MOVIE REVIEW: The Avengers

Directed by Joss Whedon

Writing credits:

Zak Penn and Joss Whedon (story)

Joss Whedon (screenplay)

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (comic book)

Cast:

Robert Downey Jr. ... Tony Stark / Iron Man
Chris Evans ... Steve Rogers / Captain America
Mark Ruffalo ... Bruce Banner / The Hulk
Chris Hemsworth ... Thor
Scarlett Johansson ... Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Jeremy Renner ... Clint Barton / Hawkeye
Tom Hiddleston ... Loki
Clark Gregg ... Agent Phil Coulson
Cobie Smulders ... Agent Maria Hill
Stellan Skarsgård ... Selvig
Samuel L. Jackson ... Nick Fury
Gwyneth Paltrow ... Pepper Potts
Paul Bettany ... Jarvis (voice)

When Loki comes to the Earth to steal the Tessarect so he can create a weapon that will subjugate the population of the Earth, Nick Fury calls S.H.I.E.L.D into active duty to fight back.

The Avengers is the culmination of film a film series which began with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man II, Thor and finally Captain America. You don't have to watch all the previous films in order to enjoy this one, but I personally would recommend it.

The cast assembled from these prior films worked together seamlessly. Sitting in the theater, the whole team seemed real and credible. Samuel L. Jackson is always the ultimate badass, but even the least of the human agents played a pivotal role at a critical moment.

Joss Whedon did his usual incredible job with the story, there were so many lines the whole theater cheered for, it almost felt like I was at a sports event.

There is no pee break in this film, so don't buy the extra-large soda. You'll need it afterward when you've laughed and yelled and generally had a great time through the whole film. The Avengers was one of the best action and adventure films I've ever seen.

This is one of the rare films I'd go back and pay full price to see. I'm definitely adding The Avengers to my DVD collection.

WARNING: Do not leave the theater as the credits begin to roll. There's just a hint of things to come.

Rebecca McFarland Kyle, May 2012