers - from Marvel aficionados to old fashioned action movie fans. Fun, fast-paced, boundary-breaking, smart, genre-redefining...? Hm.

I'll grant some of that. It IS fast, it IS visually impressive, and it does have passable humour, but ultimately it's a vacuous piece. It is stuffed at the beginning with superfluous padding to provide a reason to draw together hitherto mutually exclusive superheroes. This distracts from the overal theme of the movie of mindless action. Mindless? Let's have a villain want to rule a world he clearly has no interest in through the assistance of an ally (of dubious loyalty) that also has no interest in the Earth but rather in the "Doomsday Device". Lol, jk; the aliens actually want to blow up New York taxis, and never bother ever attempting to obtain, protect or use the Doomsday Device in any way other way other than as an excuse for their taxi destruction antics. But hey; any excuse for cool explosions man! Want a aircraft carrier. Sure. Hell let's make it fly. So it's not a ship but an aircraft... carrying aircraft. Oh, and let's have it invisible. Actually... perhaps scratch the invisibility. Continuity error? Who'll notice! Sure, the aircraft command centre is only an excuse to have a localised firefight! For this purpose we will also have a high-security prison cell, nuclear research facility, weapons R&D and an army barracks on board. Sure why else would you have the supervillan, the Hulk, and the enemy's most powerful weapon all located at the centre of your command HQ? However, luckily for the good guys Bruce Banner for no reason presented on screen manages to work out how to control his Hulk form for the duration of the film. Continuity error? Ah, hell, we want to see the Hulk smashing bad guys, right?

Don't get me wrong; the fight sequences are cool, even though I would have preferred a universe where the US military existed in some shape or form (apparently the flying aircraft carriers also holds the entire stockpile of US nukes as well). The villains always seem outclassed; having only one named character who is no match even for his (adoptive) brother alone, let alone a whole posse of superheroes. Robert Downey Jr certainly buoys up the mood of the film, and some neat quips provide some laughs, but the Avengers is an entirely forgettable, if inoffensive, lights and noise affair. Worth a casual watch, particularly if drunk and with friends.… Expand

A perfectly average superhero movie...

I didn't see this for a while and some friends hyped it up as the best thing ever. I was pretty disappointed to begin with, because at the start there are some problems with the main characters. With having so many it was bound to happen... but still, it just doesn't feel right and I can't put my finger on it. Having said that, later on it gets better... much better. The characters find their niches and they come to life. I was just hoping they'd be a bit more interesting beforehand. They contrast nicely and work better than in their own films at times. There are some great action sequences and some memorable moments and it's all very fun. It's just not very complicated at all. I was expecting more a X-Men First Class or Watchmen vibe to it. (I know that was a silly idea now)

The problem is that you'd expect a film like this to blow you away and really immerse you, but honestly I turned it off halfway through and came back to it. Where as with First Class I watched it start to finish and then went back to some scenes again because it was soooo bad-ass. It takes a while to get going and then never really goes anywhere *that* interesting once it does. This is probably because the whole point of the film was to bring the avengers together and set them up for a sequel. If that's it then fair play, good film, point made. But First Class did that AND gave the guys something pretty interesting to do and also make some bold claims about sociology. ( I do love and highly recommend that film)

All in all it's alright. If you are going to see it, you've probably seen it by now. If not, catch it on Sky Movies in a few months or something when you're bored because it's not that special. On the other hand if you fancy a very good superhero-group origin film, with some top acting, interesting characters and a bit more depth... watch X-Men First Class.… Expand

This movie was just bad. I love Joss Whedon but he needs a guy sitting over him while he is writing to tell him his jokes aren't funny. They chose the storyline that doesn't connect with the others on the least likeable character. All the other avengers are really good at something or science gave them powers but Thor is just a heavy handed dueche that has powers because of the cop out that he is a god. There were redeeming factors due to the Sp. Effects and Scarlett Johanson's butt.… Expand

Just a bunch of fighting scenes with less than desirable dialogue and plot.

This kind of movie is for the young at heart and mind. Not that there's anything wrong with that-been there done that-it's just such a repetitive genre. Invincible people beat up on invincible people. No-one gets hurt- major damage to buildings though-and then they do it again. Hulk gets the best scenes and Iron Man gets the best lines. In the end after 1/3 of greater New York City is demolished Mayor Bloomberg (or whoever in the future where Aircraft carriers fly) asks for Stimulus money from.......Odin?… Expand

I obviously don't hold the popular opinion here, but to me this movie just didn't measure up. I've seen both Iron Man movies, Captain America, and many of the past Marvel movies including characters featured in this film, and I thought most if not all of them were better than this one. Maybe it's just that I've outgrown the more playful and mindlessly violent tone of these types of movies, but to me the movie just felt childish and simplistic. I realize that in a way, it's a great triumph seeing this crazy symphony of classic Marvel characters clashing with enemies and sometimes themselves, which in a way makes it the perfect superhero movie, but it just doesn't seem to create the same type of captivation one would expect from such an ordeal. It just feels goofy and undeveloped in a sense, unfortunately.… Expand

This is one of the most overrated movies I've seen this year. A weak and predictable plot masked by tons of action and great special effects. Limited character development also made it difficult to be invested in any of the characters. A waste of a good cast.

It is not good, but it isn't bad either. I don't like how according to the film no one died during the attack on New York. This film is nearly ruined because of that. I really do like Captain America though. I don't think that Chris Hemsworth is any good at playing Thor. I don't get the praise for the film, but maybe that's because I don't care about the comics and don't give a damn if every moment is filled with some fan boy's dream. Look, all I want is a good film.… Expand

Joss Whedon's widely influenced summer spectacular offers 130 minutes of popcorn-friendly fun, yet fails to deliver anything more than run-of-the-mill escapist entertainment. Tom Hiddleston is superb as Shakespearian villain Loki and Mark Ruffallo gives The Hulk some heart, yet the film's character development is minimal, its plot slow and formulaic, and its screenplay drizzled in gooey one-liners and excessive fanboy cream. Things pick up a little during the final act, but even a swooping, snarling Manhattan sky-battle isn't enough to save The Avengers from feeling bloated and underwhelming.… Expand

I think that the movie was a bit slow at first but then picked up a bit near the end. I did not enjoy the movie as much as everyone told me I would. I thought it was very okay compared to the other superhero movies. Some of the jokes they made were funny, but others were very lame. I just think that they may have relied a little too much on the effects rather than the story. I did not feel attached to any of the characters. Perhaps the only character I felt was the most fun to watch was Bruce Banner who played the Hulk. They are all amazing superheroes individually, but I did not feel the chemistry between them as a team.… Expand